The Ghost of Tsushima franchise will expand with an upcoming sequel without Jin Sakai as the main hero. The game developers of Sucker Punch Productions recently unveiled its latest major project during the closing of the State of Play which gave the gaming community hope for another generation of great first-party titles that will improve upon the success of previous games.
It was time for the studio to reveal something new after being radio silent for half a decade. The gaming community realized that this installment would be taking place further into the future after the events of the original game and is scratching their heads about the timeline and potential relationship between Jin Sakai and Atsu.
The gaming community learned to measure expectations realistically every time Sony Interactive Entertainment announces an upcoming State of Play and expects the presentation will lack any reveal for major franchises. Fortunately, the fans were wrong to doubt whatever the event has in store, and it gave them the first official look at what the developers of Sucker Punch Productions have been up to for the past few years, and it is a follow-up to Ghost of Tsushima.
Sony knows how to rile up the community and decided to save the best for last and it was worth the wait. Not much is known about the upcoming project other than it will have a new protagonist called Atsu, and fans are beginning to find links and other connections that could tie this new protagonist to the original Ghost everyone knew and loved. The first game was set during 1274 when the Mongols tried to invade Japan whereas the Ghost of Yōtei takes place in 1603, roughly 300 years later.
There is a low likelihood that Jin is still alive during the events of the upcoming sequel and Atsu could be his descendant. The game developers did subtly hint that the sequel could take a while to perfect and the first game was released near the tail end of the PlayStation 4 life cycle giving the studio enough time to be well-adept with the hardware and means to do so again with the modern improvements of the PlayStation 5 and the upcoming Pro version.
Perhaps Jin will not be involved in the game; however, there are mystical elements to the franchise that could bring him closer to the gameplay and open-world mechanics. Jin’s father was the Guiding Wind in Ghost of Tsushima, that directed the players to the next main objective, and he could be the same for Atsu in this installment.
Jin’s time has passed and his story could have been passed into legend and inspire younger Ronin and warriors to live by his example. The announcement trailer of Ghost of Yōtei revealed little about the story and showcased the beautiful landscapes and vistas that have seen a significant upgrade from the original game. The developers revealed that Atsu will have more weapons in her loadout than Jin which is among the benefits of living further into the future.
The Ghost of Yōtei will officially be released next year exclusively for the PlayStation 5. Image Credit: Sucker Punch Productions.
There is also a strong likelihood that Atsu is not directly related to Jin. Perhaps she is a young warrior making a name for herself and will be inspired by the story of the Ghost of Tsushima after he liberated his homeland from invaders through bloodier methods. The shadow of Jin Sakai could be looming over Atsu and her story will be about becoming a legend herself.
The ending of the first game was of pure tragedy for Jin. His people turned their back on him after defeating the invaders deemed him a fugitive, and forced him to fight the jito which happens to be his uncle Shimura. Players can choose to either spare Shimura or honor his wish for an honorable death, either way, Jin Sakai is no longer a samurai and could have fled to Mount Yōtei for safety and started anew. The voice-over from the announcement trailer did mention that Mount Yotei is on the edge of Japan and people come there to disappear.
Atsu could be Jin’s great-granddaughter who grew up learning about his life 300 years ago. There is no telling who or what the next main threat for Atsu to face; nevertheless, the gaming community expects a similar and fluid gameplay experience from the first game with great improvements.
Sucker Punch Productions bided its time to create a sequel that is a worthy follow-up to a great game. Hopefully, the studio will not face any delays or any other problems while the release date is closing in.
Are you excited to meet Atsu in the Ghost of Yōtei? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below!
