Hopes and Expectations: Ghost of Tsushima 2

One of the games I recently got hooked into and played through was Ghost of Tsushima. The story (spoilers) follows Jin Sakai who looks to protect his island of Tsushima from a Mongol invasion which he cannot do through traditional samurai methods which eventually gives him the nickname 'The Ghost' as a samurai spirit risen against the Mongols and while his actions betray the samurai code by the end of the game he accepts this and being the ghost which while he leads the final charge to kills the Khan of the Mongol invasions makes him and enemy of the Japanese shogun but a hero to the people of Tsushima as he did what the samurai couldn't. In the end Jin Sakai has his clan disbanded and enemy of the samurai and a man who has come to terms with the fact all he believed and followed. It's a tragic tale full of great action and a trend of the games I really love on PlayStation recently it's a sole player campaign based on emotion and the characters and the world around them. Considering the reception, sales, and awards I do expect Ghost to get a sequel and while it is probably a good few years away I think it's nice to speculate now on it. 

I want to first address the combat. Honestly, I think that Ghost nailed what it wanted it is a patient game when it comes to combat. Full of parries and different attacks it feels like every fight is a duel and I liked it. The combat is different to my run head first into everything technique I had in the likes of God of War & Spider-Man it made me learn the game and appreciate it more. I take the look of it it ain't broke don't fix it so the combat with this game and future additions I don't think is necessary to fix. I can however understand any additions to it. Jin becoming the ghost he may look to use more weapons. It may be a case they look to add to Jin's arsenal with something like a Rope Dart which would be an interesting concept. It gives a new dimension to the Ghost shows his growth and if people don't like the sword gameplay they have a new option. I imagine some changes to the arsenal for Jin will happen but core combat I think the nailed in the first attempt. 

The way I see it the story for any potential Ghost sequel follows one of two paths. The story of Jin and his clash with the Shogun needs to be told it is just through what means. You either have it take place over the full game with him on the run this time relying in the strength of his allies to hide him where his strength lifted them up the first time seeing the Shogun oppress the people of Tsushima or they have to form a temporary alliance against an invading force which looks to hurt first Tsushima and then all of Japan. Either way as far a plot goes it needs to be based in the characters you interact with how the region feels and responds to these threats. Are they defiant now they have the ghost or cower and wait to be saved. I do feel the later is more likely. Even though they will be hunting him down as an enemy I cannot see Jin killing samurai (I didn't kill Lord Shimura because of this). While he has 'betrayed' the way of the samurai the Mongols were an invading force and while a story with the Shogun as the antagonist would be different Jin isn't far removed from where he was a samurai to start killing them (there's the whole issue that it would weaken Japan as a whole as well which I'm sure he wouldn't want). I do understand another invading force make this a rehash in a sense but the added weight of the Shogun on top of this adds a new dynamic if done right makes it fresh. With the Shogun watching his every move Jin may feel more restrictive in what he does forcing the player to think more. They could add a system where you work in tandem with another person which may change the moves you use. If it's Yuna you may be more stealthy in how you go about it instead of rushing in head first. I think they have enough ground to make another invasion stand out through new characters and the character dynamics introduced in that.

Speaking of characters this is the part of feel is most important to these sorts of single player narratives. You end up spending hours upon hours with your main character and these around them and as such a strong cast is needed to help engage a player. Be it Kazuma Kiryu, Kratos & Spider-Man the video game protagonists I find myself enjoying the most are not only strong in themselves but supporting characters around them help build them as characters during the game while having their own arc and Jin is no exception. I do feel that this is why I have issues with silent protagonists like Joker I feel them being silent most of the time takes away from that immersive experience where characters are at the forefront. A game like Pokémon the experience is in the catching and battling not the arc of your character so a silent protagonist is fine where (I don't think monologues in a Pokémon game are a good idea to begin with) a game like Ghost needs a strong group of characters in order to tell the story it wants to tell. 

Working off of the idea of a temporary alliance between The Shogun & The Ghost to fend off a new invasion you can keep a lot of the same characters. If the ending to spare Lord Shimura's life is the canon ending he can be a key part in the story be it he resents Jin for sparing his life bringing him shame and wants to kill him to reclaim it or he is a broken man for his failures not just as a samurai but as a father and over the game he begins to see the ways of The Ghost and how they help those around Tsushima and agrees in the end to aid pushing the invading forces and The Shogun off the island.

As far as Jin's allies from the first game I think we should see them all (at the very least those in the main game). In terms of some characters I feel they have reached the end of their arc like Masako Adachi and Sadanobu Ishikawa and with that if I had to chose characters to kill off it would be those two (also throw Lord Shimura in here I think it would be a nice conclusion for him to save Jin at the cost of his own life in the end and he choses Family over Samurai). In terms of the returning cast the likes of Yuna, Kenji and Norio are key to Jin's growth and they still have life left in them. This not only helps aid Jin's move away from Samurai to Ghost as those I've listed to be killed he knew before he was the Ghost whereas those remaining do not know him as a samurai. I also want to establish new characters for side quests well in a sense returning characters. As we need side content and I'm here trying to kill off a host of the previous characters we will need more side stories. One character I want back is Tomoe. Jin as a character is one who abandoned his code to become something new much like Tomoe's journey and I liked their dynamic and wanted to see more before she left. If I'm getting ride of Ishikawa it would be a good reason to bring Tomoe back for revenge.  

I do also think that places like Yarikawa and Pirates Cove (especially Lady Sanjo) have a large potential to work with The Ghost I do find one minor character is full of potential in Kaede. For those who cannot remember she was the samurai that guarded Tadayori's Rest and his armour slaying everyone who tries to claim it but until she trusted Jin. I found it annoying that this powerful character was really blink and miss it. With her duty of protecting this armour now in Jin's hands she can be a different character and a powerful ally. Jin needs more allies and Kaede would be one I would use as the character is one we know but not in depth so we can work her fully into the story from that.  

In terms of new additions I don't have any big ideas. The idea of a new invading force and alliance with The Shogun lead to have new characters in this. While I don't have any ideas for these forces I think they're in some instances self explanatory I do have an idea for a new ally to be built from The Shogun. With a temporary alliance between Shogun & Ghost to push back the threat of the invading force The Shogun set a watcher for Jin someone from their army who follows him around keeping watch. Over the game they bond more and more before this new character abandons his ways he becomes the first student of The Ghost and in the end helps drive all forces the invaders and The Shogun away from the people of Tsushima. I had this idea that over the course of the story the new characters loses or discards more and more of his Shogun armour adapting and welding a new set we can show through this his change of allegiance. I think it would be good for Jin we have seen how in combat being The Ghost has changed him but reflecting and changing a complete outsider to him would be another way of showing the change and growth of the character. Plus Jin needs more close allies he can confide in he feels somewhat detached to everyone apart from Yuna and even those he fights alongside it doesn't feel like they are as close as the two. I think it's a reflection of Ryuzo's betrayal still hurting him so it would be nice to introduce a character to help bridge this gap.

All in all Ghost of Tsushima was a game focused on the change of its protagonist Jin Sakai from honourable samurai to The Ghost of Tsushima abandoning what he knew to become what he must to save his people, it makes sense for a sequel to continue this but explore that in different ways playing to the strength of Tsushima and the characters crafted in it. Regardless of any sequel it needs to stay the course in terms of how it portrays its characters and setting and how the story itself is reflected of that. As such any new additions to the story they are telling need to be the right additions for Jin's story but one if for certain Ghost of Tsushima is wide open for a sequel and one I'm ready and waiting for.