To do so, the American team has partnered with experts in various fields to thoroughly research life in 13th Century Tsushima, while speaking to fellow developers in Japanese studios "who could give us advice on cultural norms" and assist with audio recordings. Sucker Punch also consulted with specialists about wielding katanas and other fighting forms of the time, with motion consultants advising on the right way to hold a knife or more unusual items during performance capture sessions.
"We rely on all these people to let us know where we're going astray," says Fox. "Sucker Punch is good at making gameplay, but we are not cultural experts in Kamakura-era Japan. We recognise this, and we're grateful to have the help."
He continues: "It's been interesting working on this game because in past titles we've been able to make it up, frankly. For a superhero game set in Seattle, we knew what we were doing, but in this game we are constantly learning about Japanese culture or the norms of samurai. And it's exciting because it changes the way you work to learning in the same way that players get to learn about these things, and in fascinating detail.
"Things were surprising us all the time. But that's part of the joy of the discovery of making the game. Hopefully it's something that will translate into the game as a player, that you will discover a lot of the beauty of feudal Japan."
