Ghost of Tsushima's Progression System Details Revealed At E3

Screen Rant

Ghost of Tsushima's Progression System Turns Players Into A Samurai Commando

Ghost of Tsushima will feature a progression system that will allow the player to evolve as a samurai by using a variety of skills and weapons.

Sucker Punch's Ghost of Tsushima will feature a progression system which can evolve the player character into a "samurai commando". The trailer for Ghost of Tsushima, which was revealed during Sony's E3 press conference, shows the game's protagonist, Jin, making use of several talents outside of the normal skillset of the samurai, which demonstrates how the main character progresses through the game story.

The game is developed by Sucker Punch Productions, the makers of the Infamous series. The game will be an exclusive title for the PlayStation 4. Ghost of Tsushima is an action adventure open world game played from a third person perspective. Set on the island of Tsushima in feudal Japan, players take on the role of Jin, a samurai who must deal with the invasion of the Mongols. Gameplay in Ghost of Tsushima focuses on stealth, exploration, and intense samurai sword battles.

During a group interview at E3, Sucker Punch creative director Nate Fox talked in detail about the upcoming game and described its progression system. According to Fox, Jin develops numerous skills throughout his journey in Ghost of Tsushima which give him multiple options for solving problems. The trailer shows Jin using a grappling hook to reach the roof of a temple. His methods make it easier for him to get the drop on his enemies, but as Fox points out, Jin could easily have attacked the Mongols head on. All of Jin's skills combined make him a bit of a "samurai commando".

Open world games, especially huge ones, have got to have progression, that thing you're going for. Now, Jin [Sakai]'s evolution from a samurai, and being an expert swordsman, expert archer, and so forth, what are the techniques he picks up along the way? We saw one of them - a clear example here: a grappling hook. It's not something a samurai would have. It's an aspect of progression and a good example of how you become more capable by unlocking more ways to solve a situation. He didn't have to climb that temple to take out those Mongols; he could've gone in through the front door. The monk might've been killed, but that is an example of progressions. It's absolutely part of the game. It's how you transition from this guy, who is kind of bound by the rules of conduct, to becoming more of a samurai commando. ...There's no supernatural elements in this game

Fox believes that a progression system is important for open world games. One of the things that makes open world adventure games like Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, and Horizon: Zero Dawn so fun is their sense of freedom. What sets them and a few others apart from the rest of the genre is that their version of freedom isn't limited to exploration. How certain situations are handled is entirely up to the player. Conflicts don't have to be solved one single way.

Players have enough tools and weapons at their disposal that they can deal with problems the way they see fit. Based on Fox's comments, Sucker Punch is taking a similar direction with Ghost of Tsushima. If so, Ghost of Tsushima could turn out like a more mature, realistic Breath of the Wild based in a historic setting.