Oh, look, another sequel no one asked for! Ghost of Yōtei is here to cash in on the fleeting glory of 2020’s Ghost of Tsushima. Apparently, the secret sauce is all about the “stellar art direction” 🎨. I mean, who cares about gameplay when you can have pretty landscapes to wander through? It’s all thanks to Joanna Wang, the Art Director, who probably gets paid way too much to draw nice pictures.
So, Joanna “Texture Queen” Wang has been slumming it at Sucker Punch for 20 years, starting with the oh-so-prestigious Sly Cooper. From raccoon shenanigans to the groundbreaking Infamous, she’s seen it all. Now, she’s gracing us with her “artistic vision” in Ghost of Yōtei. She even took a trip to Japan 🛩️! Can you believe it? All that “inspiration” just to copy-paste from real life onto our screens. CGMagazine had the *privilege* to interview her about the game, as if anyone actually cares.
“How early on in development was Hokkaido chosen?” they ask. Who cares? 🤷♀️ “Oh, it stood out because it was wild and remote!” Like my chances of actually enjoying this game. Endless fields? Forests? Snowy mountains? Sounds like every other open-world game ever.
And how do they differentiate Yōtei from Tsushima, you ask? By adding “boost flowers” 🌸 and rivers that speed up your horse 🐴. Groundbreaking! And camping! Because nothing says immersive gameplay like fast-traveling across a massive map. It’s not like anyone wants to *actually* explore, right?
Oh, but wait, there’s more! They’re “respecting” the Ainu people by adding “meticulously crafted collectables.” 🙄 As if virtual trinkets can undo centuries of oppression. They even had an “Ainu advisor”! Bet that person was thrilled to be tokenized.
They went mushroom picking 🍄! How authentic! They learned how to “respect nature” by taking only what they need. Bet they didn’t apply that philosophy to game development. And they visited the National Ainu Museum 🏛️! So inspiring! I’m sure the Ainu people are just overjoyed that their culture is being commodified for entertainment.
Akira Kurosawa and Takashi Miike, the usual suspects, are to blame for Ghost of Yōtei’s identity crisis. But don’t forget Princess Mononoke! Because nothing says samurai epic like a Studio Ghibli film. They also watched a bunch of other movies and studied “traditional art.” Wow, so much effort to rip off other people’s ideas.
