Recently, I had the privilege to attend to Nate Fox’s talk for VIEW Conference, an incredible insight into the making of Ghost of Tsushima, Sucker Punch’s latest game for PS4 and, now, PS5. The talk is still available on VIEW’s website as part of the On-Demand Pass, along with many more talks from VIEW Conference 2020. Truly a wonderful edition, also and especially thanks to the constant effort of Maria Elena Gutierrez, VIEW’s CEO. Nate Fox’s talk in particular is amazing; I do recommend you check it out.
By looking at any screenshot from Ghost of Tsushima it is instantly possible to make two assumptions. Firstly, that the team which worked on it is immeasurably passionate towards samurais and their world, secondly, that the making of the game, considering this passion, was devoid of excessive struggle.
The first assumption proves to be undoubtedly right: Nate Fox, Creative Director of the game, is a big fan of samurai movies and considers Kurosawa’s Seven Samurai his absolute favorite piece of medium from the East. The second assumption reveals to be wrong though, as, although moved by great passion, Sucker Punch studios are nonetheless a team based in Seattle, Washington, USA.
Quite differently from their previous game Infamous: Second Son (which took place in Seattle), Ghost of Tsushima required some overseas field studies. Putting themselves in the hands of Sony Japan Studio, Sucker Punch’s artistic team had the opportunity to carry out guided trips in Japan, the first one of them taking place on Tsushima’s island itself, the main location of the game.
Field experience revealed to be fundamentally essential in forging the final product, allowing Nate Fox and his team to discover elements that they could not simply deduct from visioning Jidai-geki movies, but turned out to contribute largely to the game’s essence.
The value that is given to temples ‘gates, being considered proper portals to a world of natural beauty, is referenced many times throughout the game, which uses passages of this kind to canalize a change in the game’s world or protagonist, samurai Jin Sakai. Still, the way the game alternates extreme violence with the most peaceful calm probably originated from an unexpected moment of break shared between Nate Fox and one of his coworker. There, sat on a stone, surrounded by vegetation and the light but constant chirp of the birds, it was clear that that sensation could and had to be put into Ghost of Tsushima.
In making the world of Ghost of Tsushima, Sucker Punch put authenticity as an absolute priority, sometimes even to the detriment of historical reliability. It was fundamental to craft a gaming experience that was engaging for the player, one that was able to make him live Jin Sakai’s actions in first person. To grant this, decisions were made during development that, although countercurrent, revealed to be essential into making Ghost of Tsushima stand out among the many other open world games on the market.
Right from the start it was clear that UI, user interface, had to be the least invasive possible. Although UI usually helps delivering important information to the player, it is also responsible for stopping his illusion of disbelief, a constant reminder of the videogamey nature of the experience.
Taking away Health bars, minimaps, point marks etc., the game’s landscapes truly breathe on the screen, reappropriating the player’s interest, who finds himself discovering the world in a much more organic way, guided by his instinct. One of the game’s most original ideas originated from this decision: by avoiding the use of marks to indicate the next mission, this role was entrusted to the wind, which, upon the player’s input, would blow towards the next step.
The process of making Ghost of Tsushima is truly peculiar as it shows that, even if passion is key to create something, it is still necessary a strong will to learn new knowledges to make a dream come true for everyone else.
Nate Fox and Sucker Punch’s dedication was widely acknowledged not only among westerners fans (Ghost of Tsushima just recently won Player’s Choice Award at The Game Awards), but above all by overseas critics earning a Perfect Score on Famitsu (the most important videogame critic journal in Japan) and the most sincere compliments from Toshihiro Nagoshi, Director of the Yakuza series, an authority in this regard.
It is the proof, as Nate Fox himself says that a big passion can overcome any cultural barrier and create something new; as it was like for Sergio Leone’s spaghetti western, now it is for Sucker Punch and Ghost of Tsushima, their “cheeseburger samurai”.