Ghost of Yoteiis the upcoming sequel to 2020’sGhost of Tsushima, and it’s a big departure from its predecessor. While the follow-up toGhost of Tsushimawas unclear for a while, the announcement ofGhost of Yoteisurprised a lot of fans by jumping 300 years forward with a brand-new protagonist. Such a major change is an exciting turn, but looking back, it may not be as shocking for Sucker Punch to make such a bold move.
Through the years, Sucker Punch has developed several strong gaming franchises. TheSly Cooperseries remains a nostalgic reminder ofPlayStation’s mascot era, but its follow-up franchise,Infamous, marked a new path forward for Sucker Punch. While many were taken aback byGhost of Yotei’s protagonist change,Infamousis a great example of how this should have been expected all along.
Ghost of Yotei is Repeating a Move That Sucker Punch Has Made Before
Games in the Infamous Franchise
Between these expansions and mainline entries,Infamoushas a strong roster of releases. The first two games were led by protagonist Cole MacGrath, butInfamous Second Sonintroduced the franchise’s first big shake-upwith all-new protagonist Delsin Rowe. Many fans of theInfamousfranchise were attached to Cole, and while his story afterInfamous 2seemed fairly wrapped up if players got the good ending, moving on to a brand-new lead character was still quite a surprise.
Now, withGhost of Yotei, it seems as thoughSucker Punch is retreading old ground. A significant protagonist change could be worrisome for a lot of franchises, butGhost of Yotei’s switch-up is far more promising. Thankfully, Sucker Punch has proven itself capable of introducing a new main character in a way that not only makes sense and serves the story, but also makes players forget about even missing past protagonists. Delsin is a strong character who is a solid successor to Cole, and Atsu has the potential to be on par with her predecessor Jin, as well.
Ghost of Yoteiis set in the year 1603, which marks the beginning of the Edo period. In addition to a completely different era,Ghost of Yoteiwill add matchlock guns, as well, bringing stronger long-range combat.
Missing Jin in the role of lead is understandable, but afterGhost of Tsushimaand itsIki IslandDLC, his story may be best left as a singular venture. Sucker Punch’s franchise introducing a new story and era of Japan with every fresh installment can keep the series going for years to come. This makes the addition ofAtsu andGhost of Yotei’s settinga stronger step forward instead of running the risk of Jin overstaying his welcome.
Ghost of Yotei Promises a Harrowing Adventure
Sucker Punch’s time with Jin may be done, butAtsu is carrying the torch into the future. Even more interesting, it will be exciting to see what the developer has in store for the series after Atsu. Imagining how Sucker Punch chooses to evolve its newest action-adventure franchise is a compelling line of thought, but only time will tell what awaits players next.
The Edo period was defined by a strict social order where the samurai were regarded as the top class.
As of now,Ghost of Yoteiis set for a 2025 launch, but with a juggernaut likeGTA 6waiting on the horizon, there is still the possibility for a change in release plans. It’s early in the year, so anything can happen, but Sucker Punch will hopefully bring more insight to gamers soon, so players can get a sneak peek atwhat Atsu is like as a character.
