Ghost of Tsushima is an open world game, as I’m sure you’ve gathered by now. It’s got maybe one of the lushest open worlds I can recall seeing in some time, and it seems Sucker Punch is hoping you’ll get a little lost in it all as there will be lots of things to discover.
In an interview with IGN, Game Director Nate Fox talked about the scope of the game. It was said earlier to be Sucker Punch’s biggest game ‘by landslide,’ so what will there actually be to do? Well, according to Fox, that’s something you’ll have to find for yourself. The open world of Tsushima apparently hides a lot of secrets, hidden items and stories that you will be rewarded with if you go off the main story’s path. While some of these will be things that naturally branch off from the main narrative, some you will simply find by wandering.
“What you saw in the presentation was some side action in the game. It was not part of one’s particular story. The map has Mongolians everywhere, and the main part will be Jin’s transformation from being a samurai to overtime becoming the Ghost. Next to that story you will meet people that try to survive in the world, with stories that will branch of off the main one. That is what the body of the game is made up off.
“By not following Jin’s story and going after your curiosity, you will definitely become stronger than by just following Jin’s story in one line, but more importantly, you get a way more varied and interesting experience. There are all sorts of hidden stories and items you get acces to by following your curiosity. This is why we didn’t add markers on the map. We want you to get lost in Tsushima, that when you are heading to a hill, you suddenly hear a bird you think, maybe I will follow that instead. Just get lost from the one thing to the next, and we want to give you the tools and freedom to do that.”
Earlier in the week it was estimated that the game had about 40-50 hours worth of content including side content. While that’s not a lot compared to some open world titles, such as Assassin’s Creed, it should still suffice for a rich experience.