It’s tough to cement yourself as a proper franchise in the gaming world because, in all honesty, there are already too many of those. Another formidable task to take on is making an open-world game, and that too is difficult for the same reasons. Competing with legendary franchises like GTA, God of War, and Far Cry might be something game developers would duck from, but the people over at Sucker Punch Productions are definitely not running away from a fight. They have just released the gameplay trailer for their upcoming title Ghost Of Yotei, and it looks like the game might break the records held by the beloved and moving Ghost Of Tsushima.
The developers provide an insight into the whole story behind the game while describing all the different features that have been made available for the users. The protagonist of the story is a woman named Atsu, who is returning to her hometown after 16 years in order to take revenge for her family’s death. The developers have pulled from Japanese myths and legends, and Atsu is believed to be an onryō. According to Japanese folklore, an onryō is a spirit that is driven by wrath and thirst for revenge. As Atsu moves forward in her journey, her ghost legend will only grow, as will the bounty on her head, inviting more challenging foes as the game proceeds.
In order to level up her prowess as a fighter, the players will need to find certain clues to hidden areas of the game. They can also stumble upon secret locations titled ‘Altars of Reflection’, which will inspire Atsu and will give the players the ability to choose a new skill. The developers claim to have made a world that can suit everyone’s playing style like a perfect glove. The players will be able to choose whether they want to explore the world, focus on the main story, or complete other side quests. This does beg the question if players will be able to level up Atsu before getting very far in the main storyline or maybe before even starting it.
The developers promise an immersive open-world experience.
The weapon arsenal available is wide and varied, including katanas, spears, kusarigama, odachi, and dual swords. Their weapons have a personality of their own, as different weapons will be effective in particular situations, and all weapons will have their own skill tree to climb. In her pursuit of the Yotei Six, the group of mercenaries that killed her family, Atsu can act as a bounty hunter, investigator or just a straight-up punisher. The developers say that the entire experience will be slow, and they will not be rushing the players through anything; in fact, they encourage the players to go exploring and take the game forward one discovery at a time.
The game will be coming out on PlayStation 5 on October 2, 2025.
