When it was launched again in 2020, Ghost of Tsushima struck a chord with gamers with its razor-sharp samurai gameplay and heavenly aesthetics. The open-world expertise wasn’t fully unique, however by means of the power of the sport’s visuals — which stuffed every body with vibrancy and texture befitting a completely coloured sumi-e ink portray — a fan-favorite franchise was born.
After a seemingly exhaustive wait, the follow-up to Sucker Punch’s samurai opus is nearly right here. Fairly than a direct sequel following the primary sport’s protagonist Jin Sakai, Ghost of Yōtei takes place over 300 years later, centering on a feminine warrior named Atsu embroiled in a blood-soaked quest for revenge.
Atsu (performed by Erika Ishii) is a really completely different character than Jin. In actual fact, Ghost of Yōtei is bringing virtually a wholly new tone to gamers with a story that blends classic samurai cinema from the likes of Akira Kurosawa (whose work as soon as once more evokes a black-and-white mode within the sport) and spaghetti westerns à la Sergio Leone.
An enormous a part of the sport’s East meets West philosophy is conveyed by the musical rating. Rolling Stone lately spoke with Sucker Punch audio director Brad Meyer and Ghost of Yōtei composer Tomo Otowa about how the sequel’s soundtrack was designed from the bottom as much as pay tribute to Kurosawa, westerns, and Japanese folks music. Try the hyperlinks beneath to listen to two new tracks from the OST, “The Wilds of Ezo” and “Wanderer,” obtained solely by Rolling Stone.
This interview has been edited for size and readability.
How did the group at Sucker Punch attempt to differentiate the soundtrack for Ghost of Yōtei from the earlier sport?
Brad Meyer: The principle factor that we needed to hold over — and a part of, to us, what makes a Ghost sport a Ghost sport musically is powerful melody. And that was one factor that was vital, however we additionally knew that this can be a sport in a distinct place, a distinct time. There’s numerous variations, so we needed it to additionally sound distinctive and have its personal id. The story of Atsu is so completely different from the story of Jin, and we needed to guarantee that the music helped replicate that.
On high of that, that is going down in Ezo — what we now know as Hokkaido — within the sixteenth century. At the moment, Ezo was not a part of Japan; it was type of the sting of Japan, and it was very a lot this type of loopy Wild West frontier. [So] the expansiveness and untamedness of Ezo made us begin considering, “[What] if we do a Wild West by means of the lens of Japanese instrumentation?”
Tomo Otowa: After I heard “[feudal] Japan meets the Wild West,” the very first thing that got here to my thoughts was [that] this will need to have been meant to be. [I] got here to the [United] States as a overseas change scholar, and I spent a superb period of time in Oklahoma. Combining the Japanese cultural background that I had [with] the Western tradition that I accepted, I believe it helped me write and give you a superb mixture. You do undoubtedly really feel the Wild West, whereas there’s a robust DNA of a Japanese-rooted background.
What sort of classical Japanese instrumentation was used?
Meyer: A whole lot of what we did was recording soloists. And so, we had recorded, say, the guitarist, then we recorded our string quartet, after which we recorded lap metal guitar. And I keep in mind when have been recording the biwa participant, and the biwa and the lap metal enjoying collectively. None of us had ever heard that earlier than. I don’t know if these two devices had ever performed collectively earlier than, and it was similar to this magical second. We didn’t know, originally, [if] this was going to work. [We] don’t need it to really feel hokey, or like a pastiche or disrespectful.
Ghost of Tsushima was famously impressed by the work of director Akira Kurosawa. With that Wild West infusion, have been there different influences this time round?
Meyer: It’s humorous as a result of, on Ghost of Tsushima, we labored with Kurosawa’s property to make sure that we are able to this Kurosawa mode. He’s clearly been a giant affect on us. This sport, to us, in all probability most carefully resembles Yojimbo in numerous methods. It’s bought the revenge story of Girl Snowblood, maybe, however there’s a lot DNA of Yojimbo. Only a wandering traveler type of injecting herself into the dramas of wherever she could roam. Clearly, [Kurosawa’s] films have influenced Western cinema, particularly westerns.
After we approached Toma concerning the rating, we didn’t say, “Hey, write us a Japanese Sergio Leone rating.” It was very very similar to “Wild West by means of the lens of feudal Japan.” On the similar time, it’s undoubtedly exhausting to keep away from a few of the tropes that Leone helped foster and create, as a result of that’s what our total collective consciousness thinks of as a western.
Had been there particular Japanese artists or composers that helped inform the rating?
Meyer: The primary prototype we bought of the horse working by means of our huge expanse of Ezo, we needed to actually type of really feel like, “Hey, is that this gonna be enjoyable to simply experience your horse throughout this big panorama?” And one in every of our artistic administrators, Jason Connell, was [like], “Can you discover some Japanese folks music? As a result of I really feel like that’s what’s going to work right here.” And I discovered this monitor from this singer songwriter; his identify was Kenji Endo, and he as this track referred to as “Curry Rice.” And it was only a track about making curry rice, but it surely was simply this lovely … only a man and his guitar, singing very soulfully.
Then Jason discovered one other singer-songwriter, and her identify is Hako Yamasaki, and he or she’s nonetheless round, nonetheless performing and writing. [We] shared that with Tomo and defined, “Hey, we actually wish to one thing of this ilk that’s easy, sparse, after which utilizing vocals to simply wrench the emotion.”
Otowa: I undoubtedly felt that nostalgia within the fashion of Haku Yamasaki. I believe I used to be possibly one or two or three years outdated when Hako blossomed in Japan. Tapping into that interval of folks music that was standard in Japan was a refreshing expertise for me. And to convey that to 2025 with a brand new tackle it [with] an orchestral background — to not bombard simply to make it epic — however simply to create the subtlety of the environment of this feudal Japan.
Are you able to describe the monitor “The Wilds of Ezo?”
Otowa: The primary half, I had a transparent intention of [creating] this darkish world, [it’s] darkish at evening or late within the night, otherwise you’re completely alone and questioning on this hazard. It’s lonely, quiet, gentle, and solitary. After which within the second half, you squeeze your braveness and blaze by means of the Hokkaido fields on your mission, on your function.
Meyer: I like the melody in that final half. It simply has this type of heroic really feel that matches Atsu using off to kick some ass.
Conversely, the track “Wanderer” has a really completely different cadence. Is that this tied extra carefully to Japanese folks music?
Otowa: It was very a lot within the fashion of folks music. [Because] Atsu’s journey is so difficult and oftentimes darkish or lonely, or actually tragic, I believe this monitor [presents] a bit little bit of the brighter facet of the journey. [Even] although the challenges are nonetheless current, there’s nonetheless lovely nature, the mountains, bushes, animals, and there’s undoubtedly [sacredness] in each component that you simply see and really feel. It additionally means that you can wander to a bit little bit of a meditative [side].
Meyer: The opposite attention-grabbing factor about that monitor is that [it] featured what we used as a trio of Japanese devices with shamisen, shakuhachi, and kokyū. [The character] Atsu, she’s not a samurai; she’s not skilled. She’s very improvisational in what she does and in the best way that she fights, and in how she offers with day-to-day issues she would possibly come throughout. We took that to a sure place with [the] music as properly. Tomo wrote this piece, after which we really developed improv maps in order that the musicians would riff on his melody. They’d begin enjoying the melody, after which one would proceed the melody, and one other would improvise beneath it.
Otowa: It was simply very soulful. And I simply wish to identify everyone …
Meyer: Folks can purchase the document and browse the liner notes [laughs].
Ghost of Yōtei launches on Oct. 2 for PlayStation 5. The sport’s unique soundtrack can be accessible to stream beginning tomorrow, Sept. 25.
