Summary
Sequels, in very traditional formats, have been absolutely thriving this year. Back in April,Star Wars Jedi: Survivorhit store shelves, and aside from a few pretty major technical issues, it was heralded as a great game and a fantastic traditional sequel, taking its predecessor’s foundations and building on them, improving all of the original’s best bits while fixing complaints fans had about the first game.The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdomcame out soon after it and did the same for its own predecessor, and more recentlyMarvel’s Spider-Man 2has followed suit. While these games don’t reinvent the wheel, they double down on their predecessors' best elements, and that’s exactly what fans would want aGhost of Tsushima 2to do.
It hasn’t been announced in any official capacity at all, butGhost of Tsushima 2does feel like an inevitability at this point, with the first game managing to break out ofThe Last of Us Part 2’s monumental shadow and become a pretty big success in its own right. And when it does happen,Ghost of Tsushima 2needs to really focus on what made the original so beloved, and Jin Sakai’s special Techniques played a major role in that, though there’s still plenty of room left for improvement.
InGhost of Tsushima, Jin Sakai’s Techniques were split into six categories: Exploration, Evasion, Deflection, Mythic, Stance, and Ghost. Most of these Techniques were laid out like skill trees, with players unlocking new abilities the further they get into the game.
New Evasion Technique - Grappling Hook Escape
ThroughoutGhost of Tsushima’s main story mode, players will gradually unlock a bevy of Samurai tools and gadgets, and one of the most satisfying to use is the grappling hook. However,Ghost of Tsushima’s grappling hook isn’t utilized all that much during the game, and especially not in combat. For the sequel, it might be interesting to see the grappling hook be used as a sort of quick escape move by Jin during the heat of combat, similar to the grapnel inBatman: Arkham. But, to keep it balanced,Ghost of Tsushima 2could limit the player to just one quick grappling hook escape per combat encounter.
New Deflection Technique - Mikiri Counter
Sometimes it’s okay to just borrow another game’s mechanics directly, especially when they’re as satisfying asSekiro’s Mikiri Counter. InSekiro, the Mikiri Counter ability lets players dodge directly into oncoming spear attacks, which stuns the attacker and leaves them vulnerable to an instant death.Ghost of Tsushima 2could make great use of this Mikiri Counter move, acting as a new way to parry spearmen.
New Ghost Technique - Brutalize
Another mechanic that would be heavily “inspired” by another great action/adventure game,Ghost of Tsushima 2could use a Brutalize move. While the originalGhost of Tsushimaalready has a Slaughter ability, where players can decapitate enemy leaders to instill fear in the remaining foes, the sequel could make this ability available for all enemy types, borrowing a page fromMiddle-Earth: Shadow of Mordor’s playbook.
New Mythic Technique - Automatic Parry
Mythic Techniques are a special breed in the originalGhost of Tsushima, with only four being available in the entire game. TheseMythic Techniquesare essentially special abilities earned through major side quests and main quests, and they range from setting the player’s sword aflame to equipping an explosive arrow to delivering three fast, hard-hitting blows in quick succession. Just one idea for a new Mythic Technique would be an Automatic Parry, letting players automatically deflect every attack coming their way for a few seconds.
New Stance Technique - Thrust
If there’s one thing thatGhost of Tsushima 2should definitely have, it’s more sword stances. In the firstGhost of Tsushima, sword stancesessentially acted like a rock-paper-scissors mechanic, with each one being particularly effective against a specific enemy type. The sequel will undoubtedly add more sword stances and some kind of fencing-like thrust stance might be interesting to see, letting players deliver rapid blows from a distance.
Ghost of Tsushima
WHERE TO PLAY
A storm is coming. Discover the expanded Ghost of Tsushima experience in this Director’s Cut. Uncover the hidden wonders of Tsushima in this open-world action adventure from Sucker Punch Productions and PlayStation Studios, available for PS5 and PS4. Forge a new path and wage an unconventional war for the freedom of Tsushima. Challenge opponents with your katana, master the bow to eliminate distant threats, develop stealth tactics to ambush enemies and explore a new story on Iki Island.
