Summary
Sony’s first party offerings have grown exponentially since the beginning of the PlayStation 4’s life cycle. Plenty have arrived and had an immediate impact, so whenGhost of Tsushimalaunched in 2020, there was already a high expectation put on it to be as successful asothers likeSpider-Man, God of War, andHorizon Zero Dawn.
Ghost of Tsushimawas a resounding success for developer Sucker Punch, and showed the studio’s ability to craft interesting open worlds for players to explore. However, if it gets a sequel, it has to advance the formula rather than rely on it, and taking cues fromHorizon Forbidden Westby going somewhere new could be a wise choice.
Ghost of Tsushima Shouldn’t Stay in One Comfortable Place
Giving players an experience that takesJin Sakai’s storyto other parts of Asia could add so much topographical, cultural, and environmental diversity.‘Ghost of Okinawa’ or something of the like could expand the world of the Sucker Punch-developed property, and show that the Mongol threat (or perhaps even another conflict) has spread to more than just Tsushima. The map in the 2020 release was brilliant, not because of its shape or its accuracy to real life, but because the art style was stunning, and the activities were constantly engaging.
Taking those concepts to somewhere new that has different terrain to overcome and landscapes to ogle at could make a potentialGhost of Tsushima 2a worthy compliment to the first game, as well as a substantial improvement and advancement on an already stellar opening experience. To inject the same amount of care, attention, and presentation value somewhere new is risky, but scattering in the side content and busy work to keep players occupied would go a long way to striking a balance between familiar and fresh.
Tsushima Island Could Now Feel Like a Limitation
Returning to Tsushima would run the risk of being overly familiar, clearing the fog of war only to find the same map as the first title. In games likeSpider-Man: Miles Moralesthere’s a justification for it (although the wintertime setting helped give it a slight difference from 2018’sSpider-Man), as movement is far more important than immersion in the setting itself. It would be restrictive to explore the same place again, given it will likely be around half a decade since Jin Sakai’s first journey.
Horizon Forbidden West Retains its Beauty, but On the West Coast
Horizon Zero Dawntakes place in the mountainous states of Utah, Colorado, and Wyoming, and does well to fuse the futuristic elements of the world with something that feels accurate to real life.Horizon Forbidden Westtakes Aloy to the harsh west coast where she has to battle new machines and overcome more challenges presented by nature, be it the ocean or the tropical environments. It keeps the gameplay feeling interesting, even if the mechanics ofHorizon Forbidden Westare largely similar to its 2017 predecessor.
Horizon Forbidden Westtakes place around the ruins of San Francisco, and its 2023 DLC,Burning Shoresunfolds in Los Angeles.
However, though each setting is tremendously different in the real-world, developer Guerrilla does well to match the art style ofHorizon Zero Dawn.Be it the red grass that Aloy can hide in or the similarly constructed machine enemies, art makes each game feel connected and consistent with one another, showing that the franchise can go anywhere and still stay in-keeping withwhat fans expect of aHorizongame. It’s a hard line to tread, but Guerrilla proves it can be done.Ghost of Tsushimastaying put instead of going somewhere new could be a disappointing decision, and one that would make it see less forward-thinking thanHorizoncontinues to be.
