Rumors have surrounded Sucker Punch Productions’ current epic, Ghost of Yōtei, and all of them have one question in common: Will this world grow via future DLC? New reports point to the studio not being closed altogether to such an idea.
Sucker Punch, when asked about content post-game, stated: “We’re open to exploring opportunities.” That is a cautious and yet hopeful statement that keeps the door ajar. Among them, one comment caught the audience’s attention: mention of a story not explored, as in, “who’s to say what will come next?”
So, if Ghost of Yōtei continues to tell the story of Ghost of Tsushima, then we might see a similar treatment as the Iki Island expansion: a tale in itself, whilst adding another layer to the world. Now would be a good time for the studio to pen a last chapter to Atsu’s tale, closing her narratives with one final test of her strength and purpose. But she has already met her ‘end’ for many of them.
The ending was closure and reflection, leaning more toward peace than continuation. Yet, Sucker Punch seemed to imply that perhaps there was still an unfinished journey for Atsu, so it was something like not just hoping for survival but for life and possibly a story still worth telling.
Of those ideas floating around, one stood out: a probe into Atsu’s father’s past. Ghost of Yōtei has mentioned various aspects of his heritage through conversations with her and memories of others.
These types of intertwined aspects define her long before the user draws their sword for the first time. This person remains one of the more intriguing mysteries from within the game narrative. He is a man of considerable ability who walked away from his family, leaving scars and tales.
He might be the focus of a back-story DLC that would contribute to compromising the family’s complex past and perhaps add a new strand to the Yōtei narrative.
It would still be an unsafe move, though. It would require rethinking the game in terms of how it progresses, operates, and sounds to create a viable experience for a character meant to fight at the main.
There is also another strong possibility from the point of view of Lord Saitō, the ruthless man behind the Yōtei Six. He has that mix of charm and fear, blinded by conviction but quite stained with ambition.
Fans might view the game’s main conflict otherwise if a story were to be woven around his rise as a villain’s journey told from his eyes. It would be possible to go into gruesome depth about his thoughts, techniques, and betrayals. This is a bold-sounding story idea.
In technical fact, it may be realized. His fight patterns would have been proven in countless battles, giving Sucker Punch a good political base on which to build. But of necessity, a DLC based for the most part on such an enemy would need to be very accurate.
Most unsparing, it was to be humanizing without justification.
Then there is the soft possibility of going back to Atsu herself. A post-Yōtei narrative with both she and Kiku in it might bring an even more resonant conclusion, similar to what has been done in Tsushima’s tales, but with a smaller and more personal tale. The master-apprentice relationship is already emotionally laden and has the potential to deepen in interesting ways after the war.
That would mean putting boundaries around this method. Both characters stood on the edge of sorrow and renewal in the original ending. Returning to them could sever the precarious peace she has worked so hard to build unless a new threat emerges on its own, causing Atsu to face the ghosts of her past while protecting the fragile peace she achieved.
The last trail goes backward instead of forward. It leads to a prequel narrating the story of Atsu’s war years before Ghost of Yōtei. The game makes a brief reference to this unseen battle: change, loss, and discovery rendered her the warrior she is.
It could show this long-term battle, where Atsu learned her skills and formed her beliefs. But that would also entail a lot of her powers being taken away, which would create a less fun game by default. Combat returns to its basic forms. The fun, loser experience would be less open-ended and thus would require newer means, allies, and areas to recompense.
Every way conceives a possibility, and every way has a danger. Many stories await inside Ghost of Yōtei, whether they be of a father’s haunted past, a warrior’s strength as he learns how to live again, or the honor a warlord ruins. What we still do not know is whether or not Sucker Punch will choose to light them up. It seems that the studio is purposely quiet, as if something is brewing in the background. Yōtei’s world is stopped for the time being, but the faint echo of steel sharpening provides a hint that perhaps there is no peace destined to last forever. You may also be interested in: Croc Legend of the Gobbos Remastered Review – Childhood Classic Back in Action
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