A large open-world map warrants excellent traversal in a game, goes without saying. But players can’t do it alone. They need a buddy, a companion. And what better than a trusty old steed? Ghost of Tsushima lets its players pick their companion’s name as well, adding that extra personal touch.
Whether you named him Sora, Nobu or Kage, you could see Jin have short, heart-warming moments with his horse between missions. And it was these little sprinkles of bonding that wrecked every player’s heart when Jin’s horse died after they escaped from Castle Shimura. 2020 certainly wasn’t a good year for horses in gaming— Remember Shimmer from The Last of Us Part II?
There is one game, however, that pushes this bond between a man and his horse even further- Red Dead Redemption 2. Known for its realism, RDR 2 solidified this bond with players by creating a mechanic in-game to nurture this relationship, and this is something Ghost of Tsushima 2 can adopt from to create a much deeper companion system in the sequel.
Ghost of Tsushima 2 can solidify a core bonding experience
As much as the horse’s death in Ghost of Tsushima hit us like a ton of bricks, the sequel can’t bank on the same shock factor again. Instead of another sacrificial offering to the Gaming Gods, maybe Sucker Punch can take a page out of RDR 2‘s book.
Having players create a deeper bond with their traversal companion seems like a natural next step for a game like Ghost of Tsushima 2. Jin having to take care of his four-legged buddy via means of player interaction means there’s a new mechanic at play. RDR 2 sees players having to feed their horse, give it a good groom, and even help calm their buddy when it’s anxious- making this a more human element to connect with, regardless of whether you purchase a horse or tame a wild one.
Interacting with the horse means the player also gets some added perks. Different bonding levels reward players with perks that add a traversal flair to the horse, like at level 4 with the drift and piaffe. Sweetening the deal is the fact that these perks add on to the horse’s overall stamina, health, loyalty, and even bravery! Thus determining how helpful a player’s companion can be based on their interest and investment in their buddy.
Would Red Dead Redemption‘s mechanic be a useful addition to Ghost of Tsushima 2?
Given how large a map Jin Sakai traversed in the first game, the second game is likely to outdo its predecessor. Given that speculations lead us to believe the sequel’s going to take Jin to mainland Japan, he’s going to need a horse… One like Arthur Morgan‘s steed with stamina, bravery and loyalty all capped out to the max.
It would make perfect sense for Sucker Punch to follow RDR 2‘s footsteps in this case. Not only would it be an additional gameplay mechanic, but it would be an intense emotional factor for players as well. Sans the killing, of course.
Jin is not going to have just a steed to traverse a map with, but a companion who could potentially help him out on missions. Adding to the heartstring tug, if the developers were to carry over Jin’s last companion from the first game into the sequel, players would be much more emotionally invested in taking care of their horse. This would also stray away from the trend of having traversal companions that are just doomed to die in a later chapter. (Our first horse was not with us throughout our entire journey, Sucker Punch!)
Ghost of Tsushima, coming to PCs on May 16th.
