Agenda

Making a sequel that improves on the original but doesn't ruin what makes it great is a fine line to walk.
When building combat for Ghost of Yōtei, it was vital to keep the core feel and fantasy from Ghost of Tsushima, but needed to tread new ground that is expected of a sequel.

This talk will go into detail how we approached retaining the spirit of combat from the first game in the Ghost series, but evolved that foundation into its own identity:

- Initial high level pitch for combat, outlining what mechanics to retain and explore
- Deep dive into the new mechanics and iterations
o Disarming the player and enemies
o Multiple melee weapons design and integration with the "stance system"
o Improving enemy variety, via core systems changes, leveraging theming and weapons swaps
o Utilizing everything for boss fights, and matching expectations for the "Yōtei 6"

Takeaway

Perspective and process of improving existing combat systems for a sequel for a specific character fantasy without breaking what was great about the original.

Intended Audience

Those interested in how to iterate on existing combat for a sequel, that have some knowledge of systems design and code.