Ghost of Yōtei Developers Wanted to Add a Breath of the Wild-Inspired Climbing System

Sucker Punch even developed a functional prototype for the feature.

The creative minds behind Ghost of Yōtei have revealed several concepts that were explored during development but ultimately left on the cutting room floor. Project directors Nate Fox and Jason Connell shared these insights during a recent session at the Game Developers Conference (GDC).

According to the duo, Sucker Punch Productions experimented with a traversal system in the early stages that was heavily inspired by the climbing mechanics in The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. A small internal team even successfully built a working prototype intended to serve as a core gameplay pillar.

However, as development progressed, it became evident that unrestricted climbing clashed with the core identity of the protagonist—a wandering ronin. Connell explained that the team constantly utilized a specific litmus test: “Does this mechanic help the player feel like a wandering ronin?” If the answer was no, the idea was abandoned.

Fox admitted he was personally fond of the idea of scaling almost any surface, but it presented significant challenges for open-world design. Certain areas were meant to be gated to maintain the game’s flow. Furthermore, they realized that if players were allowed to climb everywhere without being consistently rewarded for their exploration, the mechanic would quickly lose its appeal and feel hollow.

Source: iXBT.games