Ghost of Yotei has so much climbing because the devs wanted to focus on the "idea of freedom," and because Hokkaido really is that steep and "epic"

Atsu standing in front of a Pillar of the Fallen on a snowy outcropping.

Ghost of Yotei has a lot of climbing in it, but that's because developer Sucker Punch was really trying to emphasise how steep Hokkaido really is - plus, you need more ways to get around in a game with so much freedom.

"There's this idea of freedom, right?" creative director Jason Connell told GamesRadar+ in a recent interview. "That's one of the main reasons that we spend a lot of time in making sure that you can climb.