If you told me back then that the studio that created a riveting series like Sly Cooper or a power-fantasy-invoking title like Infamous would end up completely shifting gears to create an open-world game set in the Edo period of Japan, I’d be calling you hysterical.
Ghost of Tsushima was a chance for Sucker Punch to add a fresh new spin to the open-world genre, as the game heavily emphasized a dynamic world that doesn’t overload you with checklist markers or a combat that gets quickly repetitive. Plus, with a Samurai tale inspired by Akira Kurosawa’s filmography, it felt like a recipe for success.
Although it quickly became one of the best-selling titles on the PS4, there was a lot to improve here, especially since the aforementioned Ubisoft Checklist markers do end up bogging down the experience quite a bit.
And now with Ghost of Yotei’s release, this was the chance for them to do just that. The sequel takes place centuries after the first one, featuring a brand-new female protagonist and a gritty revenge narrative that allows you to tackle the main story bosses in any given order.
However, as much as it is one of the prettiest-looking titles on the PS5 right now, just how much does it improve upon the original? And for someone like me, who has had an uphill relationship with the open-world genre since my teenage years, does it do well enough to impress me without tiring me out?
Well, that’s precisely why I’m here to give you an unfiltered take on all that, plus more, with my review of Ghost of Yotei on the PlayStation 5.
A Dish Best Served Cold
I’ll be keeping this spoiler-free as much as possible without mentioning any details about the Yotei Six and their fights, as well as the major bits and twists of the story that you’d best experience yourself.
Whether it’s my adoration for Tarantino’s Kill Bill duology or Kratos’ merciless rampage in the Greek Pantheon Era, a revenge tale is an entertaining sub-genre that can veer off the rails or maintain a steady course if it chooses to.
Yotei feels grounded, allowing for a character-driven story rather than one centered on conflict between politics or lineage.
And with Yotei, it felt like the latter until the third act kicked in, at which point it made me question some of the characters’ intentions and the prior twists. It’s not bad writing per se, but I must say that it made the overall narrative fall flat in comparison to Tsushima, where the game kicked into high gear with the last act.
The game sets everything up so well. You’ve got a young Atsu and her family being ravaged by the Yotei Six on one grueling night, and having just miraculously escaped, she’s back now as a grown vagabond seeking revenge on Saito and his loyal peers to avenge her folks.
There’s a stark contrast to the previous game’s story. You don’t have one man standing against the Mongols with the wrath of an entire isle riding on his shoulders. In comparison, Yotei feels grounded, allowing for a character-driven story rather than one centered on conflict between politics or lineage.
But where it does a somewhat great job of fleshing out Atsu and the rest of the characters you meet on her journey, it equally pulls out some questionable things, like predictable twists and the most baffling thing to me: another underdeveloped main antagonist with Saito.
It’s the one thing that irked me with Tsushima’s Khotun Khan. Sure, you can debate with me on how it was instead focused on Jin and his uncle more, but that doesn’t particularly excuse Sucker Punch with Yotei’s main villain. Especially given that he pulls a 180 turn in the finale, it all the more made me hold my head in sheer amusement.
Brimming With Richness
I know some may argue that Sucker Punch always excelled more on the gameplay side of things than anything, and you’re right to say that, and that’s precisely why I think Yotei should be well-regarded for how it has one of the most dynamic open world systems yet.
For the record, again, I’m someone who’s had a fair share of run-ins with this genre, and as much as I enjoyed it back then at a certain time, it’s painfully hard for me now to immerse myself in it and make sure to do everything that it offers unless it’s from a series that I heavily adore.
Ghost of Yotei’s open world is chock-full of variety this time around than Tsushima. It still has those familiar side activities sprinkled across the map, but rather than indulging you in bulk amounts with them, there are fewer of them, with just the right number of the newer ones to balance it out, like the Sumi-e paintings.
They doubled down on the specialty trait of the first game, where the world opens up to you rather than the other way around. Don’t get me wrong, you can still stumble on points of interest yourself to mark them on the map, but you’ve got a few options to up the discovery factor, such as Atsu’s Spyglass and the map pieces.
The spyglass will mark these points of interest at a certain glance and distance, while the map pieces can be bought from the Cartographer or found at certain spots that can then help you trace down the exact location of the side activity.
Most importantly, there’s a fine bit of richness to be found here. Sidequests can be kick-started in unexpected ways, such as with an NPC approaching Atsu’s camp or even when finding someone out in the wild that you’d least expect would offer you a quest or side gig.
Ghost of Yotei’s open world is chock-full of variety this time around than Tsushima.
There’s a natural flow to how you can accomplish things here, and that dynamic state plays so well to keep you engaged with something different each time. Rather than pushing you to stumble upon the hundredth fox den or technique altar, you can go do bounties with unique boss fights or use Atsu’s Shamisen to play something that’ll help you in your journey of hundred percenting the game.
Furthermore, the quality of each activity has been upped in retrospect to Tsushima. About to scale a Shrine for a Major Charm? Get ready for a long hike, as the parkour sections are double the length. Finally coming across a Fox Den? They might be getting harassed by Ronins that you need to clear out first, or they might even lead you to save their packs before the burrowed secret itself.
Channel Your Inner Champloo
One of the biggest additions to Ghost of Yotei, which were heavily marketed prior to release, were the brand-new weapons that replaced the battle stances from the original entry. Among these included the Dual Katanas, Odachi, Yari Spear, and everyone’s favorite chain-swinging sickle, the Kusarigama.
And hold up a minute (shoutout to Girlfriend Reviews), that’s just the melee ones. The madmen at Sucker Punch even gave us a full-blown ranged firearm with the Matchlock rifle that you can use to shoot down any pesky enemy that loves to stay at a far-away distance to annoy you.
Speaking of which, you’ll be happy to know that the enemy AI has been drastically improved in Ghost of Yotei.
Each of the melee weapons can be used at your leisure, but the game makes an obvious point that they’re best suited as counters against enemy types. The Kusarigama works best at immobilizing shielded foes, the Odachi can block the powerful attacks from Brutes, and the Dual Katanas can quickly break the posture of polearm-wielding enemies.
It adds a constant flow of rock-paper-scissors to each major encounter, making you constantly switch between weapons to efficiently dispatch the enemy. And when it comes time for the game’s notorious Duel battles or one-on-one fights, it’s mainly your Katana or whichever weapon is required to break through the boss’s stance.
Speaking of which, you’ll be happy to know that the enemy AI has been drastically improved in Ghost of Yotei. I’ve mentioned the new tools of destruction at Atsu’s disposal, but to compensate for that, the AI is more deadly than ever, at least if you’re playing on Hard difficulty or above, which I strongly recommend.
Enemy attacks have longer attack strings with occasional mixups, and this carries into boss fights, which can easily one-shot you on Lethal or two-shot you on Hard difficulty. You either need to nail your parry timing enough to gain an opening or optimally use your weapon skills to whittle down their health and posture bar.
And this honestly makes the combat system of Tsushima feel like a walk in the park in comparison. Like, seriously, I honestly think they adapted a few things from the Legends multiplayer mode as a base template because a couple of boss fights and their movesets feel rather familiar, plus you’ve obviously got the enhanced enemy aggression, too.
You’re Gonna Carry That Weight
I think it’s valid to address and talk about Atsu and how much of a parallel she draws when compared to Jin from the previous game. Immediately, one of the strongest aspects of this game is Atsu and her portrayal as a loner, whilst wearing her heart on her sleeve.
While my immediate impressions of her surpassed my expectations, she’s a protagonist who is much more expressive and outspoken than Jin. The latter one seemed more stoic in comparison, and while the Iki Island DLC tried to add more personal layers to his character, it just didn’t help with how Jin felt like an emotionless character, right up until the final showdown.
Atsu gives off the immediate impression that she’s just going on a senseless rampage to avenge her family, until the game peels back the curtains a bit and makes you face her past. And it’s all done exceedingly well with her recurring flashback sequences at her home, as well as with some of the heartfelt moments with some major side characters.
The guilt she possesses, the grief that’s traumatizing her, and the burden of constantly being vigilant about her surroundings and the people she meets—it’s all wonderfully characterized and developed throughout the game, well, until a few particular key moments of the main story.
Although I haven’t had a chance yet to see Erika Ishii’s voice acting, I’m sure they do an equally amazing job as Ai Fairouz, who voices Atsu in the Japanese dub of the game. Knowing that later on surprised me a bit, since I absolutely loved Fairouz’s portrayal of Jolyne Cujoh.
Both actors do tremendous work at bringing Atsu’s grim yet slightly sarcastic tone to life. Moreover, the bits where she’s comfortable and open up to people are the best because you can also get treated to some playful bits from Atsu that liven up the game’s otherwise serious demeanor.
A Safe Yet Celebratory Sequel
Everyone knew that this game wasn’t going to be anything inventive or extraordinary, and honestly? That’s fine. Everyone can have differing opinions on the subject, but to me, sequels should mainly build upon the existing foundation of the prior entry and, wherever possible, should strive to create something truly unique to make it stand out.
The otherworldly wizardry that Sucker Punch has managed to craft to make this game look even more eye-candy and a total technical marvel should be the talking point for years to come. Even more so, the new mechanics and changes introduced here are far better than anyone could’ve hoped for, minus the mixed main writing.
It’s not a sequel that plays it too safe like Insomniac’s web-swinging second installment, nor does it make too many questionable additions to alienate itself from the core formula. It’s still an open-world semi-RPG that, this time, strips away some of the repetitive elements to provide a world that’s satisfying and, at times, strangely addicting to explore.
The bottom line is that you’re bound to have a fun time here, especially since it’s just mainly more of what the first game offered. But make no mistake, Yotei is still a game in a series whose core celebrates the profound details of Samurai cinema and the artistry that gets conveyed in it.
And if you want the icing on the cake here, go ahead and turn on the Miike mode for some added blood splatter during combat, as well as the Watanabe mode, which should give you a couple of hip Lo-Fi beats to listen to as you cozily explore and mow down Saito’s forces.
If you’re in the minority that absolutely despises open-world games, maybe try this one out? Pretty please? But if you’re in the other category that likes to create controversy surrounding this game right now, I mean, c’mon, there are loads of better things to do than that here.
Closing Comments:
Although Ghost of Yotei lacks a cohesive and well-executed main story, it makes up for that with its vastly improved combat and world design. It obviously doesn’t do anything mind-blowing for the open-world genre, but it refines nearly every aspect that made Tsushima special while carving out its own unique identity. Atsu’s journey delivers both emotional depth and visceral action through her mastery of various weapons, supported by a beautifully crafted world that feels alive without overwhelming you with a boatload of recurring side activities. It’s a love letter to revenge tale media rather than the traditional samurai cinema and players who still adore the gameplay-focused prowess of Sucker Punch—moreover, it’s also a reminder that sometimes, a safe sequel can still be satisfying to play.
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Author: 360 Technology Group
