PlayStation has had an interesting track record with new IPs over the last decade. Sometimes, you get a hit that has long-term staying power, such as with The Last of Us or the Astro Bot series. However, it’s equally likely that one of its new IPs could end up being a dud and fading into obscurity, like with Days Gone or Concord. Thankfully, 2020’s Ghost of Tsushima firmly fits into the former.
Ghost of Tsushima is a fantastic trip into an era where Samurai, who were devoted entirely to honor, were being eviscerated by the invading Mongols of Tsushima. The protagonist, Jin Sakai, transcends being a samurai and transforms into the first-ever ninja, becoming the titular “Ghost.” The gameplay balanced incredible combat with satisfying stealth, and the story was filled with fascinating characters and devastating twists and turns.
So, when Sucker Punch announced a sequel known as Ghost of Yōtei, which takes place hundreds of years after Tsushima, a lot of people had very high expectations for how it would turn out. After months of anticipation and buildup, Yōtei has finally released, and I’m thrilled to say that, despite some issues, it more than surpasses Tsushima when it comes to the story and gameplay.
Revenge is a Dish Best Served Bloody
While the story of Ghost of Tsushima takes a long time to truly kick off, Ghost of Yōtei jumps right into the action from the start. Immediately, you understand the stakes: the new protagonist, Atsu, is traumatized and burdened with the memory of her parents and brother being killed in front of her. Atsu herself barely escaped unscathed, as the Yōtei Six, an organization led by Lord Saito, attempted to burn her alive.
From there, we learn that Atsu spent a good portion of her life taking part in miscellaneous wars, training under skilled masters of various weapons, and working as a bounty hunter, all the while she prepares for her true goal: to hunt down the Yōtei Six and avenge her family. Once she embarks on her mission, she must navigate through battlefields, mountains, snow-filled areas, and the politics of the Samurai as her desire for vengeance slowly begins to consume her, all at the expense of the new family she slowly starts to grow.
At its core, Ghost of Yōtei‘s story premise is compelling, and with how fast the game introduces you to the world rather than focusing on constant flashbacks and tutorials, you’re quickly invested in Atsu’s journey as she becomes a new type of ghost. However, right off the bat, there is one key problem with the narrative: it’s extremely predictable. If you have watched or played any film, TV show, or video game that focuses on revenge, you’ve seen variations of this exact same story.
Take a show like Blue Eye Samurai on Netflix, for instance. The series focuses on a girl who watched her family being destroyed by a small organization of power holders. She then grows up to learn different forms of combat, all so she can embark on a long-spanning journey where revenge is her only goal. Along the way, she must decide whether to continue to focus on her vengeance or allow herself to be vulnerable and build new connections. Yōtei bears a lot of striking similarities to this story structure, which you can also apply to games like The Last of Us Part II or God of War.
This isn’t inherently a bad thing. After all, I’m someone who has always had a soft spot for stories focused on revenge. However, I’ve always wanted to see a story that tries to do something different with the topic, rather than dealing with the constant questions of “Is revenge worth it?” or “If I kill the person who killed my family?” Sadly, Yōtei suffers from the same pitfall, making for a final act that is extremely frustrating to play through.
With all that being said, though, I still think the story of Ghost of Yōtei is very strong for most of its runtime. The first two chapters in particular are fantastic, and do a great job of truly immersing you in Atsu’s mission and reasoning. As she draws closer to a member of the Yōtei Six, whether it’s the secretive Kitsune or the fire-obsessed Oni, you learn more about the role that each member played in Atsu’s origin. Even if the finale is frustrating, it’s impossible not to become just as devoted to revenge as Atsu herself.
Speaking of Atsu, it’s worth talking about some of the characters in Ghost of Yōtei, who immediately stand above Jin Sakai from Ghost of Tsushima. Whereas Sakai must forsake his samurai ways to truly become the Ghost, the symbol of defiance against the Mongols and the Samurai, Atsu’s devotion to revenge drives her to become a new symbol of fear: the Onryō, a spirit of vengeance. It’s a far darker tone and development, which eventually turns more hopeful as Atsu slowly begins to reevaluate her priorities.
What forces her to change her focus? The supporting cast she meets and develops throughout the game. Atsu is described as a “Lone Wolf,” and there are always mentions of her needing to find a pack. A lot of Ghost of Yōtei’s characters are fantastic, and develop in truly meaningful ways as the story continues. I especially liked Oyuki, an innkeeper who bears a lot of similarities to Atsu, and Lord Kitamori, the stalwart Samurai conflicted between his duty and his desire to protect the people he cares about.
While I have my issues with the story, I can’t say the same for the characters, and especially their vocal performances. Erika Ishii, in particular, does a fantastic job as Atsu, as she’s expertly able to capture the vocal range and complexity of such a nuanced character. Some moments, she is able to convey her rage and hate, and in others, she becomes more vulnerable as she yearns for a life where she was able to grow up normally. She easily delivered one of my favorite performances this year, making for a character that I found myself enjoying more than Jin Sakai.
This also applies to some of the other characters you encounter throughout your journey. I especially wanted to give an honorable mention to Noshir Dalal, who plays Lord Kitamori. Dalal is easily one of my favorite voice actors in the entire industry, and he delivers one of his career-best performances as Kitamori. He does a brilliant job balancing the role of the duty-bound Samurai, the loving family man, and the vulnerable boy who is still haunted by a traumatic incident from his past. There were moments when Atsu and Kitamori were deep into an argument, and I could almost feel my heart in my throat due to sheer anxiety.
Overall, despite the predictability of the revenge plot and its frustrating conclusion, I was fairly captivated by the story of Ghost of Yōtei. However, easily the best part of everything the game has to offer is the gameplay, which takes everything established by the previous game to its limits and beyond.
Painting The Land Red (Eventually)
To say that Ghost of Yōtei is one of the most satisfying games I’ve played this year is a gross understatement. The visuals, the combat, the side quests, and extra offerings, all put together, made for a game that was impossible for me to put down more often than not. Right off the bat, Ghost of Yōtei immediately hooks you with its visuals, which somehow look even better than Ghost of Tsushima.
There are far more particle effects on screen, for starters. For example, as you wade through fields of flowers, you can see the petals fly up in the air. There’s also a practical purpose to these fields, as when you pass through on your horse, you get a brief speed boost. The day/night cycle has also been completely overhauled, with camping mechanics and new weather phases. In some instances, you can even behold the northern lights and a swarm of stars shining in the sky.
Speaking of camping mechanics, there are tons of new features for players to sink their teeth into. For instance, beyond the returning bamboo cutting and hot springs, you can also embark on bounty hunting missions. You’re tasked with hunting down a dangerous figure and killing them for a reward, allowing you to further hone your combat prowess. There are also settlements occupied by Clan Saito, which you can infiltrate and clear for upgrades, and the ability to forge weapons for upgrades.
In any other game, these features may distract from the base story and mechanics, but here, they only add to the worldbuilding and the game’s enjoyment. I had so much fun doing tasks like finding a wolf and following it to its brethren, leading to a combat encounter where you work directly with the wolf to defeat the captors of its pack. It certainly helps that Sucker Punch remains the best in class when it comes to taking advantage of the DualSense, with tasks that force you to take advantage of the touchpad and motion controls to great effect, without feeling too distracting.
Even the side quests are fantastic. While some of them are fairly rudimentary, quite a few do a great job at expanding Atsu’s background, the world of Yōtei, or the game’s themes. Easily my favorite quest in the game is one where you take a look back through the legacy of Jin Sakai and learn more about how the original Ghost lived his life after the events of the original game. It was a beautiful send-off and tribute to a fantastic character, and there were moments where I had to fight not to get choked up.
Part of the reason these emotional moments feel so strong is because of the music. Tsushima‘s soundtrack was fantastic, but Yōtei has an identity that stands above and beyond its predecessor. Whereas Tsushima used a lot of woodwind instruments in its score, since Sakai played the flute, Yōtei emphasizes more string-based instruments since Atsu’s skill with the shamisen is a key piece of her character. There are a lot of tracks that pay homage to old samurai films, and there were even moments where I found myself thinking of Wild West movies like The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly.
The soundtrack is only enhanced by the additional modes you can enable at any time during the game. Obviously, Kurosawa Mode returns from Tsushima, which displays an old black-and-white and film grain filter, similar to the films of Akira Kurosawa. There are also two new modes. For starters, there’s Miike Mode, which adds more blood, mud, and a zoomed-in camera during combat, similar to Takashi Miike’s films. Easily, my favorite mode, though, was Watanabe Mode, which features music inspired by Samurai Champloo, directed by Shinichirō Watanabe. These modes can all be enabled individually or simultaneously, leading to a unique and exciting gameplay experience.
Then there’s the gameplay, which, surprise, surprise, also takes the formula established by Tsushima and flips it on its head brilliantly. Rather than focusing on stances, Ghost of Yotei instead asks you to become experienced with five different weapons: a katana, dual katanas, a yari (spear), an odachi, and a kusarigama. Each weapon excels against a specific enemy. For example, the kusarigama works great against enemies who use a shield, but when faced with someone holding a katana, it’s best to counter with your very own katana.
The addition of these new weapons, as well as ranged weapons like muskets, made it so that I was far less interested in approaching encounters with a stealth focus. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing, though, as it reflects the differences between Atsu and Jin. Whereas Jin was positioned as a prototype ninja, Atsu is a bounty hunter and soldier first, so she is far more likely to jump right into battle. Quite frankly, I would say it’s a waste to only focus on stealth, as the combat never failed to hook me.
It was so exciting having to constantly switch between weapons on the fly, adapting to different strategies, the various weapons that each enemy holds, and whatever tool I had equipped at the time. Easily, my favorite new mechanic is the ability to throw weapons at other people. Sometimes you can see weapons lying around, or in some cases, you can even disarm someone’s weapon and throw it right back at them. Jumping into combat, firing a musket at someone, switching to a kusarigama to close the distance and disarm your opponent, and then throwing their weapon right back at them, makes for a far more fluid loop compared to its predecessor. I can’t wait to play the game again and challenge myself with harder difficulties.
Ghost of Yōtei‘s gameplay is fantastic. To be honest, it took me so long to actually get started on the main questline because I was so distracted by doing tasks like building camps, upgrading my weapons, following yellow birds to find bamboo and hot springs, or taking part in side quests.
In fact, there is still a lot of content that I have missed entirely, which makes me so excited to eventually dive back in to see what else is out there. That is truly the master stroke of Ghost of Yōtei: even after you reach the end of the game, you can’t help but want to play more.
A New Legacy
Building a new IP in this modern era is hard. More often than not, attempts from major companies to create franchises that will stand the test of time fall flat. What potentially began as a humble effort can quickly lead to lost profits, closed studios, and layoffs. What’s just as hard as starting a franchise is continuing a series after the first entry. Even if that first entry was successful, who’s to say that a sequel would surpass the original? Perhaps it would end up falling flat of expectations, leading to the original game being hailed as a “one-hit wonder.” Thankfully, the same cannot be said for the now ongoing Ghost franchise.
If Ghost of Tsushima was great, then Ghost of Yōtei is fantastic. Rather than feeling like a sequel that reuses animations, adds some new mechanics and areas, and calls it a day, Yōtei goes beyond that. The characters are so much fun to follow, plus the themes are crafted very well. Furthermore, the gameplay never fails to reel you in, thanks to the new combat additions, a bigger world to explore, and so many new quests and tasks to do in between the main story.
Ghost of Yōtei is by no means perfect, particularly when it comes to the story. The narrative feels like every other revenge tale told in the past few years in the gaming medium and beyond. Plus, the final act does the exact same things as every other story, down to the detail: “revenge is not worth it, if I kill this person, I’m no better than them, I should instead move on and focus on the future.”
Yet this is still not enough to ruin the entire game for me. Everything else is done so well that, even though Ghost of Yōtei may not be a perfect game, it’s still a great one that stands as one of the best attempts from PlayStation at building a franchise in the last decade. I look forward to seeing how the story of Yōtei expands through the addition of the upcoming Legends mode, and hopefully, we’ll eventually get an expansion and a sequel at some point in the future.
Disclaimer: Ghost of Yōtei was reviewed on PlayStation 5.
