Beyond the Beauty

It’s the year of the samurai, some would say. Ghost of Yotei brings us a new hero in search of revenge on the Yotei Six as Atsu hunts down each of them one-by-one for the death of her family. Taking place 330 years after the events of Ghost of Tsushima. The sequel to Ghost of Tsushima allows Sucker Punch to introduce new gameplay mechanics such as firearms and political barriers, while staying true to the time period. Revenge can’t bring her family back, but it sure is one hell of a journey Sucker Punch has created, even if we have seen a similar path before. Revenge stories are as old as time. However, with special care and attention to detail, a revenge story can feel fresh again.

A New Samurai

At first, the gameplay felt familiar. I know this game, I’ve played it before. Sometimes, don’t fix what isn’t broken, as the saying goes. But, after really diving into combat, Atsu is much different than Jin Sakai. She’s much more aggressive in her approach. Though I definitely prefer a more stealthy style when it comes to eliminating camps, outposts and other obstacles to combat. I never felt the need to run away, that every fight was my opportunity to lose. I could walk in the front door and, with a proper parry, watch my targets drop one-by-one as I looked over the fallen foes in front of me. Atsu is tough, and she’s not backing down from anyone.

One combat mechanic to return is stances. Knowing what enemy you face and what stance you have equipped will play an important key factor in your ability to win the fight. The combat can be chaotic at times, something similar to the Batman Arkham series, as Atsu’s timing with parries, blocks and counters, not to mention the help of the wolf from time to time, can lead to some harrying battles from all angles. It might take some players time to get used to switching stances on the fly, but when it “clicks”, it's fun, fast and fluid!

An Open World Done Right

The star of the game is the open world of Ezo. There are many games in which you fast travel from point to point. To do so in Ghost of Yotei would be a disservice to the game. Everything within the Ezo is there for a reason and will often lead to unexpected opportunities. Traveling across the map is a pleasure and not a burden. Removing the fog of war on the map was a welcoming journey. Running into a monk in search of information, or to help an NPC with his lost horses, always led to a reward of information that would circle back to the main plot of the game, the Yotei Six.

Often, open world games can lose the motivation when getting lost amongst all the side quests and other opportunities that get in front of the player during the game. Though there is plenty of other content to do that will keep players going for hours, you never forget why Atsu is back in Ezo and what her intent is. To claim the heads of those who murdered her family.

From bounty boards, to finding maps of locations like Hot Springs or Shrines. The cards are plentiful with meaningful tasks at hand. Learning new techniques had a much more impactful meaning than a simple upgrade. Yes, there are upgrades as well. These are done by finding shrines. However, if you want to expand your arsenal of weaponry, then you must find someone who knows the way of the dual katana and have that master teach you their ways.

This all comes back to searching the open world for opportunities. Hunting down the Yotei Six is the main purpose of the game, but there is so much more to appreciate and enjoy when heading down the storied path.

Helping your wolf friend hunt down Saito’s men will grow your bond and allow you to have the wolf help out more often. Setting up camp to eat will give you a timed stat bonus and perhaps a visit from someone you’ve encountered previously that may offer you supplies or a story. The open world is massive and vast, but it’s not empty, though it has its quieter moments, allowing you to enjoy the beautiful landscape around you.

The world is varied in its color palette. Something the Ghost of Tsushima was known for and doesn’t disappoint when playing Yotei. The opening sequence to the game was inspiring and set the high bar for the rest of the game. Without the color palette and sequence of opportunities within the landscape, there wouldn’t be the need for something that has taken hours of my gametime away: the Photo Mode. There is nothing better than when a team spends the time and care on creating an incredible Photo Mode. Ghost of Yotei has a full suite of tools packed into the Photo Mode for fans who love to capture the moment of the stunning world around them.

Though Ghost of Yotei feels like a nearly perfect game, there was one minor step backwards that made Yotei feel like a bit of a tech demo launch title; the use of the controller gimmick. Some may like the feature of tilting the controller upwards and then swinging down when creating your sword at the forge or flicking the touchpad to create a spark for the fire at camp. Though these are completely skippable, it felt odd to step back in time to the launch of the console, as though the powers above at PlayStation said, “Hey, don’t forget to use this feature.” Again, completely skippable.

Traveling Back In Time

Atsu has moments of recognizing an old location that allows her to relive the past, traveling back in time. Her old family home is one of many of these locations, though it helps tell the story of the past and build upon the game. However, Atsu’s voice acting as a child feels off and not as believable as the rest of the game. Turning back the hands of time from a burned down building however to play the shamisen with her mom is great. The world transformation is seamless. Traveling from the past to the present on a dime in these locations is incredible. Learning the forge with her dad in the past was a great set piece for you to learn a new skill, or running into a child that brings back a memory turned mini-game for a stat upgrade, though you can completely miss some of these moments if you aren't paying attention. They are certainly worth traveling back in time for.

Atsu is in for one of the best journeys of the year. Sucker Punch has taken everything we loved about Tsushima and brought Ghost of Yotei to the next level. A revenge story with meaning, combat that is fun, fast and fluid. An open world design that is impactful with no filler. Everything created in Ghost of Yotei has a purpose, no wasted time for the player to pad on game time. I’ve stated this throughout my review, but one of the best features of Ghost of Yotei is that everything has a purpose for players to enjoy the world. What happens when you finish the story… I’ll leave that up to you to find out!