Ghost of Yotei Review: history, gameplay, vote

Let’s start with the cliché that today’s video games just can’t disassemble: Ghost of Yotei is a “More of the Same”, as those who criticize, often regardless, on the Internet? Tested formula, added details, finishes embellished: yes, actually the developer Sucker Punch did not escape this logic, but he did it without letting himself be taken by the quantitative logic that are putting the triple-a industry in trouble. Scrolling through the titles after about thirty hours of play spent in the 17th century Japan and Samurai, it is clear that this new chapter is not only a continuation, but the healthy bearer of a narrative direction to the antipodes of Ghost of Tsushima. And with a reflection on the new PS5 exclusive (out on October 2) which, motivated by the story, is experience from everything and immediately, without hesitation or remorse. The result is an ethical reversal that brings the protagonist Atsu on a path opposite to that of Jin Sakai, as if to close an open circle in 2020. An experience that, although not upsetting the foundations of the series, demonstrates maturity and awareness, and the ability to reconcile the ambition of storytelling with a purely playful dimension.

A living world

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The world of Ghost of Yotei is an example of balance. It is not a vast and dispersive open world, rather a dense and alive environment, where every corner hides a discovery and a reward for those who take time to explore it. It is a world -friendly world – on the contrary, as a player – who, while presenting recognizable canvas, has not pumped content for the industrial necessity only to do so. This philosophy constantly pushes to deviate from the main path, rewarding curiosity and desire to find out what is hiding behind each hill or at the end of a flowery meadow. The only disconnected note in this sense are the grappling hook and the climbs with bare hands, tools of crossing now simply tired that end up making certain predictable passages than the (relative) greater freshness of the predecessor. In addition, they are presented without an adequate narrative contextualization – Atsu knows how to climb because yes, he knows how to use the grappling hook because yes … -, in the face of a valuable attention on the “dishonorable” furtive killings.

the story

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The story of Ghost of Yotei is further confirmation of the mirror direction undertaken by the screenwriters. Abandoning almost entirely the epic and global allure that characterize Tsushima, the story focuses on the characters and their development. Each crucial event has a previous step that justifies it, offering each element of the narrative the screen time to shine. The sorted effect is a much better balanced story, compared with a progenitor that seemed to skip hastily at the conclusions after creating hype for hours. The duration of the main path is right, and can be expanded with deviations and optional activities which, thanks to the many minigames, only rarely are heavy. Sucker Punch has shown intellectual honesty, avoiding to lengthen the broth: unlike many other titles (see Assassin’s Creed and its brothers), the structure could have been used to force on the longevity, but the choice to maintain the dry main Quest has proved to be a winning move. Such a peculiar organization even ends up strengthening the role of secondary content: facing the paths of the masters, for example, is not mandatory but makes life easier throughout history, and the same applies to thermal baths or for the altars, which escape the dynamic of completing at all costs. Atsu and Jin Sakai are on diametrically opposed tracks in terms of writing. Atsu part decided in his intent and already resolved about how he will reach him, in spite of the speeches on the honor we saw faced by Jin, victim in a large part of the cycle of revenge preconated by The Last of Us. A path, his, who will bring it in a direction always suffered (the concept remains that, in a personal or large -scale battle, you never really win) but completely different, as if to close an open circle 5 years ago.

Combat and reserves

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The combat system of Ghost of Yotei is very similar to that of its predecessor, and for the most of the time it is a rewarding experience. The launched weapons are a welcome novelty, useful for shorter the longer clashes and maintain the rhythm fluid. The charm of each clash lies in its lethality: even the most insignificant opponent can launch the coup de grace, pushing you to never let the guard down. However, there is no shortage of some imperfections, to begin from the last two bosses, to seem somewhat unbalanced. The Button Mashing It is often a winning strategy, lowering the component of realism and strategy. And although the unlockable skills are numerous many of them are negligible, a problem common to many action-adventures RPG. One point in favor, however, is the way in which these skills are obtained: not through a progression bar, but following exploration and research, a further incentive to get lost in the game world. From an artistic point of view, Sucker Punch made another interesting choice. There are still the Kurosawa style filters who have made it so popular Ghost of Tsushimabut the cutscene have been reduced in favor of in-swallow movements, at times less refined and more “raw”, which give the game a Japanese title of the PS2 era. This choice, while renouncing something on the cinematographic plan, is the crystallization of how Yotei wanted to focus more on his playful dimension, after the sometimes cacophonic style exercises of the 2020 hit.

the verdict

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Ghost of YouTii is an exciting story told with the frame of an intelligent open world, nice to explore what is respectful of the time of players and their curiosity, and a fighting system of the white challenging but not prohibitive weapon. It is not a simple “More of the Same”, then, but the proof of the maturity of a series that, making peace with the awareness that the Kojima and the Naughty Dog are on another planet, has found its identity.