Ahead of its release in October, Ghost of Yotei developer Sucker Punch hosted a new State of Play livestream that showed off the game in grand detail. This was a gameplay deep dive, and while Ghost of Yotei does interate on the samurai sandbox introduced in Ghost of Tsushima, it looks like it’ll also substantially improve on the experience with new gameplay ideas, a deeper focus on exploration, and quality-of-life tweaks that could turn the digital version of Ezo into a must-visit destination on console. Here’s a closer look at everything we learned from this fresh look at the game.
What is an Onryo?
Atsu’s legend quickly grows in Ghost of Yotei, as people begin to believe that she’s a wrathful specter searching for vengeance. That’s half-true, as Atsu is essentially dead inside and focused only on finding the Yotei Six. Sixteen years have passed since her family was slaughtered by the gang, and Ghost of Yotei begins with Atsu returning to her home and vowing to help the spirits of her family find peace. Atsu has her work cut out for her, but with hard-earned victory, her legend will only continue to grow.
An origin story that matters
Previous deep dives into Ghost of Yotei revealed just why the protagonist, Atsu, is hellbent on taking down an infamous gang known as the Yotei Six–having your family murdered in front of you is bound to anger you–but Sucker Punch is putting an interesting twist on this part of the game’s story. Once Atsu returns to her home, you can relive her cherished memories by switching between the present and the past. Sucker Punch says that by allowing players to personally explore her childhood, “the wound of her past” becomes that much more personal.
Welcome to the edge of Japan
Sucker Punch says that it aimed to create an open-world experience that players can tailor to their preferences. Depending on your tastes, you’ll be free to focus purely on the main storyline, wander off the beaten path, or sharpen your skills by engaging with enemies, all at your own pace.
Follow the clues
Exploration in Ghost of Yotei will also trigger a new underlying clue system, inviting you to venture to new areas where you’ll face powerful foes and learn new abilities. Interestingly, it looks like this system is similar to the one used in Assassin’s Creed Shadows, as players will have to piece clues together to track down targets across the map. Atsu will draw cards for each adventure as she investigates further, and the more you play, the more this part of the game will unfold for you.
Keep on ninja-scrolling
One such example given here was the Kitsune side-quest, which will lead Atsu to a snowy area full of ninjas. While it looks like a challenging environment, surviving here will lead Atsu to learn a few shinobi skills along the way.
Bounties are a great way to earn some cash
Atsu can earn some cash as a bounty hunter, giving her the resources she needs to fund her blood-soaked quest for revenge. These can be picked up from a bounty board, and some of the targets shown off in the State of Play video included the Smiling Yoshitomo, Crow Genzo, and Black Powder Ippei.
Test your skills in a duel
One-on-one duels are also on the menu here, as the preview for the game showed Atsu facing off against Crow Genzo in a beautiful arena. There’ll likely be more of these challenging encounters scattered across the land.
Alters of Reflection can help you grow
Atsu can also learn new abilities without having to draw her sword. Alters of Reflection require you to use various skills to reach them, and unlocking them will allow you to learn new techniques. While you can search for them during your travels, you can always buy a map showing where they are exactly from a local cartographer.
There’s no shortage of techniques to learn
Atsu can spend points to unlock new techniques across various skill-trees–Core, Onryo, Melee, Revenge, and Wolf–and each one branches out to help you hone in on specific abilities, like attack, assassination, and survival in the Onryo section.
I spy with my little eye
“Ghost of Yotei isn’t going to rush you through anything,” Sucker Punch said. Atsu has a spyglass telescope that she can pull out, and using it, players can highlight areas of interest around them.
It’s the journey, not the destination that matters
Reaching those areas is also designed to be an experience to savor. When Atsu rides to these locations, the camera pulls back to create a cinematic effect and riding through flower streams will give her a speed-boost.
Embrace curiosity
“The lands of Yotei are vast, Sucker Punch added. “It’s not about checking it all off; it’s about engaging in the content that gets you excited. Embrace that curiosity, and let the wind guide you on your hunt.”
Mastering the blade
In Ezo, Atsu is going to need to be armed with a weapon at all times. Fortunately, she has a wide variety to choose from, and each one offers a new option for battle. Each weapon class also has its own selection of upgrades to discover and master.
Is Atsu a samurai or a ninja?
Neither, actually, as Sucker Punch says Atsu is willing to use every single advantage and dirty tool in the book to accomplish her goals. That makes for an interesting departure from Ghost of Tsushima, as its protagonist, Jin Sakai, found himself torn between walking the path of a noble samurai and using underhanded ninja tactics to triumph against his enemies.
Katana
Atsu’s go-to tool for taking on enemies, this is the same katana that was used to painfully pin her to a tree when she was left for dead alongside her family.
Spear
The spear looks like a great option for keeping enemies at a distance.
Odachi
When dealing with bigger foes, the Odachi can cut them down to size.
Kusarigama
A signature ninja tool, the kusarigama can be used to bring enemies closer to you–painfully.
Dual swords
Anyone looking to really flex their skills with swords can double up in combat and unleash a maelstrom of steel. These are especially effective when taking on spear-wielding enemies.
Combat is all about lethal precision
When taking on enemies, Sucker Punch says that combat is designed to make you feel like you’re in a classic samurai movie. Every move counts, and being lethally precise will help you take down anyone in your way.
Disarm your enemies to gain an advantage
Another fascinating addition to combat is that Atsu can lose her weapon if she’s thrown off balance. This also applies to your enemies, as being quick can lead to them being disarmed in turn.
There’s no range that Atsu isn’t deadly from
When she doesn’t want to get up close and personal, Atsu can pick enemies off from a distance with a traditional bow and arrow or a single-shot rifle. Kunai and blinding powers also give Atsu an edge in combat.
Lone wolf and cub
Atsu won’t be fighting on her own, as she’ll have several allies to assist her. One of these is a wolf that she encounters at her family estate.
Under the stars
Setting up camp reveals one of the best new features to be added to Ghost of Yotei. When Atsu settles down for the night, important characters–with potential upgrades for Atsu’s arsenal–will come straight to you. This is designed to help players be prepared for the challenges that lie ahead of them at every turn without adding busywork.
Bye-bye journal
The clunky journal from Ghost of Tsushima has been replaced with a character-driven visual menu. This features key allies, vendors, and characters, and over time, it grows into a support network for Atsu.
Assemble the wolf pack
Using this menu, Atsu can keep track of when a character has something new to teach her or when a vendor has something new to sell to her. Sucker Punch refers to Atsu’s crew as her very own wolf pack.
There are a lot of customization options
New armor, charms, and gear will be revealed on Atsu’s journey, and they can all be combined to create a character that suits your particular playstyle.
Dress to impress
Not only can you tailor Atsu’s skills, but you can also customize her appearance with a wide selection of cosmetics.
East meets west with the soundtrack
Just like its predecessor, Ghost of Yotei combines traditional Japanese instruments with a Western influence, to create an interesting soundscape. Two tracks from the soundtrack have also been released online through various music-streaming services.
First-person shooter, sort of
Ghost of Tsushima helped raise the bar for digital photography, and this mode will return in Ghost of Yotei. Like other first-party PlayStation games, you can expect to see a wide variety of options here to help you capture the perfect shot, from filters to picture effects.
Ghost of Yotei has a cinematic quality
Sucker Punch added that it wants Ghost of Yotei to feel like you’ve stepped into a samurai film, and one of the options to help achieve that effect lies in the audio department. The Samurai Cinema mode offers a full Japanese audio track–accurately lip-synced–with English subtitles.
Kurosawa Mode returns
Ghost of Yotei will also see the return of Kurosawa Mode, a visual filter inspired by the legendary filmmaker Akira Kurosawa. Approved by his estate, this mode renders the game through a black-and-white filter, adds more film-grain noise, and increases the amount of wind.
Miike Mode looks brutal
Kurosawa isn’t the only influential film director being honored here, as the work of Takashi Miike (13 Assassins) has also inspired the game. Miike Mode moves the combat camera closer, adds more blood-splatter effects, and increases the amount of mud around you to create a gritty effect.
Watanabe Mode offers lo-fi vibes to chill to
The cult-classic anime series Samurai Champloo has also been a big influence on Ghost of Yotei, as the game offers a mode inspired by its director, Shinichiro Watanabe. Watanabe Mode is all about vibes, as it adds lo-fi beats to chill and slay to. Several of these tracks have been directed by Watanabe himself, for that added layer of authenticity.
A Ghost of Yotei Limited Edition PS5 console has been announced
It has been a hot minute since Sony revealed a new limited-edition PS5, and for Ghost of Yotei, the company will be releasing a very elegant version of the console to celebrate the new game release. There’ll be Ghost of Yotei bundles available starting October 2, featuring beautiful art from the game.
