Let’s Talk About The Ghost of Yotei
Sucker Punch shockingly announced a new Ghost
PlayStation just concluded its most recent State of Play featuring some interesting announcements. However, the most interesting came at the very end. Fans received the first look at Ghost of Yotei by Sucker Punch. Yotei follows Sucker Punch’s 2020 hit game Ghost of Tsushima in this franchise.
A new Ghost game is not surprising on its own. The first game was incredibly successful and earned a ton of praise, especially among gamers. My personal opinion of the game has changed over time. I still enjoy playing Tsushima a lot, but I have noticed a fair few amount of story flaws that have dampened my experience with the game.
In any event, the first game is incredibly popular. Sucker Punch couldn’t be blamed if they decided to follow up on this series. However, they have gone in a direction I don't believe many fans expected. Ghost of Yotei will not feature Jin Sakai, the protagonist from the first game. In fact, this new entry takes place around 300 years after the initial game.
There is a lot about this game we have yet to learn. However, I want to look a bit deeper into the decision to introduce a new Ghost. Did Sucker Punch need to introduce a new Ghost? Was there room for another Jin Sakai story? Let’s talk about Ghost of Yotei and the introduction of a new Ghost in general.
Spoiler Warning: After this point, this article will contain spoilers for Ghost of Tsushima. If you wish to avoid these spoilers, please click away from the article now and return after finishing the game.
Where Jin Sakai’s Story Ended
Let’s begin with a look at where Jin Sakai’s story ended in the first game. The game ends with a duel between Jin and his uncle, Lord Shimura. This fight occurs after Jin embraces being The Ghost over the honorable samurai he was raised to be. The shogun ordered Jin’s execution and gave Lord Shimura the task of taking Jin’s head.
Ghost of Tsushima contains two endings, and it’s up to the player to choose which one. Lord Shimura asks Jin to provide him with an honorable death. And the player can choose between honoring this request or “dishonoring” it by allowing Shimura to live. Both endings serve some purpose, but in my opinion, only one choice makes any narrative sense.
My opinion aside, there is a “true ending.” Sucker Punch developer Nate Fox shared this ending when speaking with Kinda Funny Games back in July 2020. “The true ending would be Jin leaving his uncle alive and saying ‘I don't care about your rules. I’m past that now, I’m something else. I’m The Ghost,’” Fox stated.
With this in mind, we have a clear picture of where Jin’s story ends. He fights his uncle and injures him significantly. Lord Shimura begs his nephew for an honorable death, but Jin declines. He puts on the Ghost mask and spares his uncle, completely embracing The Ghost and heading toward his new “dishonorable” life.
Did a Jin Sakai Return Make Sense?
When bringing characters back, it’s worth looking at whether it makes sense to do so in the first place. For instance, I love The Last of Us. It is my favorite video game franchise to this point. When the sequel was announced, some were apprehensive as the first game seemed to bring Ellie and Joel’s story to a close.
To some extent, that’s understandable. Joel and Ellie each completed their character arcs within the story told. As a result, leaving the story there could have worked as a perfect ending for those characters. But there is also an argument for continuing the story, especially from Ellie’s perspective. There were new story threads left to be explored in a second game.
With Jin Sakai, it’s less clear-cut. For me, Jin’s story is about changing with the times. He was raised one way by his uncle, but the methods his uncle employed weren’t working. The game acknowledges as much when the main villain admits that Jin, now acting as The Ghost, is more dangerous than the samurai. Jin saw that the honorable methods of the samurai weren’t working against the Mongols. So, he adapted.
I believe Jin’s story has come to a complete end. According to the true ending of the game, Jin completed his character arc. He fully adapted to the times, becoming The Ghost for the people of Tsushima. And the story essentially ends there, save for a short discussion with Yuna about the tasks you have left to do in the open world.
Outside of any remaining open-world tasks, there is much left for Jin to do. He defeated the Khan and saved the island. He found some measure of closure with his uncle through that fight. Sure, he still needs to drive the Mongols out. But there isn’t enough there for another story. And this is only relevant if you end the game without having cleared all the Mongol encampments first. Overall, Jin’s story ending with the first game is a choice that makes a lot of sense.
Ghost of Yotei
Ghost of Yotei has interesting shoes to fill. In saying this, the direction taken by Sucker Punch has at least captured my interest. Introducing a new Ghost opens up a lot of possibilities. And it does something that games like The Last of Us could do but have yet to try.
At their core, each game is a created world with an infinite amount of stories to be told. But for the most part, we only follow a couple of characters in this world. We don’t get to see how other characters navigate the world or what other parts of the world even look like.
I’m not claiming this is some revolutionary step taken by Sucker Punch. There are likely games out there that have done this before that I just have not played. But I am very intrigued to explore more of this world with Sucker Punch. I am looking forward to seeing how Jin’s story impacts this new character and her story. Despite my issues with the first game, I think this is the right direction for the franchise. And I cannot wait to play Ghost of Yotei next year.
