Sucker Punch Productions reveals why Ghost of Tsushima is missing a feature seen in several of its other popular games. The developer gave fans a huge look at the game last week when it revealed 18 minutes of Ghost of Tsushima gameplay during a PlayStation stream.
Speaking to IGN, Ghost of Tsushima Creative Director and Art Director Jason Connell confirmed that the game will not have a karma meter. The karma meter, seen in Sucker Punch Productions' last three games, inFamous,inFamous 2, and inFamous: Second Son, allowed players to make morally good or bad choices. These choices would affect the game's story, the way that the protagonist looked, and their powers.
However, Sucker Punch Productions chose not to put a karma system in Ghost of Tsushima because the team "realized it was more important to us that we wanted to tell a human story of someone who is this way and has to evolve into something else, versus transform completely into something else." Connell also said that Ghost of Tsushima protagonist Jin doesn't "flip-flop" and the team wanted the story, about defending Tsushima from Mongol invaders, to "reflect his transformation."
Fans have been able to see a bit of this in Ghost of Tsushima's trailers. In one trailer for the game, which featured Jin in conversation with his uncle and mentor, Shimura, his uncle expresses dismay that Jin is somehow betraying his samurai education. However, Jin feels that the Mongol invaders are ruthless and cannot be stopped by samurai honor and willpower alone. Jin's transformation from rule-abiding samurai to defender of Tsushima, at any cost, could be the transformation that Connell is talking about.
Some may be disappointed that Ghost of Tsushima doesn't offer a more binary choice between good and bad, but the game will offer several other choices in how people can play. One of these is the decision to play like the samurai or to play like the titular "Ghost," who strikes fear into enemies across the island. Playing like a samurai does mean that players can enjoy stand-offs like those seen in old samurai movies, but swinging a sharp stick around and causing chaos as the Ghost also looks hugely entertaining.
Sucker Punch Productions has also given players the choice of zipping through the story at pace or seeing more of what Tsushima has to offer. Choosing to just go through the story will shorten Ghost of Tsushima's playtime, and the developer has strongly suggested that players look around, but many will be glad that they have been given some options.
Ghost of Tsushima will release on July 17 for PS4.
Source: IGN
