PlayStation 5 exclusive Yotei's recent release date trailer.

Ghost of Yotei's co-creative directors, Nate Fox and Jason Cornell, participated in an interview with Famitsu (published in Japanese; via VGC), and Fox shed light on the size of the game's map: "In of an open-world adventure, Ghost of Yotei has the greatest freedom and biggest map of any open-world game we have ever made." They also touched on the main narrative, telling Famitsu that the Yotei Six – the game's main antagonists and targets of Atsu's revenge quest – can be hunted down in any order.

Ghost Of Yotei’s Map Will Be Bigger Than Ghost Of Tsushima’s

Also Bigger Than Every InFamous Game

According to Sucker Punch, Ghost of Yotei's map will be larger than Ghost of Tsushima's, which was quite large, but not necessarily massive when compared to other open-world games. This also makes it larger than past Sucker Punch open worlds, like those found in the three InFamous games. Tsushima is celebrated for its open world's visuals and the Guiding Wind mechanic that steers you toward objectives, but did receive some criticism for the repetition in the open world's side content.

Very little has been showcased regarding Ghost of Yotei's gameplay, though VGC does note that "the game will also introduce new close combat weaponry," so it remains to be seen if the open-world design ethos at Sucker Punch has changed to address said critiques. For those that enjoyed Ghost of Tsushima's exploration, Ghost of Yotei appears to be more of the same, with striking colors and varied landscapes comprising the larger open world.

Ghost Of Yotei’s Non-Linear Campaign Is A Huge Departure From Tsushima

Tsushima Had A Rigid 3-Act Structure

Atsu's quest for revenge is motivated by childhood trauma, and she'll travel all over Hokkaido to eliminate the Yotei Six. Being able to hunt down the Yotei Six in any order lends to the freedom Fox referenced when discussing the game's open world. This is a significant change from Ghost of Tsushima, which had a fairly traditional, linear main story. In fact, large sections of Tsushima's game world are locked behind narrative progression, with the three regions of the island corresponding to the story's three acts.

Ghost of Tsushima's Iki Island expansion is similarly unavailable until you start Act Two.

If Atsu's six targets can be found in any order, presumably all or most of Hokkaido will be open to players from the start. It's an interesting change that may give players a lot of agency in determining how Atsu's story plays out. Interestingly, Ghost of Yotei is inspired by "both Japanese cinema and Western dramas," which tracks from its predecessor, which counts Red Dead Redemption 2 among its inspirations, alongside the films of Akira Kurosawa and the comic series Usagi Yojimbo. Ghost of Yotei's non-linear narrative may help separate it from Ghost of Tsushima, even if the simlarities are abundant.

Source: Famitsu (via VGC)