Developed By: Sucker Punch Productions
Published By: Sony Interactive Entertainment
Platforms: PlayStation 5
Reviewed On: PlayStation 5 Pro
Review Code Provided By: PlayStation Asia
It’s been five years since Ghost of Tsushima which was a solid new franchise starter coming from the talented folks over at Sucker Punch Productions. Ghost of Yotei serves as the next entry in the franchise with a brand-new story and protagonist playing out in Yotei this time. Thanks to PlayStation Asia and PR partners, we were granted an early review code for Ghost of Yotei and I managed to play it quite extensively over close to 70 hours to see all it had to offer.
Ghost of Yotei was on my radar since it was revealed but even if Sucker Punch are one of my favourite game studios (love the Sly Cooper and Infamous series) it didn’t feel like I was excited enough for it and I couldn’t put my finger on exactly why. Nevertheless, I still was eager to jump in and see how the series had evolved. After spending quite an extensive amount of time with Ghost of Yotei, I feel it’s another solid entry but in a sort of weird, deja-vu kind of way it mirrored my experience with Ghost of Tsushima; for better or worse.
One of the more interesting things being talked about Ghost of Yotei since it was revealed was how it didn’t feel like a graphical showcase or step-up from Ghost of Tsushima. Although to some level that might be true but Ghost of Yotei is really a great looking game. It might not be on a mind-blowing level like the recently released Death Stranding 2 but it holds its own really well. There are the standard Quality (30fps) and Performance (60fps) modes and there is a Pro exclusive mode which is running up to 60fps with better image quality and RT effects enabled.
To be honest, I appreciated the smoothness of 60 fps (with very rare and minor frame drops) but I don’t feel I appreciated the enabled RT effects because it felt barely noticeable for me. There were very minor graphical bugs as well with probably the worst being a minigame called Zeni Hajiki. The idea of the game is to chain flick coins one by one without touching more on a small table. In one location the coins themselves went through the table so there was no way for the player to actually see where you are flicking to and what’s being hit which was incredibly frustrating to say the least. I had to use my jedi powers to complete the game (because I can be an obsessive sicko) and even after two patches while I was still playing it was not fixed. Hopefully this does get fixed with the day one patch.
The soundtrack and sound design was great in part of how music plays a bigger part this time around. Atsu has a shamisen that which the player can use to learn new songs which are all just atmospherically great. The shamisen also doubles as a collectible tracker (for some, not all which I will get to later). The touchpad is used quite fantastically as well as instead of the haiku poems from Ghost of Tsushima, Atsu draws and the player uses the touchpad to do so with some very nicely implemented motion tracking. Adaptive triggers coupled with the DualSense speakers provide a really immersive experience. Loading times are also as quick and getting around the map feels very snappy.
Ghost of Yotei plays out very similar to the previous entry in the series where players will ride or platform around exploring for points of interest, collectibles, having duels, finding side quests or just to advance the main quest. The tools and weapons players can eventually discover are also quite extensive with the stance system from the first game replaced by a weapon system that plays out similarly; Katana for Katana enemies, Yari for bigger enemies or Kusarigama enemies, Dual Katanas for spear enemies, and the Kusarigama for shielded enemies. There is also the Odachi which you can use also for bigger enemies to block, counter to stagger faster. Each weapon type also has a small skill tree to unlock which grants additional move sets to expand on that weapon type. Apart from the main weapon wheel there is also smoke bombs, kunai, bows, bombs, rifles, and pistols that compliment your arsenal.
When it comes to exploration you either can discover points of interests/activities on your own but there is also a NPC system in place where they might offer information as to where there might be points of interest. It then cleverly ends up as a note on your map which you can line up and place so you can head out to discover. These pieces of information can also be purchased from a map vendor in each region. Most of the points of interests might be familiar to you as it is generally similar to the first game which rewards a cosmetic item. Myths also return with each region having one which also are quite nicely told and rewards new armor sets. All in all, players will find a lot to see and do while they explore Yotei.
As much as I felt the game felt very smooth progressing and challenging when it needed to be I did have some issues with it. Firstly, I initially thought that the map size of Yotei was smaller than Tsushima but it is deceptively bigger in fact. I feel like it should have not been so big because towards the later stages of the game it really did start to wear me out a little which lends itself to one of the prevailing criticisms of the first game. It really does feel like with the options you have it ends up feeling very samey the more you play and I don’t think Yotei disguises that feeling better. The second issue I had with the game was even though there are five loadout slots that you can preset your armor and charm sets, I just never felt like I really needed to. I mean it is great than I can have one loadout be archery focused, and another, stagger focused, or assassination focused but apart from the tediousness of switching loadouts, it just does not serve a great enough purpose to justify doing it. Eventually I just ended to using the armor I liked the most and only switched up for the one with a tracker system for collectibles when exploring.
The third issue I had aggravated me more than it should have. Since it’s a more emergent exploration focused map reveal system where you use your spyglass to “discover” points of interest from higher ground or if you are in close proximity it will pop on your main map. There are some points of interest where even if you are looking right at it or even as close enough as you think, it does not pop. I had one point of interest where I had to literally be on top of it only for it to suddenly pop. This aggravated me because in the game there are systems in place to track these points of interests and collectibles. What’s strange is these trackers are not for all of it. At the end of the game I was missing three items and I found the first two by just some random guesswork and realized I passed those exact places multiple times and it did not “discover” it for some reason. The third item until today I still have no idea where it is because I just got tired of riding around for hours at places I already explored hoping to just accidentally find it.
It’s an entertaining and solid game for sure, but the gameplay more than wore itself out for me with the introduction of guns and only one specific armor set can repel gunfire (otherwise you have to dodge) which can result in you getting downed more than you like when faced with multiple enemies. I also found how telling it was that I found the first myth “boss” fight to be infinitely more entertaining than the actual final boss of the game. And this brings me to what was my primary source of enjoyment playing Ghost of Yotei.
Ghost of Yotei plays out like a samurai western with Atsu the primary protagonist returning to Yotei to take her revenge against the Yotei 6 for killing her family when she was a child. Her legend slowly grows in Yotei as she becomes known as the Onryo (Ghost) and over time she even has her own wolfpack; allies that help her along the way towards her ultimate goal.
At first, I did feel disappointed that we were not going to be continuing Jin Sakai’s story from the first game as they hinted, he might even be taking on the Shogunate but I think Atsu really comes into her own here. There is personal growth and as a character she managed to get me invested in her journey. However, as much as I was thoroughly invested in the story, it really felt like déjà vu all over again with the issues I had with Ghost of Tsushima.
The Yotei 6 are comprised of The Snake, The Oni, The Kitsune, The Dragon, The Spider, & their leader Lord Saito. Unfortunately, only two out of the six are actually compelling characters in their own right with the rest feeling really underbaked or even an afterthought. The same way how Khotun Khan felt underbaked to me because most of his “character development” is through notes you find scattered about, is applied in almost exactly the same way here with Lord Saito. I was actually really hoping they would take the challenge on and since they expanded the main villains to a group of six each “hunt” would be really compelling. It even echoes Ghost of Tsushima where Chapter 1 feels long and great, Chapter 2 there is a buildup only for Chapter 3 just feeling fine.
Even the Wolf Pack (which has its own menu screen) feels strange because mots of the pack are just vendors apart from a few characters but it does not serve an ultimate purpose except for filling out blanks in a dedicated menu screen.
I’m sure others might enjoy it more and not to say I didn’t enjoy the myriad reveals and twists which plays out really great. I just wish some moments like a few in particular concerning a song played out satisfyingly instead of feeling like they existed in a vacuum just for aesthetic purposes.
What I Liked About Ghost of Yotei
- New Characters – Atsu is great, her supporting cast is great as well
- Graphics & Sound Design – The game still looks aesthetically and graphically really good. The draw distance is insanely good. The soundtrack is also really good and the inclusion of the shamisen is a fantastic choice.
- Story – I think it’s a well told story albeit not a perfect one. It definitely was one of the driving forces for me finishing the game as I always wanted to know how things played out next.
- The Ainu – I appreciated the small focus into the Ainu people in the game and it was kind of a wholesome experience.
What Missed The Mark
- Game Length & Size – This might be debatable but I feel that it might be just too big. It probably should be tighter and smaller but I mean they cant really show off the draw distance that way.
- Yotei 6 – As I mentioned earlier, I found only two out of the six to actually be somewhat compelling. The rest were underbaked or quite throwaway.
Final Thoughts
I really liked Ghost of Yotei and I do think in the end it was a good choice to bring a fresh new protagonist and a new story. Unfortunately, I didn’t love it as much as I wanted to because as great as the game is, it did not blow me away in the same way Uncharted 2 or even The Last of Us Part II did when those sequels came out. I actually read my review back of Ghost of Tsushima because I admit I forgot a lot of it, maybe age is catching up to me. But what struck me was how similar my feelings about Ghost of Yotei is almost exactly the same when I reviewed Ghost of Tsushima. However, I am very much looking forward to the upcoming Legends Mode and hope that Ghost of Yotei is as successful.
