Ghost of Yotei is both one of the most anticipated and most secretive games at the moment. While developer Sucker Punch recently revealed a beautiful and violent sneak peek into Ghost of Tsushima‘s bold sequel, Ghost of Yotei, much of the story and gameplay mechanics remain a mystery. Introducing the new protagonist Atsu, it’s at least known that she will lead a journey set 300 years after its predecessor.
On the surface, Ghost of Yotei seems quite similar to Ghost of Tsushima. However, because of its different time period and the protagonist’s motivation, Ghost of Yotei could be significantly different in some big ways. Since most of what is known about the game comes from its announcement trailer, many have been examining each frame, and one scene in particular could hint at a potential Tears of the Kingdom inspiration. A brief clip may offer a sneak peek at horse-taming mechanics for Ghost of Yotei, which would be a huge departure from Ghost of Tsushima.
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Ghost of Yotei May Have Taken Note of Tears of the Kingdom’s Horse-Taming Mechanics
Around the one-minute and fifty-second mark in the trailer, Atsu can be seen riding a horse among a herd of wild horses. While this could just be a beautifully crafted scene, it could also reveal a huge change of form from Ghost of Yotei‘s predecessor. At the beginning of Ghost of Tsushima, players are given a choice between three horses; Nobu, Sora, and Kage. This early in-game choice is not exactly significant in how it affects the story, but Ghost of Yotei could be hinting at something far more satisfying. Taming horses in Tears of the Kingdom brought an extra level of immersion to the game, but it also made one even more connected with whichever horse a player managed to gain the trust of.
Ghost of Yotei
takes place at the beginning of the Edo period in 1603.
Horse-Taming Could Further Play Into Atsu’s Personality
In Ghost of Tsuhsima, Jin was all about honor, but Atsu may be a different story. While much of the narrative is unknown, Sucker Punch has made it clear that Atsu is on a mission of revenge, leading her down a more renegade-like path compared to Jin. There are bound to be plenty of comparisons between Jin and Atsu leading up to Ghost of Yotei‘s launch, but it feels clear that she is fueled more by bloodlust and anger, which promises a compelling contrast.
At first, it may not seem like a horse-taming mechanic would play into such a personality, but her more nomadic lifestyle that has been teased would perfectly play into this type of gameplay feature. While it’s obvious that Sucker Punch has continued Ghost of Tsushima‘s tradition of beautiful landscapes and incredible graphics, it’s natural to want to improve and change features in a sequel in order to offer a more compelling final product. Making gaining a horse more interactive is a great place to start, as the choice offered in Ghost of Tsushima left a lot to be desired.
Other Ways Atsu Differs From Jin
- Atsu plays a shamisen instead of a flute
- Different weapons, including dual-wielded katanas and matchlock muskets
- A setting change of Mount Yotei in Ezo, which was not fully part of Japan at the time
No release date has been confirmed for
Ghost of Yotei
, but it is currently slated for 2025.
From the setting change in Ghost of Yotei to the differing motivation of its protagonist, it’s clear that Sucker Punch is taking exciting risks for such an anticipated sequel. Ghost of Tsushima‘s gameplay helped highlight Jin as a character, and it would make sense for Ghost of Yotei to do the same, and a renegade needing to tame horses in order to travel just makes sense.
Of course, this may merely be speculation that turns out not to be the case. As of now, what Ghost of Yotei has in store is unclear, but possible inspiration from Tears of the Kingdom could be the secret ingredient needed to properly elevate a sequel.
Action
Adventure
Open-World
- Released
- 2025
- Publisher(s)
- Sony Interactive Entertainment