THE EMPIRE
Ghost of Tsushima was one of the best things that happened in 2020.
You know, nothing famously monumental happened that year. Oh, the PlayStation 5 was released too! So that was pretty huge. Yeah. 2020. Just another year, some would say. Nic and I got a nice photo together too.
While I could go on about the PlayStation 5 release, we’re here about other ghosts. In this case Jin Sakai and his journey of honorable revenge. Or dishonorable if you let your Uncle live. Spoilers? I hope not if you’re here to read about its sequel, Ghost of Yōtei. 300 and something years have passed since the Ghost of Tsushima bravely defended their island from the Mongol invasion (true story) as we move north to the lands of Ezo. If you’re not sure where that is, it’s because it is now known as Hokkaido. Japan’s northernmost prefecture, and one of the four major islands that comprise the country.
Returning from the south as the Shogunate prepares to unify Japan, Atsu (portrayed by Erika Ishii) arrives in Ezo with a singular task in mind. The death of the Yōtei 6. A cabal comprised of 5 shadowy figures who serve Lord Saito; The man stopping the Shogun from taking Ezo. As she wreaks vengeance across the lands under the shadow of Mount Yōtei, she’ll discover that maybe the thing she wants most, isn’t what she needs.
If you’ve played Tsushima, you’ll be able to pick up and play this game much the same. With a similar control scheme, its familiarity connects you directly to your time with Jin Sakai. The difference being that Jin stuck to his code of the Samurai and only used katana, with some quickfire tools of the Shinobi and Bow for range. This stylistic change for Atsu sees her draw upon a wider range of weapons she’ll gain access to under the tutelage of different Sensei across Ezo. And it rapidly pulls her away from that likely comparison to Jin.
That’s not to say there’s too wide a deviation.
She’ll have hot spring baths like him to increase her health. Use charms to enhance her skills or improve her resourcefulness. And she’ll also use guns, cause hell yeah, bang bang. And in direct opposition to Jin, it doesn’t matter how you approach battles. You can use stealth if you want. But if you want to go in guns blazing, there’s no punishment for that. Which gives the sense of more freedom for players to choose how they want Atsu’s story to go.
And which way it can go is interesting. I’m currently running through another new game, and have found that while all paths will lead to the same conclusion, they won’t be told the same way. Storming through a small village, I recalled the first time I’d been through it that I’d had a companion with me. Ways I’ve interacted with characters have felt similar yet different, because I’ve reached them at a different point in my story. And I think that allows the exploring to feel fresh should you choose to play through the story a second time.
The characters are remarkable.
In my notes, I wrote that this felt like the first game in a while where I haven’t hated anyone I ran into. The moral ambiguity of the world sells you on the redemptive nature that everyone can have. Whether it’s a vendor picking items off the dead who may repeat their dialog a lot, through to a particular shamisen player, it made the world feel alive. Both through these interactions and the world itself.
Sucker Punch have once again delivered a beautiful and referential recreation of Feudal Japan. So much so, they directly speak to the history of Hokkaido that many may not know about. This particular land has an indigenous peoples known as the Ainu. Similar to the Maōri of New Zealand, they are currently working to restore their own culture and language. In fact, they’ve reached out to and worked with scholars who specialise in Te Reo to assist in restoring their language. A language which facilitates a large portion of the game, both in location and interactions.
While there’s no New Game+ yet, no doubt coming with the Legends multiplayer update next year, my first playthrough was around 70 hours. This included getting all vanity items, charms, locations and I almost got the Platinum. But one particular mechanic eluded me (hence the new playthrough). This marks another game where I was this close, and choked like the sub I am.
Once again, Sucker Punch proves that developers aren’t using the DualSense controller to its full potential. And I love a developer who leans into wanting to use silly hardware features that exist because we simply must keep moving forward. You tell me if there’s another game where you can flip fish on a camp fire, which you made by swiping up to create sparks off a flint and steel and then blew into the microphone to add oxygen to ignite it. Yeah, I thought so.
They’ve done it again.
I looked back on my previous reviews for Tsushima and when I applied my score for this, I can see it made sense. Yōtei improves on the small nitpicks that didn’t allow Jin Sakai’s story to transcend, markedly delivering an even better experience. Add in the best use of the SSD to date, seeing no load times when you reopen the game to continue playing, Ghost of Yōtei was the sequel worth waiting for. And I honestly cannot wait for NG+, just so I can play it even more.
Once again, Sucker Punch Productions prove why their one of the best first party studios PlayStation owns, with a sequel that improves upon their beloved Ghost franchise.
Gorgeous lands, fun battles and an endearing story see Atsu meet the heights reached by Jin Sakai, and soar just as high.
A must-play for PlayStation owners.Score: - 10
10
WORTH THE WAIT
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