Nitpicking Ghost of Yōtei because I’m bored

Barring Hollow Knight: Silksong, my most anticipated game release of 2025 by far was Ghost of Yōtei, the long awaited “sequel” to 2020’s Ghost of Tsushima, a highly acclaimed action RPG and one of my all-time favorite games. However, a few hours into its successor I find myself strangely disconnected from what, at first glance anyway, should be exactly what a fan of the first game would be looking for?

At first, I thought the way the game’s story is set up was to blame. A rather simple revenge plot against an evil clan let by a few targets seems to me like the quintessential video game story, although my perspective may be warped by my Assassin’s Creed-addiction. That being said, a basic premise is far from a deal-breaker, especially in video games. Dumbed down to one mission statement, Ghost of Tsushima is about liberating your island home from Mongol invaders and I could jokingly refer to the Far Cry-addiction I don’t have. Obviously, there’s more to these games than the simple gameplay objective. Jin Sakai’s journey in the first game is accompanied by an intense personal conflict between his honor-bound noble upbringing and the grim reality of waging guerilla war from the shadows against the Mongol forces. We watch him attempt to stay true to the ideals instilled upon him until he physically can not anymore, witness him perform his first “dishonorable” actions and, in the end, defiantly assert his new outlook against his uncle in a climactic final battle.

Of course, I haven’t finished Ghost of Yōtei, so I can’t comment on whether it can deliver a similarly satisfying story, but I would say that the seeds for it are definitely there. By the time the game’s main story begins, Atsu has spent 15 years obsessing over that one fateful night that saw her entire family murdered at the hands of the Yōtei Six, so I can not even fault her for appearing a bit one-note. I also enjoy the idea of her developing her reputation as a vengeful spirit among the people and her enemies alike, especially as a contrast to how the guilt over her family’s death haunts Atsu to the point that she fully intends to kill herself once her mission is accomplished; a neat darker twist on the usual convention of video game revenge stories. However, my favorite moment so far is that very idea being challenged by her unexpectedly reuniting with her brother Jubei, who somehow also survived the attack on their family. Developed to stand in direct opposition to Atsu, Jubei was found and adopted by a Samurai clan following the event and has absorbed their ideals completely. Of course, he is fighting against the Yōtei Six as well, but he is not willing to go to the same lengths Atsu is. Through his allegiance to his clan, he has found something to live for in the face of the tragedy, something Atsu never allowed herself to do. Watching the two attempt to reconcile and collaborate, only for their fundamentally different outlooks to drive them apart after they fail to assassinate one of their targets due to Atsu’s inability to let go combined with Jubei’s unwillingness to operate behind his clan’s back was my personal viewing highlight so far.

I say “viewing” because, quite frankly, I couldn’t really play it since the moment the cutscene ends I’m stuck in perfect stone stance ready for a standoff with the nearest ronin or bandit like I’m back on Tsushima. One of the most impressive feats of the first game’s narrative, in my opinion anyway, was the seamless integration of nearly every gameplay mechanic into the narrative surrounding Jin’s inner conflict. For instance, calling for a standoff during gameplay means forgoing a stealthier approach and challenging one’s opponents to open combat instead, something Jin elects to do in an attempt to stick to the ideals instilled into him by his honor-bound samurai upbringing. Choosing a more covert and “dishonourable” option only becomes available to the player once Jin himself has been somewhat convinced of its necessity. In an otherwise interesting way, Atsu seems like a polar opposite to Jin. She grew up as the daughter of a simple blacksmith and learnt the basics of swordplay not in a traditional or ceremonial way, but by copying others and training under whoever would let her. She makes a point to dismiss samurai ideals and only fights for vengeance or survival. Sadly, this does not come through in her gameplay the same way Jin’s ideals did for him. Large parts of her basic moveset are just attacks lifted from Ghost of Tsushima. As such, they are still fun to use, just not as compelling as they used to be, especially since she acquires them with little to no fanfare. Abilities such as the Heavenly Strike or the grappling hook, tools that required their own quests filled with additional characterization to acquire, are now either part of a skill tree or simply already available. I do understand that this gets somewhat amended later thanks to Atsu acquiring additional weapons through side quest that grant players more insight into her character. However, the way those weapons are meant to be used still echoes Ghost of Tsushima’s stance system.

To be fair to Atsu and the developers behind Ghost of Yōtei, I don’t think her inner conflict translates well into the series’ gameplay formula. Maybe she could fight more “recklessly”, mirriring her decision making during the events of the early game, or lean more into the “Ghost”- aspect of her identity, an idea that standoffs and her version of Jin’s Ghost stance, an ability called “Onryō’s howl” indicate, but have yet to truly commit to.

Now, is any of this going to stop me from playing the game any further? No? I’m just nitpicking because, in a year of exceptionally great video game sequels (as seen by half of the GOTY-nominees being sequels) I didn’t expect this one in particular to fail to draw me in the same way its predecessor did, is all. I’m still interested in watching the game’s story unfold and it’s not like the game isn’t fun to play at all, it just doesn’t rival or even surpass the first title in its series the way Hollow Knight: Silksong or Hades 2 did.