Forbidden shrine Ghost of Tsushima: why these side spaces became a design reference
Tucked into the forests, cliffs, and marshes of Tsushima Island are small wooden structures that most players walk past twice before noticing. A pair of red torii gates, a worn offering box, a set of stone steps leading nowhere visible, and a sense that something is being asked of the visitor. These are the forbidden shrines in Ghost of Tsushima, and for a game that is already famous for how it paces combat and exploration, the shrines are one of the most copied design patterns in modern open-world production. Studying them is a useful way to understand how a major studio can use micro content to support macro pacing, map literacy, and player identity.
This article treats the forbidden shrine as a design object rather than a checklist item. It is written for developers, level designers, and technical artists who want to understand what is actually inside the shrine encounter, why Sucker Punch committed development time to a feature that occupies a few minutes of play, and what choices were made to make the spaces feel like forbidden places rather than generic collectible rooms. The aim is to translate a single side activity into a working vocabulary of level design, environmental storytelling, and reward structure that you can apply to your own projects.
Throughout the article, Ghost of Tsushima is treated as a real shipped game. Its open-world design, developed by Sucker Punch Productions, has been publicly discussed in development interviews and post-launch retrospectives, and the basic structure of its activities is well documented in coverage such as the Ghost of Tsushima entry on Wikipedia and the studio’s early design conversations in pieces like the Game Informer interview on Ghost of Tsushima’s direction, which provides useful background for this point. The forbidden shrine pattern does not exist in isolation. It sits inside a wider exploration loop that already had fox dens, hot springs, haiku spots, and Inari shrines, and the pattern works because of how it contrasts with those other activities rather than alongside them.
What a forbidden shrine actually is inside the game
A forbidden shrine is a small encounter placed in a visually distinct location. You usually find it by following a paper lantern trail, a guiding wind, or a smoke signal that points you toward a narrow path the camera does not highlight. Once you arrive, the entrance is clearly marked with red torii and a wooden plaque. The space is clearly off the main trail. Inside, the level is built around short traversal challenges: a ledge climb, a rope swing across a chasm, a wall run between rock faces, a tight chimney climb between two walls, or a sequence of those moves linked together. There is no combat inside the shrine itself, no enemy ambush, and no dialogue beyond the implied silence of the space.
Reaching the end gives you a small, named charm. The charm is the meaningful reward. It plugs into the broader equipment system, where charms occupy a small number of equip slots, and each charm provides a passive effect. The forbidden shrine charms tend to focus on utility and quality of life: faster drawing, extra resolve, longer sprint, more health from healing, or improved stealth. They are not the most powerful items in the game, and they are not cosmetic. They sit in a specific slot of the design space that makes them feel like a gift from a quiet place, rather than a trophy from a fight.
The architecture of a single forbidden shrine can be summarized in a way that maps cleanly to development vocabulary:
- Anchor: a red torii gate and an offering box at the path entrance, readable from a distance.
- Approach: a narrow, winding path that drops the player’s camera and lowers ambient music.
- Traversal sequence: two to four linked movement challenges built from the existing traversal system.
- Reward space: a small clearing with a charm on a stand and a clear view of the surrounding landscape.
- Exit: a clean route back to the main path, often a grapple point or a small drop that lands the player near another point of interest.
That five-part structure repeats across the island with different geometry. A shrine in the forest uses rope swings and tree branches. A shrine on the coast uses chimney climbs and tight ledges. A shrine in the snow uses ice walls and longer drops. The pattern stays consistent, which is exactly what makes it readable for a player who has seen two or three of them already.
Why the design earns the word “forbidden”
Most open-world games use a neutral term for this kind of location: a challenge, a trial, a totem, a cairn. Ghost of Tsushima calls the locations forbidden shrines, and that word choice is part of the design. The label implies that the player is doing something the world does not entirely sanction, that the rewards carry a quiet risk, and that the space has a stake in the larger narrative of the island under Mongol occupation. The visual language supports the wording. The torii gates are slightly overgrown, the wooden steps are cracked, and the offering boxes look used. The space is not a holy temple in pristine condition. It is something that has been left to the wind for a long time and that the player is choosing to enter.
For a level designer, this is a reminder that the name of a side activity is part of the content. The same traversal challenge inside a chest room, a dojo, or a forbidden shrine carries different emotional weight. The label, the prop, the lighting, and the sound design all reinforce each other. When those four things agree, the encounter becomes more than the sum of its parts. When they disagree, players sense the mismatch even if they cannot name it.
How forbidden shrines fit into the wider open-world loop
To understand the design choice, it helps to see the shrine next to the other side activities Sucker Punch built into Tsushima. The following table compares the major optional content types and the role each plays in pacing and reward.
| Activity type | What the player does | Reward | Pacing role | Where it sits on the map |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fox den | Follow a fox through forest paths to a small shrine | Minor charm or vanity item | Soft break between encounters | Hidden, often off main trails |
| Hot spring | Reach a bath, then bathe in first person | Minor health increase | Long meditative pause | Remote, hard to reach |
| Haiku spot | Stand at a marked location, choose a haiku, watch a short scene | Vanity headband and a quiet moment | Narrative breath | Scenic overlooks |
| Inari shrine | Climb to a small torii, follow a fox to a hidden cave | Sword kit or vanity piece | Reward for lateral thinking | Hard to spot from the path |
| Forbidden shrine | Traverse a short vertical or horizontal challenge | Named charm with a passive effect | Skill expressiveness | Clearly marked once you find the entrance |
| Enemy camp | Stealth or melee combat against multiple Mongols | Supplies and progress toward area completion | Primary combat difficulty curve | Visible from the road |
| Duels | One-on-one sword duel with a named opponent | Unique sword kit | High-tension climax | Rare, near story beats |
Each row represents a real part of the open-world rhythm in Ghost of Tsushima. None of them are invented for this article. What the table makes clear is that forbidden shrines are the only side activity whose entire purpose is to test the player’s traversal skill. They do not introduce story, they do not ask for combat, and they do not give a cosmetic. They ask you to move through a small space well, and they reward you with a passive that supports the rest of the game. That role is what makes them so easy to study and so hard to copy well.
The exact design goals of the forbidden shrine
Working backward from the content, several distinct design goals are visible in how the shrines are built. None of them are stated in the game itself, but they map cleanly to the way the spaces behave, and they are consistent with the studio’s wider approach to open-world pacing that has been discussed in development coverage.
- Reward exploration without forcing it. The shrines are not on the main roads, but they are not hidden so deeply that only completionists find them. The lantern trails and guiding wind let any player who walks nearby spot them.
- Make traversal a primary skill. Combat is the main verb of the game, but traversal is a verb too. The shrine says that climbing, swinging, balancing, and wall running are part of your identity as a samurai, not just a path to a fight.
- Keep the rewards small and frequent. A charm is a quiet, ongoing improvement. The shrine pays back the time you invest each time you equip it, which keeps the reward feeling generous without inflating the power curve.
- Avoid narrative or moral weight. No one in the game tells you that you should or should not visit the shrine. The activity is optional in tone as well as in placement.
- Read clearly at a distance. The torii gates, the lanterns, and the trail of paper charms all read against the forest palette. The visual signature helps the player decide whether to engage before they reach the entrance.
These goals are useful for any open-world developer who is planning a small repeatable activity. The pattern is essentially: pick a single verb, isolate it from the rest of the game’s verbs, place the activity in a small reusable space, and reward it with a quiet but persistent bonus.
Level design patterns that recur inside the shrines
Across the island, forbidden shrines share a small set of level-building techniques. They are not all unique rooms. Many reuse the same kits in different orders. That reuse is intentional. It keeps development cost low and helps the player learn the verbs in a controlled environment before taking them into larger spaces.
| Traversal kit | What it tests | Failure state | Visual cue the player learns to read |
|---|---|---|---|
| Vertical wall run | Trigger timing and camera awareness | Fall to a lower ledge or back to start | Cracks in the wall and chalk markings |
| Rope swing | Spatial judgement and stamina | Drop into a gap, recoverable | Anchor point, taut rope, and opposite platform |
| Chimney climb | Camera control in tight space | Slide back down, recoverable | Parallel walls with hand and foot holds |
| Grapple branch | Distance and angle | Swing short, retry on same branch | Highlighted branch with hanging rope |
| Balance beam | Fine movement and pace | Fall to lower path, recoverable | Narrow wooden beam with no hand rail |
| Long drop with ledge catch | Trust in the recovery system | Catch a lower ledge and climb up | Wall texture change marking the catch point |
The table highlights an important production point. Failure in a forbidden shrine is not punishing. The worst case is a small drop and a re-try from a nearby checkpoint. Compare that to combat encounters, where failure can mean a lost fight and a respawned enemy. The design tolerates mistakes in traversal because the activity is meant to feel expressive, not punishing. That is a major difference from a challenge tower or a raid wing in a different genre, and it is part of why the shrines feel so calm.
Many shrines also combine two or three of these kits in sequence. A typical forest shrine might start with a chimney climb, follow with a wall run, end with a rope swing, and reward the player on a small platform overlooking the trees. That sequence is short enough to memorize on a second visit and varied enough that no two shrines feel identical. The memory of the sequence is part of the satisfaction. A player who has done three shrines can predict the shape of the fourth and feels competent in doing so.
Reward structure: why charms are the right payoff
The charms given by the shrines do not look exciting on paper. They rarely change the combat system in a dramatic way, and they never unlock a new ability. The interesting design question is why charms are the correct reward for traversal content, and not, say, a new sword stance, a new technique, or a piece of armor. Three reasons stand out.
- Charms live in a finite slot system. You can only equip a few at a time, so each one is a real choice. The reward is not just an item, it is a decision the player has to make about their build.
- Charms are quiet. Their effects show up over time. The reward of a shrine keeps working long after the player has left the space, which is the opposite of how a chest room in many games feels.
- Charms never crowd the visual. The charm menu is a list, not a 3D model the player has to keep in their head. The reward is presented in a way that respects the calm tone of the activity.
For a producer or a systems designer, this is a useful case study in how a small reward system can support an entire optional activity. The reward does not need to be rare to be felt. It needs to be reusable, to fit inside a constrained slot system, and to give the player a reason to remember the activity later. Forbidden shrines do all three.
How a developer can adapt the pattern to a new project
The forbidden shrine pattern is a generic template with very few hard requirements. That is one reason it has been so widely discussed. A new project can adapt it by treating it as a small design checklist rather than a copy of the original activity. The following steps are written in development terms and are deliberately tool-agnostic, so they apply whether the project is built in Unreal Engine, Unity, or a proprietary engine.
- Pick a single verb to isolate. Choose one gameplay verb that is already core to the project. Examples include parkour, hacking, spellcasting, driving, puzzle solving, or stealth takedown. The verb should be one the player can perform elsewhere, but rarely in a clean, uninterrupted way.
- Define a constrained physical kit. List two to four moves inside the verb. Each move should have a visible cue, a recoverable failure state, and a clear way to tell when it has succeeded. Keep the kit small so development cost stays predictable.
- Build a small reusable space. The space should be visually distinct from the rest of the world and readable at a distance. A signature prop, color, or sound at the entrance is enough. Avoid making each space unique, because that inflates content budget.
- Choose a reward that lives in a constrained slot. A passive bonus that the player selects from a limited pool is ideal. A consumable works less well because it does not create long-term decisions.
- Keep the activity short and frequent. Aim for two to four minutes per encounter, and place the activity in clusters so the player can decide whether to do a single shrine or a short route.
- Maintain visual consistency across the family. If one shrine feels different in lighting, music, or pacing, players will read it as a different activity. Reuse the same camera, audio, and reward presentation across all instances.
The list is short on purpose. The most common failure when copying a pattern like this is to over-design it. If a new forbidden shrine requires custom art, custom code, custom audio, and custom narrative, the pattern stops being affordable. The strength of the original design is that it reuses the same traversal systems the player already uses in the main world and only changes the space around those systems.
Technical implementation notes for a small optional activity
From a production standpoint, forbidden shrines are interesting because they sit on top of systems that already exist. A studio does not need to build a new traversal system to ship a forbidden shrine pattern. It needs the existing traversal system, a small encounter trigger volume, a charm unlock event, and a respawn point. The following notes are useful for any team planning a similar pattern in a new project.
- Encapsulate the encounter in a single level chunk. Treat the shrine as a self-contained level asset. That allows art and design to place it independently of the main path network, which reduces coupling with the open-world streaming system.
- Reuse the global traversal controller. Do not create a special shrine-only movement mode. The strength of the pattern is that the player uses the same verbs they use elsewhere, and the reward of competence comes from that reuse.
- Treat the reward as a data entry, not a cutscene. The charm should be granted through the existing equipment system. Adding a new reward pipeline is one of the easiest ways to inflate the cost of the pattern.
- Use soft checkpoints inside the space. Place a respawn or recovery trigger at the start of each traversal kit. That keeps the failure state recoverable without spawning enemies or restarting the entire sequence.
- Decouple entrance discovery from completion. Track whether the player has seen the shrine and whether they have completed it. Use the first state to mark the map and the second to grant the reward. This avoids edge cases where a player skips a shrine visually but still completes the traversal.
- Keep the audio bed short and looped. A short ambient loop is enough to give the space its tone. Custom music per shrine is not necessary and quickly becomes expensive.
None of these notes are specific to a particular engine. They are the same kind of small production decisions a team would make for any optional activity that has to be shipped at scale. The lesson is that the design feels small because the implementation is small. The hard part is editorial discipline, not engineering.
Common mistakes when porting the pattern to a new game
Teams that try to copy the forbidden shrine pattern often make a small set of predictable mistakes. The list below is drawn from how the pattern works rather than from any specific project, and it is useful as a self-review checklist before shipping a similar activity.
- Adding combat to the shrine. The original design is quiet. Adding enemies, traps, or hazards breaks the contrast with the rest of the world and turns the space into a generic challenge room.
- Making the reward cosmetic only. A pure cosmetic reward is fine for some activities, but it removes the long-term build decisions that make the original reward feel meaningful.
- Hiding the entrance too well. The shrine should be readable at a distance, even if the path is not. A player who cannot see the torii gate from the trail will assume the activity is for completionists only.
- Over-relying on custom geometry. Each unique shrine is a long-term maintenance cost. Reuse is part of the design. If every shrine needs new art, the pattern will not scale to the full open world.
- Forgetting the audio bed. Silence or main-world ambient music undercuts the tone. A short, distinct loop is one of the cheapest ways to mark the space as a different kind of place.
- Adding narrative weight to the reward. A shrine that tells a long story about the charm’s origin turns the activity into a quest. The original design lets the charm stand on its own.
Each of these is a small change, and any one of them can be defended in isolation. Together they erode the pattern. The strongest version of a forbidden shrine style activity is one that respects the original’s quietness, frequency, and small-but-real reward.
Player strategies inside a forbidden shrine
Even a design-led article should help the player who actually wants to clear the shrines. The gameplay strategy is simple, but it is worth being explicit because the encounter design trains the player to follow a specific rhythm.
- Read the entrance from a distance. The torii gate and lantern trail tell you whether the path ahead is short or long. If you cannot see a charm stand from the entrance, expect a longer sequence.
- Slow down at the first move. Most failed runs happen at the first traversal kit, because players rush it. Take a beat to look at the wall texture, the rope anchor, or the chimney walls before committing.
- Use the camera. The traversal system is designed to be readable from a third-person camera. Look around corners with the camera before walking into a new section. Many shrines hide their next challenge behind a turn.
- Trust the recovery system. If you fall, the recovery ledge is usually within reach. Do not restart the whole sequence unless the recovery point is missing. The game is designed so that falling is rarely fatal.
- Plan charm slots before clearing more. Each charm you collect is one more decision in the equipment menu. A small plan for the kind of build you want will make each new charm feel useful rather than overwhelming.
The strategic layer is small on purpose. The forbidden shrine is meant to feel like a calm side activity, not a tactical puzzle. A player who treats it as a five-minute break will enjoy it more than a player who treats it as a checklist item.
Comparing forbidden shrines with similar patterns in other open worlds
The forbidden shrine pattern is not unique to Ghost of Tsushima. Many open worlds have a similar micro activity, but they are not all designed the same way. The following comparison is drawn from how the patterns work in their respective games, not from a claim that the games are otherwise similar. The aim is to show what makes the Tsushima version distinct.
| Pattern | Game | Isolated verb | Reward type | Pacing role | Tone |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Forbidden shrine | Ghost of Tsushima | Traversal | Passive charm in a slot system | Calm, short, frequent | Quiet and reverent |
| Shrine | The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild | Physics and puzzle | Orb that increases health or stamina | Slow build, meaningful reward | Wonder and exploration |
| Altar of Lilith | Diablo IV | Combat and exploration | Stat bonus and Murmuring Cache | Mid-session reward | Dark and reverent |
| Tower | Assassin’s Creed (varies by title) | Climbing and synchronization | Map reveal and fast travel point | Map literacy | Achievement focused |
| Cairn | God of War Ragnarok | Timing and puzzle | Minor resource and lore | Side quest flavor | Nordic calm |
| Lantern | Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice | Combat and stealth | Cure and resource | Save point and difficulty gate | Tense and quiet |
What the table makes clear is that the forbidden shrine pattern is unusually narrow. It isolates one verb, gives a small persistent reward, and keeps the activity short. Many similar patterns add combat, add story, or add map reveal. Those are valid choices, but they make the activity larger and more expensive. The Tsushima version stays small and that is its strength.
Production cost and pacing: a rough planning view
For a producer budgeting a similar pattern, a useful exercise is to think about the ratio of new content to reused content. The forbidden shrine is mostly reused content with a thin shell of new content around it. A rough planning view, deliberately not a real budget, looks like this:
- Reused content: traversal system, charm system, equipment menu, audio system, save system, level streaming, map markers.
- New content per shrine: one small level chunk, two to four traversal placements, one charm data entry, one ambient audio loop or selection, one entrance prop set.
- Shared content for the family: entrance visual identity, charm presentation UI, lantern trail, map icon, completion check-in behavior.
The ratio is the part that matters. Most of the value comes from reuse, which is why the pattern is affordable. The new content per shrine is small and predictable. A team that respects that ratio can ship a dense population of shrines without exploding the schedule. A team that treats each shrine as a unique room will run out of budget after the first few.
Design lessons worth keeping
Pulling the threads together, the forbidden shrine is a useful object lesson in how a major open-world game can support a long playtime with content that is small, repeatable, and design-led. The lessons that travel well to other projects are not about the torii gates or the charms. They are about the shape of the activity itself.
- Isolate one verb per optional activity. The verb should already be in the game, and the activity should be the cleanest version of that verb.
- Reward in a slot system. A reward that lives in a constrained slot keeps each bonus meaningful and creates real build decisions.
- Keep the activity short and frequent. A two to four minute activity that the player can repeat without fatigue is more valuable than a single large activity that the player only does once.
- Use a signature prop and sound. A repeated visual and audio signature is what turns a set of small rooms into a recognizable family of activities.
- Respect the tone of the space. Silence, soft light, and a small reward are often more memorable than a big cutscene.
For developers, the takeaway is not that every open world needs a forbidden shrine pattern. It is that small, well-designed optional activities can carry a surprising share of player time and satisfaction, especially when the rest of the game is large. Sucker Punch understood that the open world of Tsushima is partly built from big combat encounters and story missions, but it is also built from quiet places like the forbidden shrine, and the balance between the two is what makes the game feel coherent.
Frequently asked questions
How many forbidden shrines are there in Ghost of Tsushima?
The exact count depends on the edition. The base game includes a fixed number of shrines across the three regions of Tsushima, and the Director’s Cut and the Iki Island expansion add additional content. The exact totals can shift with patches, so the most reliable current number is the one shown in the in-game menu and on the map, rather than any third party list. Players who want a complete count should clear the map region by region and use the activity tracker to confirm.
Where do you find a forbidden shrine if the map does not show it?
Forbidden shrines are not always marked on the map at distance. The most reliable way to find one is to look for a paper lantern trail, a thin wisp of smoke, or a red torii gate visible above the tree line. The guiding wind ability will point you toward a shrine when you are close. The discovery radius is small, so a slow approach on foot will reveal more shrines than a fast ride on horseback.
What is the difference between a forbidden shrine and an Inari shrine?
An Inari shrine is a small torii gate at the top of a climb that leads to a hidden fox den. Following the fox gives a sword kit or a vanity reward. A forbidden shrine is a self-contained traversal room that ends at a charm. The two activities are different in verb, reward, and tone. Inari shrines ask you to follow a creature through a forest. Forbidden shrines ask you to climb, swing, or run through a small architectural space.
Are the charms from forbidden shrines worth using?
Yes, especially in the early game and in the mid game when your equipment slots are still being filled. The charms focus on utility and quality of life rather than raw damage, which makes them strong choices for any build. Some charms are also tied to specific play styles, such as a charm that improves stealth or a charm that improves parry timing, so the best charm for a given player depends on the build they want.
Do forbidden shrines respawn or change after the story is finished?
No. The shrines are static content and they remain in the same place after the story concludes. The reward is granted once and the completion state is stored on the save file. New game plus can reset progress if the player chooses it, but the shrines themselves do not rotate or change between runs.
Can you complete every forbidden shrine without combat?
Yes. The shrines themselves contain no enemies, and the traversal challenges can be cleared without engaging in combat on the way. Some players choose to clear the Mongols around a shrine entrance for a calmer approach, but it is not required. The activity is one of the few parts of the open world that can be completed entirely with movement skills.
What happens if you fall inside a forbidden shrine?
Most falls are recoverable. The traversal system includes a recovery ledge or a reset point at regular intervals, so a fall usually drops the player to a lower section of the shrine rather than restarting the entire sequence. The game does not kill the player for falling inside a shrine, and there are no traps or hazards that produce a game over screen. The recovery system is part of why the shrines feel calm.
Is the forbidden shrine pattern useful for a small indie open world?
Yes, and arguably more so than for a large studio. The pattern reuses existing systems, requires only a small level chunk per instance, and rewards the player with a slot-based item that does not need new UI. A small team can ship a meaningful population of shrines in a fraction of the time it would take to build a comparable number of unique side quests. The pattern is one of the most affordable ways to add depth to an open world without expanding the schedule.
Do the forbidden shrines appear in the Director’s Cut or Iki Island expansion?
The Director’s Cut and the Iki Island expansion add new activities, side content, and rewards, and the in-game map will reflect any new shrines that are present in those areas. Players who own the expansion should clear the new region with the same slow approach they used on the main island, and the guiding wind will still point them toward the new entrances.
Why are the spaces called forbidden in the first place?
The label is a design choice that frames the activity as something the player is choosing to enter against a quiet cultural signal. The torii gates, the overgrown paths, and the small offering boxes all read as places that have been left to the wind, and the word forbidden in the title tells the player that the space is not a public temple. The wording is part of the tone, and it is one of the small editorial decisions that make the activity memorable.
