Summary
- Tea ceremonies would be a fitting new mini-game for Ghost of Yotei, adding cultural depth and gameplay benefits.
- Tea ceremonies were spiritual and meditative practices in feudal Japan, emphasizing harmony and tranquility.
- Ghost of Yotei’s tea ceremonies could offer unique buffs like increased parry window or faster health regeneration.
Ghost of Tsushima is chock-full of mini-games, some of which offer gameplay benefits and others that are simply for the experience. For example, the Bamboo Strikes mini-game allows players to increase Jin’s Resolve, whereas the Haiku Composition mini-game offers cosmetic rewards that have no impact on gameplay. In addition to these mini-games are the Hot Springs, Shinto Shrines, Fox Dens, Duels, and Archery Challenge mini-games, all of which offer an immersive way to interact with the game’s world, along with offering unique benefits here and there. In light of how meaningful these activities are to Ghost of Tsushima, then, it would only make sense for Ghost of Yotei to feature its own.
Since Ghost of Yotei takes place three centuries after Ghost of Tsushima, it would make sense for it to introduce brand-new mini-games, both for originality and culture’s sake. While there are plenty of different traditions Ghost of Yotei could look to for inspiration, however, feudal Japan’s tea ceremonies may offer one of the more immersive mini-games for players to participate in. Not only would they allow players to become more deeply invested in Ghost of Yotei‘s world, but they could potentially even provide unique gameplay bonuses that would help players succeed in their endeavors.
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A Tea Ceremony Mini-Game Would Fit Ghost of Yotei Perfectly
Tea Ceremonies Were a Deeply Spiritual Practice in Feudal Japan
While Ghost of Yotei takes place in 1603 and, therefore, the end of the feudal Japan era, some of the practices and traditions that originated or were maintained during that era would have continued to be present thereafter. One such tradition was tea ceremonies, which began in the late 1100s, at the start of the feudal Japan era, and have persisted to the present day. Tea ceremonies have remained an extremely important aspect of Japanese culture, which is alone enough to put them up for consideration as one of Ghost of Yotei‘s mini-games.
Tea ceremonies (or chanoyu) were a deeply spiritual and meditative practice in feudal Japan, especially among samurai. As their label suggests, these ceremonies were about much more than merely drinking tea and were instead also a spiritual, social, and artistic practice deeply tied to Zen Buddhism, samurai culture, and political diplomacy. The ceremony emphasized harmony, respect, purity, and tranquility, and every movement in the ritual was designed to create an atmosphere of mindfulness and appreciation.
Ghost of Yotei’s Tea Ceremonies Could Offer Unique Buffs
There are several relaxing steps involved in a traditional tea ceremony, so players would have plenty to do when approaching on in Ghost of Yotei. However, such an activity wouldn’t need to stop at immersion, as it could offer substantial gameplay benefits as well. Instead of triggering a simple cutscene, Ghost of Yotei‘s tea ceremonies could be an interactive process where players select different tea leaves, herbs, or additives that grant temporary buffs, similarly to Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom‘s cooking system. Perhaps they could even require players to execute precise, rhythmic motions that would affect the quality of the tea produced, thereby emphasizing the nature of traditional tea ceremonies.
Different teas could offer buffs that temporarily increase Atsu’s parry window, decrease enemy detection rate, provide faster health regeneration, or prolong the effects of certain abilities.
Of course, this is all speculation at this point, as Sucker Punch has yet to reveal much about Ghost of Yotei‘s gameplay, let alone the mini-games it will likely incorporate. Nevertheless, there is a strong case for Ghost of Yotei to include tea ceremonies as one of its mini-games, perhaps as a replacement for Ghost of Tsushima‘s Haiku Composition and Hot Springs mini-games, both of which emphasized relaxation and mindfulness. The potential for tea ceremonies to apply temporary buffs to Atsu only makes them more enticing, as players could see direct results of their time spent participating in one of Japan’s oldest traditions.
Action
Adventure
Open-World
- Released
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2025
- Publisher(s)
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Sony Interactive Entertainment