Sucker Punch’s Ghost of Tsushima looks to deliver the kind of Japanese Assassin’s Creed style game that many have been clamoring for for years, but that Ubisoft has yet to deliver. However, Sony and Sucker Punch are filling the void with their upcoming open world action adventure game. That said, much like how Ubisoft’s series takes liberties with the history of the eras it is depicting, so too will Ghost of Tsushima often deviate from history in the interests of making a better game.
Speaking to GameSpot, Sucker Punch’s Chris Zimmerman noted that there will be deviations from historical accuracy in the game. “The way I think about it is: we’re going to deviate from historical truth, we just want to do it intentionally,” he said. “A lot of the support we get from our friends from Sony in Japan, and our Japanese friends in Sony US, and all the cultural consultants we’ve assembled to help us do this stuff, is to make sure we don’t deviate accidentally. There are things we are going to do that are different and we want to choose those wisely.”
That said, he went on to note that the game will still make an effort to strike an authentic flavor for players, to steep them in the aesthetic and atmosphere of the time; everything, from the wildlife, to how the characters interact, to the statues and architecture, will accurately represent Japan of the 13th century for players.
Which is fine, then- using a historical era as a canvas for creativity should never mean you are beholden to slavishly adhering to historical accuracy at all times. I am glad to see the extent to which Sucker Punch is going to make sure Ghost of Tsushima will be historically accurate, but I am also glad to see they won’t let historical accuracy get in the way of them making a good game.