As fans awaited news of a Ghost of Tsushima PC port drop, PlayStation Studios delighted us all with an official announcement for the same on March 6th, 2024. And as satisfied as many of us are with exploring the potential of the PC port, there still looms another question Sony and PlayStation are yet to answer- When are we getting Ghost of Tsushima 2?
With no official announcements from Sucker Punch or PlayStation, fans can only speculate that Ghost of Tsushima 2 is underway, given the latest news of the PC port and old job listings that fit the description of an open-world game. But it seems very likely that a sequel is underway. With Ghost of Tsushima having ended on such an explorative note, players eagerly await an expanded open-world traversal.
Jin being branded an enemy of the Shogun and exiled from clan Sakai, all signs point to a whole new map for a potential sequel. Since the setting of the second Mongol invasion seems like the most obvious choice, it could mean Jin is on his way to mainland Japan. And should the game continue with its open-world approach, it could present an issue that plagues many open-world games.
The double-edged katana of an open-world setting
While Ghost of Tsushima had a considerable amount of exploration, the game handled it well by having players mix up between side quests and exploration for the sake of exploration- Clearing up the map fog, finding hot springs for Jin to soak in his zen, bamboo strikes for more resolve or heading to a fox den for wearables.
But to many, this felt like a rinse-and-repeat of a problem that plagues many open-world games today. Sure, elements like the guiding winds were a welcome addition to freshen things up in a traversal aspect, but by the second act of the game, the exploration just wasn’t as rewarding. With Assassin’s Creed Valhalla turning notorious for an overtly large map that just felt boring after the first few hours, it does present a problem to Sucker Punch to not drag their Samurai IP through the mud.
Tsushima island, though small, was actually quite a large map to explore with 3 acts opening up parts of the map. For a completionist, the game could take about 50 hours of your time. So, if Jin were to head to mainland Japan in Ghost of Tsushima 2, this number could only double, maybe even triple.
And for a game that’s heavily driven by its narrative in the main and side quests, it can be very off-putting to put in 100s of hours into completing the game, even if you stick to the main quests in the sequel.
How can Ghost of Tsushima 2 strike this problem?
If the sequel does find Jin heading to the mainland and follows the story of the second Mongol invasion, it would work well in Sucker Punch’s favor to caution restraint like they did with the first game. The second Mongol invasion would present many side quests for players, perhaps even a run-in with Lady Masako Adachi.
Hence, with so much narrative potential, Sucker Punch should open parts of the map per act again, making portions of the mainland only accessible when a new quest, main or side, unlocks for actual narrative progression without making the player feel too saturated. Basically, not feeling like a chore to get through, but actually provides immersion.
The sequel could also follow its predecessor’s footsteps in giving players varied environments. Naturally, exploration in any open-world game should feel rewarding. That said, the sequel will have to implement new and varied weapon types and stances, so players actually have an incentive to explore the larger map while scouring for upgrades and cosmetics, making it feel more purpose-driven than the first game did with its mythic tales.
