Out of some of the quests “Whispers in the Woods” is probably one of the better quests in the game. It stands out as something that isn’t just a invade the game and kill people or follow your objective marker or sneak around the camp to spy, etc. No-no! This quest uses more level design practices to really help you feel more immersed. (And to be fair I’ve only been on Act I so far and played about 8 hours worth, so many there are more and I just missed it!)
It’s always interesting to see how developers want to handle open worlds and still try to make it feel hand crafted. There are many things to give this game praise for but I think breaking down this quest and its subtleties is probably why some people can say it’s good but not be able to explain why.
So! The quest begins once you run across this man (pictured above) next to a foggy forest. He says that you should beware entering due to ‘vengeful samurai spirits’ out to kill anything living within this world.
What’s immediately interesting is that they try to lead your eye with some lanterns that are lit. (Disclaimer, I took these pictures after I finished the quest. So imagine there is some fog!)
Also in some of these images I drew in red to show light sources and where I think the players eye is being directed. As well as, green on what geometry is used to help push & pull the player around the environment.
A LOT of the quests are just go here and then go there, by following the wind (by the way that wind is pretty clever). Again, these screenshots were taken after I completed the mission but what’s a good point that they try to do is always keep at most three lanterns.
One for you to know where you are, the next to see where to head to, and the third was kinda faint but gave me a general idea on where to go to next.
Once you reach the end of the lanterns, they subtle try to continue leading you by using the Moon as a way to guide you. Which following this will lead you to a funnel-like path with some voice-over to let you know that you’re heading with in the right direction.
Note: I totally skipped the house on the left here because the lanterns were attracting me like a moth to a flame.
As the player continues this path they find their first unfortunate victim. Claimed by the “vengeful samurai spirit”, as shown above in the second photo.
Once the player examines the corpse, shortly after the sound of a wolf conveniently comes around the corner of where you should head next. Also, notice where the Moon is!
Directly going around that corner, the player is now presented with a fork in the road. Which is super bold to do when you feel semi lost within this fog. But where should the player go left or right?
In the second picture is what you see if you go right. There was a decent amount of fog when I turned this way. Not to mention if I continued I would’ve ended up back where the lanterns were.
Now viewing the third picture It would’ve been temping to put more lanterns but I think they wanted to really use the Moon as a way to guide you differently, as well as, use the environment to really push you in the right direction.
Now having the lanterns and the moon + wood was a great way for the mental mapping for me to go, “Ah! Yes! I’ve been here”. (Gold star! Sucker Punch!)
Continuing to follow the moon, the player runs across a path along with some strategic prop placement, it helps pull the players eye into one direction.
As the player follows this, another thing that I haven’t really been pointing out is using these shapes to really give the player constant discovery, even with all the fog obscuring the camera.
Finally to really set in the mood of this spooky tale and the oh-so-wonderful shots you run across is the first image of the player seeing all these repeating lines to really let them know that they should be cautious because their “vengeful spirit” is close.
So a little TLDR, and to recap:
More immersion, less UI due to the lighting composition
Waaaay more trust for the player
Breaks up your usual tasks within the game
Liberating camps (either through stealthing / fighting)
Collectibles (Skins, Shrines, Fox Dens)
Level Design ++!
Spatial Composition — From the lanterns to the moon, gives hints on where to go and make the player feel smart.
Focal Guides! — Ghost of Tsushima is all about framing & guiding lines