Ghost of Tsushima 2 Open-World Map Size: How Big Would Be Too Big?

Summary

The world of Sucker Punch’s hugely successful action-adventure gameGhost of Tsushimahas gone down in history as one of the most captivating open worlds ever designed, even being cited by some critics as a “work of art.” Now, with the prospect of aGhost of Tsushima2on the horizon, fans have wondered what a sequel’s open world might offer in comparison.

WhileGhost of Tsushima 2has yet to be announced, assuming it is indeed happening, Sucker Punch should heavily consider the size of the sequel’s world. Open-world games are often subject to extreme criticism on account of their approach to the open-world model, and even more so when their maps are significantly large. In light of the criticismGhost of Tsushimareceived for its open world, Sucker Punch will need to make a few adjustments to their model to ensureGhost of Tsushima 2’s map garners a positive reception.

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The Size of Ghost of Tsushima 2’s Open World Should Be Based on Its Predecessor’s

Ghost of Tsushima 2’s Open World Should Only Be Larger With an Evolved Approach

Ghost of Tsushimais filled to the brim with a plethora of activitiesfor players to complete and collectibles to find, and while this is a common characteristic of almost any modern open-world title, it is not the vast number of activities that creates a problem but how those activities are integrated into the open world. Game worlds that fail to integrate their activities in innovative and creative ways inevitably feel large and/or empty as a result, regardless of their actual size.

Apart fromGhost of Tsushima’s innovative use of wind as a guide, the action-adventure game’s approach to the open-world model is fairly traditional. As players explore the island of Tsushima, various points of interest are revealed on the map as question marks that generally involve anything from finding a collectible to completing a side quest. However, by Act 3, most of these activities can begin to feel mildly repetitive, as very little of anything new is introduced that deep into the story.

Game worlds that fail to integrate their activities in innovative and creative ways inevitably feel large and/or empty as a result, regardless of their actual size.

AlthoughGhost of Tsushima’s world remains stunning to behold even after spending dozens of hours traversing it, it is arguably as close to the line as it possibly can be in terms of being too large, as its activities only begin feeling repetitive for some players by the third act, but repetitive nonetheless. Taking all of this into consideration, if Sucker Punch plans to makeGhost of Tsushima 2’s open worldlarger than the first game’s, it will need to adjust its approach to how the game’s activities and points of interest are integrated into the map to prevent it from being too large, in a sense.

A Larger Open World in Ghost of Tsushima 2 Could Take a Cue From Tears of the Kingdom

In evolvingGhost of Tsushima’s open-world model to better suit what may be a larger open world inGhost of Tsushima 2, Sucker Punch could take a cue fromThe Legend of Zelda:Tears of the Kingdom.This groundbreakingLegend of Zeldagame thrives on a sense of discoveryin its sprawling open world, and this is largely due to an impressive lack of map icons. It leaves revelation almost entirely in the hands of the player by forcing them to explore in order to find things rather than making the thrill of discovery little more than a task to fulfill on a checklist.

Ghost of Tsushimastruck just shy of the bullseye when it comes to innovative open worlds, leaving it feeling a little too large in the end. In light of that, ifGhost of Tsushima 2were to, for instance, refrain from the use of map icons almost entirelyjust asTears of the Kingdomdoes, perhaps it wouldn’t ever feel too large, even if it does end up being much larger than its predecessor’s. Nevertheless, if Sucker Punch does eventually releaseGhost of Tsushima 2, its open world is bound to be just as gorgeous as the last.