Kinda Funny Gamescast: Video Game Podcast Ghost of Tsushima Spoilercast - Kinda Funny Gamescast Ep. 30
Jul 22, 2020
Nate Fox, Creative Director at Sucker Punch and lead on Ghost of Tsushima, shares design and narrative stories from the game's making. Short takes cover emotional horse moments, Jin's stoic arc and animals as emotional mirrors. They discuss pacing, historical research, open-world design choices, combat stance decisions, and why the team avoided supernatural villains.
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Tengu Scene Is A Hallucination But Culturally Real
- The Demon Longbow/Tengu mission is presented as Jin's drug-induced hallucination even though islanders believe in tengu, so it reads as both personal vision and cultural reality.
- Nate clarified the encounter is a man in a mask within a grounded narrative.
Bring Cultural Experts Into Production Early
- Hire cultural experts early and repeatedly when tackling a setting outside your studio's experience.
- Sucker Punch used Japan Studios research trips, mocap advisors, and local consultants for costumes, manners, and authentic audio.
Game Structure Uses Trunk And Branch Storytelling
- The team structured Ghost as a narrative tree: Jin's main arc is the trunk while side tales are branches that form an anthology.
- This design intentionally encourages detours so players discover character-driven stories around the island.
