I’m knee-deep in Atsu’s quest for vengance now and honestly, it’s only becoming a better game as time goes by. Ghost of Yotei takes a lot from Ghost of Tsushima, yes. But the entire game is an improvement, in literally every single way.
Looking for downsides at this stage is harder than normal. With the biggest flag at the 30+ hour stage in games like this, would be feeling burned-out. But I don’t. In fact Ghost of Yotei is actually a game that I look forward to. It’s a game I want to play.
At this stage in it’s predecessor, I was impacted by the story pacing and the massive 2nd act. Ghost of Yotei seems to have flipped the script and made the opening act the big one. This works really nicely.
Story and world
Ghost of Yotei is telling a story of vengeance. A classic tale of “they did me wrong, so I’m going to kill them”. But it weaves context and history into it as you play.
Re-visiting that fateful night with different perspectives as the story moves on. Going home and switching effortlessly to when you were a child and experiencing it before everything took a turn.
Characters adding actual emotional depth and impacting Atsu and her view of the world. With Atsu herself feeling like a much more fleshed-out protagonist. Whilst the “I’ll kill them all, I’m mad” approach can carry a lot of the game, her reflection and engagement with others take it above and beyond.
The world of Ghost of Yotei is ripe with characters that do more than just serve as vendors and placeholders to fill-out a village. Adding texture and life to everything. The more prominent characters provide depth to the story, to the history of Yotei and the wider world.
The story is filled with nuance and twists. Some predictable, some unexpected. But I remember after a few hours at the start of the game where I’d been exploring and doing side activities, I wasn’t invested. I started to think maybe it was just another Tsushima with no real, substantial change (apart from the incredible visuals). Instead of just writing it off, I hammered some of the story instead, and after a certain point (relatively early on), I was brought on-board and I’ve been inevsted ever since.
Combat, weapons and training
Ghost of Yotei turned things around here. Ditching the “stances” of the first game. Insted implementing a variety or weapons, and what essentially boils down to rock-paper-scissors. You’re more effective with certain weapons, against certain weapons.
It might sound dull, but actually, it means you’re always engaging with all of your arsenal. Which in-turn, means you want to upgrade it all and make sure you’re effective no matter the situation.
Beyond the core weapons, you have consumable tools. Think kunai, smokebombs, setting your sword on fire etc. These can be situational, or you can go hell for leather and use them in any fight to try and turn the tide. Again, you can upgrade capacity, upgrade efficiency.
Plus, you have your ranged weapons (bows, rifle). Ghost of Yotei is giving you more tools than you could ever dream of. All of these weapons and tools aren’t just random pick-ups, either. In ever instance you learn how to utilise them, you learn their origin and they become a part of Atsu’s story.
Some of these come in short chats and brief training sessions. Others, like your primary weapons, come from masters that require long, impressive training sections of the game. Learning the utility and how to get the most from them.
This all means that you’re always upgrading and enhancing your armoury. But at the same time further fleshing-out the story and your experience with the game and the world. Everything feels organic and not just thrown-in for the sake of it.
Yes, you can quickly become overwhelmed with choice. But that fades quite quickly, thanks to the training and guidance given to you as you go.
Your core combat in Ghost of Yotei is still based on parrying, blocking, dodging and striking. Breaking the guard of your enemies. But your approach is much more varied and interesting than ever before. Atsu studies and masters everything she has, as do you, and that builds engagement really nicely.
The Wolf Pack
As you progress through Ghost of Yotei, you mean several key characters. Whether they’re main vendors, allies in the story or even a wolf. Atsu isn’t alone in the world, and for a character that has worked in solitude for so long, you can see her change as her life bcomes a little more social.
Having your wolf friend is one fo the coolest things in the game. Initially relying on him to show up as he sees fit, you can take-down camps of enemies side-by-side.
Going into a stand-off with a wolf by your side and doing those inital takedowns is never dull. But even when he’s just acting as a support as you attack groups of enemies, he’s a real asset. Either killing, stunning or assisting as you hack and slash through.
You improve your bond with Kiba by doing side quests to free other wolves and animals from trappers out in the world. This gives you a way to have a more reliable, consistent ally and one you can even eventually summon to your side.
Ghost of Yotei understands that we all have a social network of friends, colleagues and allies. And essentially replicates that. Most of the time, you’re on your own, but you can call on them in your time of need. Whether you need a weapon upgrading, or you need maps for the local areas.
More to go
I’m at the “gushing about the game” stage of the review, if you can’t tell. That ends up being followed by one of two outcomes.
Either the game will drag on a little too long and have an ending that isn’t satisfactory after all this time spent in the world. Or, it’ll end up being consistent and ending on the right notes.
Right now, it’s time to focus on seeing the story through. I’ve seen plenty of the world and activities and I don’t think there’s much more to learn or gain in terms of gear or allies (I could be wrong).
So it’s that time to get stuck-in and see where our “Final Thoughts” piece of the review lands.
As it stands, it’s feeling like not only a significant improvement on Ghost of Tsushima in every respect. But a standard-setter for the industry in storytelling and world building in open worlds. Something the Assassin’s Creed series could learn from.
Combat is great, traversal is fine, the game looks and sounds incredible. Add to it the rich world, the solid story and Atsu leading the way, and you’ve got a recipe for an exceptional solo gaming experience. Potentially one of the best. Up there with The Witcher 3, Tears of the Kingdom etc.
Let’s not get too ahead of ourselves, though…..
See you next time for the final verdict.