Ghost of Tsushima: Jason Connell discusses the Samurai adventure

Royce Wilson talks with Ghost of Tsushima creative director Jason Connell.

Ghost of Tsushima Samurai adventure.

ONE of the last AAA games being released exclusively for the PlayStation 4 platform draws its influences from the works of Akira Kurosawa and other pioneering directors from the golden age of Japanese Samurai Cinema.

Ghost of Tsushima, developed by Sucker Punch Productions and releasing exclusively on the Sony PlayStation 4 on July 17, is an open-world samurai adventure game set in the 13th century.

The story is that of a young Samurai named Jin Sakai, who finds himself at the forefront of defence against the Mongolian invasion of his island home on Tsushima in 1274, and finds himself having to develop an entirely new approach to fighting the invaders, developing into the game’s titular role – combining the ‘honourable’ ways of the Samurai with those of the Ninja-like Ghost.

Sucker Punch creative director Jason Connell.

Sucker Punch creative director Jason Connell said the game represented a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for his team to create a new game franchise (known as an “IP” in the industry) and openly acknowledged the cinematic influences which had led to the game’s style and presentation.

“I’m a big fan of Akira Kurosawa films and I really do enjoy open world exploration games; I’ve not seen one that has this great sense of freedom and beauty in Feudal Japan,” he said.

The cinematic aspects of the game – which even extend to an optional “Samurai Cinema” mode, in black and white with film grain and flecks – have been very evident throughout the trailers and preview footage, with environmental aspects like the wind and wildlife also playing a part in how the game’s experience unfolds.

Ghost of Tsushima Samurai adventure.

The sheer amount of content and assets in the game was one of the biggest challenges involved in bringing Ghost of Tsushima to life, he said, along with the scale and making sure all the elements came together.

“Building games is hard – it’s a minor miracle any of them see the light of day,” he said.

Ghost of Tsushima is one of the very last AAA (blockbuster) games slated for a PlayStation 4 exclusive release – the system is being supplanted by the PlayStation 5 around Christmas – and Mr Connell said the team’s feelings about that could be summed up as “pride and maybe a little pressure to make it good – on top of the pressure we give ourselves anyway”.

Gamers have been calling for an accessible open-world action/adventure game set in Feudal Japan for some time, and while there are a few similar games about (notably the ridiculously hard and punishing Nioh 2 and Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice), Mr Connell confirmed Ghost of Tsushima would be playable by a range of skill levels from newcomer to top-tier gamers.

Ghost of Tsushima Samurai adventure.

“We wanted to make a game that was first and foremost as accessible to as many people as possible,” he said.

“When you’re aiming at everyone you’re going to get everyone – the people who just want to experience the story, and people who want a more challenging experience.”

Mr Connell said the team had worked to ensure there was both a boldness and a calmness in the gameplay experience, and melding the cinematic and gaming influences with extensive real-life research and incorporation of different fighting techniques into the game had created a system that might not be totally historically accurate but would give gamers plenty of combat options.

“There’s definitely some “rule of cool” … At the end of the day, the most important thing is that when your hands are on the stick that it feels awesome as you morph into something that doesn’t exist (historically),” he said.

Ghost of Tsushima Samurai adventure.