Sucker Punch's upcoming
Ghost of Tsushima will tell the story of Jin Sakai's fight against the Mongol Empire's assault on the Japanese island of Tsushima. To win this war, Jin will go beyond his traditional samurai training. To create this unique experience, the studio draws on Japanese history and the iconic traditions of samurai cinema, taking inspiration from the Kurosawa films and John Ford westerns.
In a recent interview with Games industry, Sucker Punch creative director Nate Fox discussed the main goals of his team. According to Fox, Punch pitched
Ghost of Tsushima as the fantasy of being a samurai that would bring up a lot of romantic images equated with feudal Japan. While the vision might be appealing, the American team has needed some help and partnered with experts in various fields to thoroughly research life in 13th Century Tsushima.
"
We rely on all these people to let us know where we're going astray," said Fox. "S
ucker Punch is good at making gameplay, but we are not cultural experts in Kamakura-era Japan. We recognize this, and we're grateful to have the help." Fox admitted that Sucker are constantly learning about Japanese culture or the norms of samurai. "
Things were surprising us all the time. But that's part of the joy of the discovery of making the game. Hopefully it's something that will translate into the game as a player, that you will discover a lot of the beauty of feudal Japan."
When it comes to unavoidable comparisons with the other PlayStation 4 exclusives like Guerrilla Games'
Horizon Zero Dawn, SIE Santa Monica Studio's
God of War and Insomniac Games'
Spider-Man, Fox confirmed that they "
absolutely feel pressure to live up to the standards set by these other Sony PlayStation exclusives - but what a good pressure it is," Fox stated. "
We want to provide players with the same joyful experience that they got from these other great games - and what's better is these other studios, they talk to us, they give us tips, we learn from each other. We feel more capable than ever because of those studios being more open with their knowledge."
Sucker Punch's latest project was extendedly shown during Sony's E3 2018 PlayStation media briefing and quickly became one of the show's biggest and most pleasant surprises due to the game's unique setting and some noticeable
Nioh and
Onimusha vibes.
Ghost of Tsushima definitely should remain on your radar in the years ahead, as we probably won’t be playing the samurai title until at least late 2019.
The year is 1274. Samurai warriors are the legendary defenders of Japan—until the fearsome Mongol Empire invades the island of Tsushima, wreaking havoc and conquering the local population. As one of the last surviving samurai, you rise from the ashes to fight back. But honorable tactics won’t lead you to victory. You must move beyond your samurai traditions to forge a new way of fighting—the way of the Ghost—as you wage an unconventional war for the freedom of Japan.
Ghost of Tsushima has yet to receive a release date.