Ghost of Yotei is one of the most anticipated video game releases of the year. The sequel to Ghost of Tsushima is adding a lot of new features to the franchise, including an incredible anime-inspired mode that fans have been dreaming of. Ghost of Tsushima, released in 2020 by Sucker Punch Studios, came with the “Kurosawa Mode,” which desaturated the image, added film grain, and altered the sound mixing to imitate the iconic Japanese filmmaker’s style. Ghost of Yotei is bringing that back, with a Samurai Champloo-inspired addition that anime fans are already going mad for.
Ghost of Yotei releases exclusively on PlayStation 5 on October 2nd. When players take control of Erika Ishii on Mount Yotei, they can do so using the standard game mode, the Kurosawa Mode, a mode inspired by 13 Assassins director Takashi Miike, and, last but most certainly not least, the Watanabe Mode. It is the latter that has anime fans incredibly excited for Ghost of Yotei.
Ghost of Yotei Is Pulling From Samurai Champloo
It’s impossible for anime fans to see or discuss any kind of samurai movie/series/video game without Samurai Champloo coming to mind. Created by Cowboy Bebop‘s Shinichiro Watanabe, the single-season anime, released in 2004, put a hip-hop spin on the samurai genre. Ghost of Yotei‘s new Watanabe Mode instills that same musical influence into the upcoming video game.
Samurai Champloo‘s now iconic soundtrack was produced by the late Nujabes and Fat Jon. Watanabe Mode unfortunately won’t feature the songs from Champloo, but it is giving fans one better. None other than Shinichiro Watanabe himself has directed a new soundtrack of lo-fi music for players to enjoy when traveling around Mount Yotei in the game.
The mode was revealed during Ghost of Yotei‘s State of Play promo, along with the Takeshi Miike Mode. That version drastically increases the blood and mud splatters, imitating Miike’s brutal style of action filmmaking. All three additional game modes look and sound stunning, and it’s almost impossible to decide which one is best. We’ll just have to replay the game three times to enjoy them all.
Samurai Champloo’s Influence on Pop Culture
Shinichiro Watanabe might be best known for his space-faring, jazz-infused series, Cowboy Bebop, but Samurai Champloo has a devout following of its own, with many arguing that the samurai series is actually his best work. Both series have had a staggering influence on the anime medium. But Samurai Champloo‘s cultural reach arguably stretches much further.
Samurai Champloo has undoubtedly influenced the action and samurai genres of cinema. John Wick co-creator and director Chad Stahelski has previously revealed that Champloo was a major influence on his work. This also led the director to partner with Watanabe on his latest series, Lazarus.
But outside the world of movies and anime, Samurai Champloo helped to influence an entire musical genre. Nujabes and Fat Jon’s soundtrack is often considered to be the catalyst that kick-started the lo-fi hip-hop movement. What we now take for granted on 10-hour-long YouTube compilations and ongoing live-streams all came from a samurai anime released in the early 2000s.
H/T: Ghost of Yotei State of Play
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