Summary
Much to the surprise of fans,Ghost of Tsushima’s sequel,Ghost of Yotei, has finally been revealed. However, instead of once again featuringJin Sakaias its leading character,Ghost of Yoteisees Atsu, a brand-new protagonist, taking up the mantle of the Ghost in a new location. Rather than continuing the first game’s story,Ghost of Yoteiis set in 1603, 300 years afterGhost of Tsushimain the land of Ezo, where Atsu has presumably been driven on a path of revenge. Sucker Punch has been quiet about the game’s features apart from that, but the developer has committed to revealing more about it as its 2025 release draws nearer.
Ghost of Yoteicertainly shakes things up for the franchise by introducing a new protagonist and a new setting, but it’s also introducing much more than that. Specifically,Ghost of Yoteiwill feature matchlock guns. It’s currently unclear whetherGhost of Yotei’s guns will replaceGhost of Tsushima’s bows, but that much will likely be revealed in the coming months. Until then, it’s worth looking back on the history of matchlock guns and what their place might be inGhost of Yotei.
The History of Matchlock Guns and Their Place in Ghost of Yotei
Matchlock Guns Were First Introduced to Japan in 1543
Matchlock guns first began appearing in Europe in 1411, but it wasn’t until 1543 that they were introduced to Japan. This particular model of the matchlock gun, which would be known as a “tanegashima,” came by way of the Portuguese in 1543. In 1549, right in the middle ofthe Sengoku Period, Oda Nobunaga, one of the leading daimyo at the time, ordered 500 tanegashima for his armies, despite skepticism from other daimyo that the firearms could replace traditional weaponry like bows. However, the tanegashima eventually became recognized as superior due to its ability to easily penetrate armor, leading to mass production.
While there have been many different models of matchlock guns, the Japanese tanegashima included a snap matchlock mechanism that ignited the gun when it was fired. The serpentine was a curved, spring-loaded lever on the back of the gun that would be released upon pulling a trigger. At the end of the lever was a slow-burning fuse that would ignite priming powder in the gun’s flash pan. The flash would then travel through a touch hole in the gun’s barrel and ignite it. This is all precisely what can be seen for a split second at the end ofGhost of Yotei’s announcement trailer, as the spring-loaded lever snaps onto Atsu’s gun and the weapon fires.
How Ghost of Yotei Might Utilize Matchlock Guns
By 1603 and the start of the Edo period,whenGhost of Yoteitakes place, the Tokugawa shogunate had taken over control of Japan, led by Tokugawa Ieyasu. At that time, the ongoing conflict in Japan began to dwindle, lessening the need for tanegashima. Since most of the conflict during the Edo period consisted of small-scale battles, the katana was generally the weapon of choice. That being said, there were still around 200 gunsmiths scattered throughout Japan at the time, with the samurai primarily being the ones to use the weapons, but generally only for hunting and target practice.
Based on what is shown inGhost of Yotei’s trailer, bows may be put on the back burner for this installment due to the high but waning popularity of the tanegashima in 1603. Even so, if Atsu is walking the path of the Ghost, she will need a quieter weapon than a tanegashima. At the very least, the tanegashima will be difficult for players to use regularly, as it may take a long time to load, and ammo may be scarce. Nevertheless, players can presumably expect to visit a gunsmith to have their tanegashima upgraded, just as they could withthe bow inGhost of Tsushima.
Ghost of Yotei
WHERE TO PLAY
Discover a bold, new story of a warrior in Japan who is on a mission of vengeance all her own.Set 300 years after the critically acclaimed Ghost of Tsushima, Ghost of Yōtei is standalone experience set in 1600s rural Japan. The story follows a haunted, lone mercenary named Atsu. Thirsty for revenge, she travels through the beautiful, rugged landscapes of northern Japan, hunting those who killed her family many years earlier.
