SPOILER ALERT: This interview contains major details of Sucker Punch‘s Ghost of Yōtei.
EXCLUSIVE: When the snow melts, buried secrets are sometimes unearthed. Sucker Punch’s latest critically acclaimed video game, Ghost of Yōtei, is a Hokkaido-based revenge tale that follows Atsu (Erika Ishii), a highly skilled swordswoman who witnessed the horrific murder of her parents at a young age. Using the pain of that loss to fuel her bloodlust and quest for vengeance, Atsu sets herself on a mission to kill the Yōtei Six, a troupe of formidable outlaws responsible for the crime.
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Hellbent on destroying those who harmed her loved ones, Atsu’s anger is put to the test when she sets out to take the life of the Kitsune, a mysterious and elusive shinobi member of the Yōtei Six, who is located in the frigid far north of Ezo in a place called Teshio Ridge. Here, she befriends a fellow female shamisen player named Oyuki, who helps her exact her revenge against the local baddies who answer to the Kitsune. However, as each quest in the area leading to the ultimate showdown with the Kitsune gets more devious, Atsu becomes suspicious of Oyuki and her wealth of knowledge about how the Yōtei Six operate, leading to the reveal that Oyuki is, indeed, the criminal she has been looking for all along.
“This is an incredibly important scene for Atsu,” Sucker Punch lead writer Ian Ryan told Deadline about crafting this pivotal moment in the video game series. “She’s spent so many years seeking revenge against the Yōtei Six, and finally she discovers that one of the people she’s been working with has been lying to her and betraying her trust. So it’s a huge revelation and a moment for Atsu to have to reckon with that pain and feeling of betrayal. [She also has to reconcile] with the idea that this musician who’s been helping her track the Yōtei six is actually one of them and was there the night her mother was killed.”
Jeannie Bolet, Ghost of Yotei interview
For the first time, Atsu must confront the near impossibility of her ability to forgive someone who committed an atrocity against her, as Oyuki claims that she was under the manipulation of the group’s leader, Lord Saito. The confusing feelings of anger and what was once a loving friendship lead to an engaging battle amongst the snowy grounds of a graveyard.
“One of the things I’m really proud of in that sequence, and I think this is Sucker Punch really at our best, is that there’s a strong narrative connection to what’s going on,” co-creative director Nate Fox added. “[By this point in the story] the player has feelings about Oyuki and what she’s done to Atsu. But as you start to fight with Oyuki and the combat flashes to visions of Oyuki becoming the Kitsune, and you’re thinking about how Atsu would feel against the Kitsune, it then flashes back to her being Oyuki again. Through interactivity, you get to experience these quick changes in perspective and feelings that reflect what’s going on in Atsu’s heart. I believe this is what makes for a great video game. We’re here to make an interactive experience, and this is interactivity married with narrative.”
Ghost of Yotei interview
Art designer Joanna Wang also added why the vivid color scheme of the icy graveyard was important to depict: “[Yellow is the color theme] that carries Atsu through this whole game. [It reminds her of] home having that big yellow ginkgo tree, like a big umbrella covering her home. It’s almost showing the safety of her house, and then during that night [when her family was killed] she lost everything including that tree which was burned to ash. So, there’s yellow leaves falling down, and embers that fly. When we come to this scene with Oyuki, she’s living in this area, it’s the cold, and it’s so snowy and white, and we also built another tree with yellow leaves here with all the red and orange to represent fire with the ash burning, because that’s what she remembers from that night. So that combined together gives us the visual, the switching, the changing and [hopefully] players can feel what is happening to her in this moment.”
Check out the above video with the Ghost of Yōtei dev team as they deep dive into the Kitsune reveal, inspiration from motion capture performances from Ishii and Bolet and crafting a tale of forgiveness and revenge.
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