Ghost of Yōtei is now accessible on PS5, and gamers are taking their first steps into the lavish, harmful world of Ezo, becoming a member of Atsu on her quest to seek out the Yōtei Six and uncover a life past revenge. To mark launch, and delve additional into the method of bringing this new protagonist so vividly to life, we had been joined within the PlayStation Podcast studio by Atsu’s voice actor Erika Ishii, who additionally lends their likeness to the character.
Be aware: Interview condensed for readability and brevity. You’ll be able to take heed to the complete interview on the newest episode of the PlayStation Podcast, accessible now.
PlayStation Weblog: by the point this interview goes out, gamers could have lastly obtained to step into the sneakers of Atsu. However for you, the character has been a part of your life for an extended whereas now. So how lengthy has that been and what did these preliminary conversations appear like with the workforce at Sucker Punch Productions?
Erika Ishii: It has been virtually three years of my life now. I used to be an enormous fan of Tsushima, and so it was each an incredible strain that I placed on myself, and really, very thrilling. I believe the primary conversations that we had had been us sharing how geeked up we’re about samurai movies and about video video games.
PSB: One of many fantastic issues was once you found the cosplay information, and I keep in mind seeing you geeking out about, I imagine it was Ellie (from The Final Of Us) you cosplayed as, and now there’s a cosplay information together with your face and your character going out to the PlayStation viewers. That should be actually thrilling.
Erika Ishii: Yeah, it’s so wild, as a result of I do really feel just like the Cinderella story. I used to be a fan, I used to be a cosplayer, and, you realize, I’d go to launch events, and you realize, now I get to be a part of that. And who is aware of, possibly someone will cosplay Atsu or play the sport, and years later, they’ll level to Ghost of Yōtei as one thing that impressed them to begin telling their very own tales. I imply, that’s the dream.
PSB: Talking of cosplay, there was additionally an exquisite Astro bot cameo. You had just a little Atsu bot in Astro How was that, seeing that for the primary time?
Erika Ishii: There was, in fact, the sensation of triumph you get from everytime you get the Astro bots, after which on prime of that… I believe I really feel like a damaged file, however I really am flabbergasted and honored to get to have all of this. I performed by means of all of Astro Bot, and I’m at 100% Bots till this DLC dropped. It’s so cute. The wolf is lovely. And yeah, it simply looks like a surreal fever dream.
PSB: So clearly Atsu not solely seems such as you and sounds such as you, however which elements of who Atsu is, by way of values, relationships, vulnerabilities, what kind of issues felt most private to you, and the way did you defend that authenticity in your efficiency?
Erika Ishii: From our first conversations, discussing the character and our love and the homage we wished to pay to basic samurai movies and to basic revenge movies. She’s very a lot of that legacy. And as she pertains to me, I believe Atsu remains to be kind of younger in a whole lot of methods, positively emotionally. They didn’t have remedy again then, and I believe that Atsu is what occurs if I, or actually any of us, give in to these actually offended and fearful urges. And I believe at her rawest, like most emotional core, Atsu, is scared and weak. I believe, you realize, in fact, she’s this unimaginable warrior, and we get to play the kind of samurai fantasy of the Twin Katanas and the Muskets and the Yari. However I believe additionally what actually resonated for me about Atsu was simply that uncooked, emotional core of hers.
PSB: What do you hope gamers can take away from assembly her?
Erika Ishii: I really need them to have enjoyable enjoying this recreation. As a result of whereas the story is compelling and actually, really – Sucker Punch does narrative like few recreation studios – I believe there’s simply one thing actually enjoyable about really residing out that fantasy. Sure, there’s, you realize, the emotional character arc, however I simply, I would like individuals to really feel badass. I believe that I’m additionally an enormous fan of westerns, and that was one thing we talked about as effectively: she is kind of that spaghetti Western samurai movie hybrid – of feeling just like the lone wanderer, hanging a cool pose, silhouetted within the door body of the saloon. And I would like individuals to have the ability to kind of dwell that cinematic fantasy.
PSB: You’ve inhabited many characters over time, each in video video games and in any other case, however from an improv/TTRPG background, how did that assist you form and discover Atsu’s character?
Erika Ishii: One factor about improv is it’s quite a bit about listening and about making a robust alternative in response to one thing that you simply hear. And I believe that was extremely instrumental with Atsu as a result of the script, I benefit from an unimaginable script by nice writers which might be written for me for Atsu, whereas in Vital Position or the like, it’s a must to be the author, the actor, and in some small methods, the producer of your character. So with Atsu, the script was written, however having the ability to hear it – and to listen to different characters react to her and reacting to them in an genuine means – I believe, is the place a whole lot of improv and spontaneity is available in. As a result of you possibly can memorize the traces, however the way in which that you simply say them, in some methods, must be a shock to you, as a result of, except you’re a personality who’s reciting a speech that they’ve memorized, you don’t know what you’re going to say as a personality. So I believe that’s at all times been very useful.
PSB: It feels like even from the primary reads, it was fairly intense at instances by way of these scenes, by way of the degrees of emotion. Have been there any moments you possibly can recall the place your background in improv and in precise play helps you nail these intense scenes?
Erika Ishii: It’s very scary. However I preserve saying it’s this duality of pleasure and concern. You might be actually, you realize, in a really weak swimsuit. You already know, the mocap swimsuit is a spandex unitard, and also you’re in a white padded room. And it’s typically, it’s simply you. In the event you’re with different actors, you get to be with different actors. However there have been some scenes that had been simply me and my horse, or simply me having an emotional second, an emotional beat, and when it’s you realize, it’s a must to create all of these circumstances your self. There’s one thing in improv and in tabletop known as scene portray, the place often a DM, or typically a participant, will describe the scene, they’ll set the scene, they’ll have all the small print of this panorama and maybe some gadgets. It’s like black field theater for theater goers, the place it’s actually simply you in a room with a bunch of individuals you. And you realize that each minute that these cameras are rolling, it’s all you.
PSB: Did you’ve got an opportunity to take a look at idea artwork? Was that any visible assist whereas picturing these scenes?
Erika Ishii: Really enormous, enormous because of Sucker Punch. They stored me within the loop at any time when there have been author conferences, if I had questions in regards to the character or in regards to the story, or about what was occurring. I might ask them. I had a dialect coach. And the idea artwork, the artists are so phenomenal at [the studio]. We obtained idea artwork of places, of the characters. It actually helped to try this scene portray.
I had the fortune of attending to see among the cinematics as they had been accomplished, which, once more, may be very uncommon for voice performing, as a result of often you do your work and that’s it. However for this, since I used to be there for the whole thing of manufacturing. I obtained to see some progress. I obtained to see some gameplay. And that’s so, so paramount as a performer like as a result of the extra knowledge we now have to construct this little database in our head of what the world is, simply the extra immersive it may be for us. And so, yeah, simply they did an amazing job of getting me immersed.
PSB: So the sport launches October 2. The place does October 2 discover Erika, how are you marking launch?
Erika Ishii: I’m going to get along with among the forged, and we’re gonna have our personal kind of small celebration. Our director, our fearless chief, who directed the entire voiceover, is kind of gathering us collectively. And this once more, is an uncommon undertaking, in that I set to work with most individuals. I obtained to be within the sales space or within the mocap quantity with a whole lot of people. And so there’s this camaraderie that we don’t at all times get in video games. And this forged is one thing actually, actually particular. They’re all unbelievably proficient. Loads of them are simply online game veterans and likewise online game nerds, nevertheless it’s a largely all Asian and Asian American forged, and that’s one thing that simply doesn’t actually occur quite a bit in. There’s kind of a shared, kind of “within the trenches” feeling with us collectively. So we’re gonna rejoice it and that weekend.
And for me, I’m going to be out “sick” a whole lot of that week, enjoying the sport. It’s odd: I’ve by no means performed a recreation extensively with me, as me, like this. I don’t know the way it will likely be. I don’t know the way I’ll react. I believe past launch and past the world, getting to satisfy Atsu is a little bit of a fog of warfare for me. I believe I simply form of must navigate it, one bit at a time.
