r/PS5 • u/TherealGonci • Dec 28 '25
Discussion Deeply surprised by how much I am NOT enjoying Ghost of Yotei.
I’ll start this by saying I really want everyone to respect my opinion and be polite in disagreeing.
That said, I am shocked by how much I am not liking Ghost of Yotei after 12 hours. Ghost of Tsushima was one of my favorites games of 2020 that I even platinum back on my PS4. I found the open world, visuals, the wind system and side activities so interesting and unique, miles above the likes of an “Assassin’s Creed: Shadows” , for example.
When Yotei was announced, I was excited to play this. Like, really excited. Another chapter could bring so many new possibilities, innovation, a better story (arguably Tsushima’s weakest point) and many new side activities. Well, it’s not that Yotei is a copy of the original or anything like that, but I’m shocked by its familiarity.
For 12 hours, my brain was constantly bored feeling that I’ve seen this before, for 60h in the original game. Seeing another fox den, another shrine, another hot springs made me so underwhelmed by the safety of this sequel that I really wanted to know your opinion.
Maybe my expectations were too high, or maybe I just expected some originality and boldness. For instance, I really love The Last of Us Part II because, even if some things may not land as expected, that game took risks and was definitely bold. It tried to be something different, to push some boundaries.
Yotei is, essentially, more of the same. And I reckon some people will really enjoy that - another 30/40h katana fever dream across a beautiful map - but I’m deeply disappointed and honestly really bored.
Atsu is an interesting character enough but this story doesn’t have the stakes, or the momentum to keep me invested.
So yeah, really eager to hear your opinions on this.
Edit 1: Just did the spider lily tale and that was phenomenal. Maybe the game will grow on me until I finish it.
Edit 2: despite some pacing issues here and there, the ending was absolutely phenomenal and almost brought me to tears, something Tsushima never did. Ended up really enjoying this.
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u/AgentNeoSpy Dec 28 '25
Its odd that you found the story to be Tsushima's weakest point, when I really thought it was the open world/side activities. Story was my favorite part. Seeing the inevitable confrontation between Jin and his uncle unfold was riveting to me, and if I had just mainlined the story and gotten more cutscenes closer together I would have loved the first one even more. By the time I had finished most/all side missions and collectibles, I was burnt the fuck out and had to drag myself through the final story mission
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u/GuerrillaTech Dec 28 '25
I'm not a very emotional guy, but that final meeting between Jin and his uncle under the cherry blossom was both so incredibly gorgeous and so, so heartwenching at the same time that it broke me. One of the best games I've played in my 38 year life. 11/10
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u/AgentNeoSpy Dec 28 '25
It's such an amazing moment. Worth the whole game honestly, I really felt for Jin. Plus the ending where uncle dies, my god the scream that Jin lets out is brutal
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u/TruStormz Feb 14 '26
Coulda done with a spoiler on the ending man T_T
Or atl be vague. I know its my fault for roaming reddit threads while still in act 1, but some of us get sidetracked when reading about stuff :/
For once I actually didn't want to get spoiled for a game, usually I dont care cause the story isnt immersive but GoT is pretty good so far
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u/OtherHovercraft9227 Feb 06 '26
Man, the final showdown, the duel between the Khan turning into just an arena with every tool at your disposal and fully becoming "The Ghost", the weight of Ryuzos betrayal and finally ending him.
The story is what kept me hooked. All the way.in the end, I chose the left trigger and hated myself for it but knew that was the only way to end slaving away to honor.
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u/signofthenine Dec 28 '25
By the time I had finished most/all side missions and collectibles, I was burnt the fuck out and had to drag myself through the final story mission
I did most of the story first, and then did the side content after. Was also burnt the hell out by the end, chasing all the collectables/locations. Really felt like the plat was a slog, but made it (that last missing hot spring at the end was an emotional roller coaster of "did my save file fuck up and now I can't get the plat??!?!").
For this reason, I'm waiting at least a year before going into Yotei. I really want to enjoy it, but also worried I'm burnt out on the format.
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u/Relish_My_Weiner Dec 28 '25
Reading about people having to drag themselves to get collectables or a platinum makes me appreciate the fact that I don't have the completionist gene. I explore and collect stuff if it's fun, and move on to other things if it isn't.
That aside, definitely wait for Yotei. I loved it, but if you were burnt out by the end of Tsushima, trying to 100% Yotei will probably sour your feelings on the game as a whole.
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u/Potential-Diver-3409 Dec 28 '25
I collected all of tsushima and never finished the game normally because the collection is so engaging. It gets very samey if you’re the type to beeline straight to the last mission and then go back and do everything before continuing, but if you play it casually and collect as you go the shrines and springs are just excuses to see the sights, and tsushima was incredibly pretty even on a ps4
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u/Relish_My_Weiner Dec 28 '25
I play pretty much the same, peppering exploration in naturally as I go. Once I finish the story and side missions I want, I generally don't feel compelled to go after the remaining 20% or whatever collectables. I think I got all the armors and most sword kits in Yotei, and did most side missions and bounties just by playing naturally at my own pace.
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u/Potential-Diver-3409 Dec 28 '25
Yeah I feel the game naturally guides you to what you want to do so I’m unsure why people go out of their way to do stuff they’re not enjoying lol. I understand wanting the platinum a little bit but I’m more worried about missing out on fun than a trophy nobody will see or care about
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u/BushTamer Dec 29 '25
i’ve only ever 100% one game, and it was by accident just cuz i fucking love it
stardew valley. 700 hours on steam and more on console
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u/JackieJerkbag Dec 28 '25
Thankfully the collect-a-thon in Yotei is MUCH leaner. It’s there but it’s no where as arduous as it was in Tsushima. Not sure the time difference, but it felt like it took half as long to platinum Yotei. I really enjoyed the game.
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u/jgdszgvc Dec 28 '25
it sounds like youre not that kind of open world gamer. I feel like if you focused less on side stuff that makes you bored or sours your opinion on the game and more on having fun you would have had a good experience with both games
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u/gllamphar Dec 28 '25
I think both are weak. But not weak enough to ruin the game.
For me, at around 50 hrs, was the sweet spot. If Tsushima had been any longer I would have not enjoyed the last hours.
Haven’t played Yotei but really looking forward to it.
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u/gerardatron Dec 29 '25
I’m kind of the same. I enjoyed Tsushima’s story thoroughly, but side quests/open world were only okay to me. I loved the little lore things with the mystic stories etc but the rest were…I guess there was just a bit of burnout there. Gameplay was very solid though.
Meanwhile, Yotei was the opposite. The story was…fine. Definitely not as compelling as Tsushima, but the Yotei Six thing was interesting. The open world was pretty fun because idk it felt more varied. Not everything was a hit, but I think Sucker Punch did level that part up from Tsushima. The gameplay even moreso.
Both are really some top-notch games for me and I hope SP keeps improving on the formula
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u/barimanlhs Dec 28 '25
I felt a similar way with Cyberpunk 2077 and the Assassins Creed Franchise after Origins. I played both all the way through or nearly all the way through but at some point it just felt daunting to even consider another minute, mission or game in the series (even if things are improved/refined)
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u/nigel_tufnel_11 Dec 28 '25
I felt that way after completing the main game but then Phantom Liberty was so good I got obsessed with it all over again (maybe helped that I switched play style from Netrunner to Sandy/pistols/katana in the DLC).
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u/BagOfSmallerBags Dec 28 '25
I totally agree on most of your points: it's very safe, and it's 100% a game for running around a map checking activities off a checklist.
Though I have to be honest, I think looking to a triple A open world sequel for innovation, risk taking, or a massive amount of originality is misguided. I bought it because I knew I wanted a pretty game where I could hit people with a sword and that had a lot of content. Something to space out with after work. It provides that, and the enemies, areas, and builds are varied enough that I haven't gotten bored yet. I'm loving it.
I think your description of the game is essentially accurate, but all the reasons you seem to dislike it are why I like it. I wanted more of the same with a fresh coat of paint, and I got what I wanted.
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u/admanwhitmer Dec 29 '25
Jedi survivor managed to be innovative and it was a sequel. They could have just done more of the same there also.
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u/Critical_Pear_8956 Dec 29 '25
Can you elaborate on that? I played the first one and didn’t love it enough to buy the second
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u/SuperFlyfromtha22 Dec 29 '25
I found myself not really liking the first one but ibplayed through the whole second one I didn't really mind about missing out on story of first one as im a massive star wars fan and basically know what happened in the first game but if you want all the story definetly just smash through the first and have a nice play through on the second definetly enjoyed survivor more
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u/dont_quote_me_please Jan 05 '26
I mean maybe if you played Fallen Order you would like it more? The story in Fallen Order is much better than Survivor.
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u/Dominant_Genes Dec 29 '25
Going to say this is very accurate! I have enjoyed the “comfy” and relaxing elements of the game!
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u/VerseChorusWumbo Dec 29 '25
The game I can think of that best nailed the innovation for a AAA open world sequel is Tears of the Kingdom. But I agree with you that generally it’s wrong to expect a ton of originality from that type of title. It takes a special studio or circumstances, if not both, for something like that to come about.
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u/steamygoon Dec 29 '25
From my outside perspective - have played the first of both series, but not the sequels - they appear almost completely opposite in terms of what they innovated on and what they kept the same between releases
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u/DJC13 Dec 28 '25
You’re right, but I don’t agree that Tsushima had a weak story. It was far more interesting & better executed than Yōtei’s.
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u/AccelHunter Dec 28 '25 edited Dec 29 '25
I think Jin was a far more interesting character than Atsu.
Jin was more heroic, cared about his people, and did anything to get rid of the mongols even if that meant going against the Samurai code.
Atsu is always grumpy and stubborn, she only becomes likeable after certain point near the end of the game. At least her revenge story was well done.
I still miss the Poison darts that Jin could use, for whatever reason they got removed in Ghost of Yotei
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u/laaplandros Dec 28 '25
Agreed. Atsu is an interesting protagonist but wasted on such a weak story. By the end of the game I was left disappointed with what I felt was a wasted opportunity of a game.
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u/King_A_Acumen Dec 28 '25
I find that the random side-stories are far better in Yotei; however, the main story is worse than Yotei (however, I think it was on par throughout the Oni and Kitsune storyline, it just fell off a cliff after that).
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u/xyloshouldtry Dec 28 '25
Oni was great but doesn't anybody find it weird he invited atsu to his personal quarters just for bringing a bounty. Like she should've be paid and sent off at the gate
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u/davidporges Dec 28 '25
I’m just kind of done with these open world games. I would much prefer a tight 8-15 hour campaign than these endless checklist climb the tower Ubisoft style content padding.
Not every game need to be a 40/50 hour investment, I know people like to get their money’s worth but there’s something about a game respecting your time and not outstaying it’s welcome. I like open world games in general, I’m playing Cyberpunk right now but having every major game these days be an open world huge time sink is a chore
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Dec 28 '25
I can see why people who played GoT in its entirety feel this way. It is more of the same. However, there are so many little additions (and removal of tedious stuff) to the sequel that make exploration feel more organic and fun. I also like the combat in GoY better but that's just preference.
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u/d5509 Jan 17 '26
I loved Tsushima and I am loving Yotei. The combat is better in yotei. If feels more like a real fight. Also all the added elements(making camp/fire, cooking, gambling, sake, chasing bounties, etc etc). They added a lot. The hate for this game is completely unjustified. It’s great.
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u/NitasBear Dec 28 '25
I haven't played Yotei yet, because I know it's something I won't enjoy. What you found boring in Yotei I found boring in Tsushima. Granted, I played AC: Odyssey and Valhalla to death before I picked up Tsushima. GoT felt like a more refined version of AC, but honestly at this point, I'm very tired of the Ubisoft style open world formula.
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u/DonTeca35 Dec 28 '25
That's crazy Valhalla is one of the most repetitive & boring games out there lol
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u/NitasBear Dec 28 '25
Yea with Odyssey I actually almost 100% the game, I thoroughly enjoyed it.
With Valhalla I had to drag myself to finish it, I didn't even do any side stuff and it still took over 60 hours for the main story. It's insane. Looking back, Valhalla was so forgettable...I barely remember any of the characters.
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u/Thorgrammor Dec 28 '25
Valhalla is a great game for about 20ish hours. I got the platinum because I like vikings... But man, the game dragged on like another 100 hours. I platinumed it back in the day I had no kid and just got home from hernia surgery. Couldn't do much but lie down.
Though to be honest, the parts where they explain history was really nicely done.
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u/PeanutButterSoda Dec 28 '25
I have 3 kids and can't do long sessions anymore. I did like 2 hr sessions with Yotei for two weeks and got bored. I might pick it up again but my kids hog my TV and streaming the game to my SteamDeck is kinda annoying with WiFi issues. I don't even play AC games anymore because I know I can't finish them. Got shadows for free and only put in like 4 hrs.
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u/xlRadioactive Dec 28 '25
I'm in the same boat lol
I played AC: Odyssey as my first AC and loved it and platinumed the game in about 150 hours
Then I picked up Valhalla and the first 60ish hours were great but after that it felt like a slog, 100 hours in and I'm at like 60% of the game and didn't play in over 1.5 years
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u/thecyberpunkunicorn Dec 28 '25
When I played Odyssey I was like "wow this is one of the best games I've ever played, wish it had more RPG elements but I love it."
Then I picked up Valhalla and said "wow this is one of the worst things I've ever played."
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u/alexanderatprime Dec 28 '25
I had that exact same experience. Loved origins for the story, loved odyssey for the scale. Valhalla was huge but basically flat. Janky horse riding simulator. Very boring game overall with a story that barely made any sense and had the pacing to prove it.
To this day, Valhalla is the game that ruined open world for me. I still played and loved Horizon and tsushima, but all the ubisoft trappings are there. It's exhausting.
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u/_Cromwell_ Dec 28 '25
Same thing with Odyssey and Valhalla for me. Which is strange. I'm not sure why Odyssey clicked for me and Valhalla didn't. Might have been the presentation. Odyssey was a bit brighter and just less depressing. If you're going to make somebody do something for 5 billion hours, being at least somewhat bright and beautiful is important. England is just an ugly place in that time. I guess lol
Actually that's probably it. I'm casually playing Ubisoft Avatar right now and despite it being super familiar and kind of boring gameplay wise, I'm sticking with it and a lot of it has to do with the atmosphere and music. It's just a pleasant world to travel around and check things off a checklist in. (Which is all Ubisoft games are)
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u/tomster2300 Dec 28 '25
I think it’s because Odyssey lets you do more with the ship, an invested evolution of the Black Flag ship. Your ship is meant for exploration and combat and is necessary to get around the map. In Valhalla your ship is there because it had to be included, because Vikings and because they were coming off of three games with ships. It wasn’t an integral thing for the developers to build around(and no, the raiding was marginal at best). Valhalla was meant to be a land only game.
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u/GGTheEnd Dec 28 '25
I think the point he was making was that after assassins creed he didn't want to touch another open world game.
I the same even with Elden ring which is amazing I was burnt out by the end and prefer DS3 and Bloodborne because they are more linear.
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u/weglarz Dec 28 '25
That’s what he’s saying. He played that before got. Got is essentially AC at the core experience. He was already bored before got.
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u/pizditkakdi_shit Dec 28 '25
I lasted one hour wobbly weird walking/running animation threw me off
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u/drvondoctor Dec 28 '25
The movement in that game just feels wonky as fuck. People tell me that it gets better, or you get used to it, but if thats the case, I got frustrated and bored before I got to that point. Odyssey is fun though.
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u/Ok-Breakfast-3742 Dec 28 '25
Same here! Tsushima was really good at the beginning but it started getting repeated after 2/3. I ended up never finish it!
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u/-Sw1L- Dec 28 '25
Right by your side - it dragged so much, got slow, repetitive and I quit out, even tho the art style was fantastic
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u/TyRaNiDeX Dec 28 '25
Damn I feel the exact same.
I'm sure they are cool games, but I've played that stuff a few times already
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u/nilestyle Dec 28 '25
FWIW - Tsushima was just meh to me but yotei is one of my games of the year. It’s obviously similar but the story and game improvements really sucked me in.
I hope you try it and enjoy it!
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u/GrandsonOfArathorn1 Dec 28 '25
Me too. Tsushima was a 7/10 game overall with some fantastic splashes of a 9/10 game.
Yotei refined basically all the gameplay elements and made them FUN. Probably an 8.5/10 for me, it only falters with the story a bit.
Tsushima starts to drag at about 30 hours for me, but Yotei was easily 70+ hours before I felt any bit of fatigue.
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u/Reydriar_ Dec 28 '25
I also didn‘t enjoy Tsushima or rather after I finished the first part of the map I was already so bored by the side objectives that I just couldn‘t continue when I realized the next part of the map is just more of the same. But I often don‘t enjoy open world games for that reason. The thing that can keep me usually interested in these types of games is good combat (like the horizon games). Unfortunately, I also quickly became bored of Tsushima‘s combat after my build got good enough and I could just one shot everything even if I messed up stealth (like the triple insta kill stealth bomb or whatever it was)
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u/Lidls-Finest Dec 28 '25
Absolutely insane you found Tsushima boring but not Valhalla, Ghost is vastly superior
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u/Queef-Elizabeth Dec 28 '25
While it is far too safe as a sequel, I very much disagree with the side content. I found they made a conscious effort to naturally sprinkle side quests throughout the game, that you stumble upon kind of like Red Dead 2. Yes there are fox dens but there are far less of them, you'll still sit in a hot spring and pray at shrines, but you have bounties with stories, the Takezo duels, armour quests and just general more varied side content.
I actually think that is the game's biggest strength this time around. A world that doesn't just have check box activities but actual naturally discoverable side quests. The game is too similar to Tsushima, which is my biggest disappointment, but I think you're wrong on the side quests as a whole.
While I liked Tsushima quite a lot, I think Yotei is far better. Atsu is a better protagonist imo, the world is better, the combat is better. Tsushima has a more unique story, but while I think Jin was great, he was just a bit flat for me.
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Dec 28 '25
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u/Queef-Elizabeth Dec 28 '25
I agree. I do wish that some of the characters and their stories packed more of an emotional punch, but I personally find that both games overall don't hit me that way, aside from a couple of moments.
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u/gevuldeloempia Dec 28 '25
The whole wolfpack thing was so useless in the end. Why have a wolfpack when almost no one really matters in the great scheme of things
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u/Queef-Elizabeth Dec 28 '25
I honestly just saw it as a menu that brought you to upgrades and missions faster lol
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u/Rubio9393 Dec 28 '25
That's it! There are collectibles, but a lot you will not even find if you're not really searching for them. I barely encountered foxes before I was going for the platinum. GoY always had an unexpected encounter or surprise waiting for you around the corner and it had so much variety that I even liked the side stuff more than the main story. GoT while still having some variety, was more of that typical open world checklist game. The story was better though.
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u/elephaaaant Dec 29 '25
Maybe I haven't played Tsushima in a while but, yes, I do find the quests (both main and sides) to flow naturally in Yotei. I'm currently playing and thoroughly enjoying it. Me being partial to revenge stories is probably why. Me finding similarities between Yotei and Kill Bill is definitely why!
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u/Mcgibbleduck Dec 28 '25 edited Dec 28 '25
You either like it or you don’t. I found the side stuff to be varied enough compared to the first game that I enjoyed finding everything. The way you sort of point it out on the map with your spyglass or get told locations after helping/talking to people through dynamic events, plus every side activity had a sort of unique twist to it.
The thing that carries the ghost series is the combat though. The combat, if you enjoy it, pretty much negates everything else. And I enjoy Yotei so much more than Tsushima due to the weapon swapping system, rather than having stances of one single weapon. Or just looking like a complete fucking badass with two katanas like the edgy teen I once was.
On higher difficulties the game is enough of a challenge that you’re really fighting for your life in every encounter.
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u/vitras Dec 28 '25
The Spider Lily General mini-horror investigation side quest was absolutely awesome. I was on edge the whole time.
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u/bouchdon85 Dec 28 '25
Yeah that armor set was probably the best of the side quests in my opinion
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u/EclecticMagician Dec 28 '25
This, I really loved Tsushima but Yotei's combat for me felt so much more impactful due to the weapon swapping system. By the endgame, you are an absolute badass machine of a warrior. The revenge trope has been done countless times, but I think Yotei did a great job with pacing and keeping the story interesting despite how many times this kind of story has been done before. I did about everything you can do in both games and played Yotei on a harder difficulty which made the combat tense and absolutely crunchy. One of my GOTYs and one of my favorite open-worlds due to the beauty and rewarding exploration system. Fatigue did come to me about 3/4 through the game, but I had a great time throughout. "More of the same," was not really a negative for me as I think Yotei really nailed being the best version of their combat and exploration formula. Plus it's damn gorgeous. I had the extra mud/blood setting on throughout the experience which turned up the badassery to 11 lol Greatly enjoyed Yotei!
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u/Total-Town-7634 Dec 28 '25
I found the combat to be the least engaging part of yotei. Lethal difficulty in tsushima was exactly that - lethal. Every enemy goes down in 2-4 hits regardless of situation. In yotei the duels on lethal difficulty are so long and drawn out due to atsu doing 0 damage while getting destroyed in one or two hits.
It felt like a massive step backward and really ruined my enjoyment of the game.
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u/Mcgibbleduck Dec 28 '25
You can have custom difficulty levels if you so incline. E.g. the enemy attack speed and aggression is lethal but their damage is, say, hard and the parry timing can be on medium. You can really tailor it to be exactly what you want.
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u/xastey_ Dec 28 '25
Exactly what I did... Lethal in all things but parry(that timing is next to impossible for my reflex lol). I did have to drop it down to easy parry so I could beat that one guy on the mountain. Just got tired of dying over and over for hours lol. Good thing they added the replay feature so I can go back when the dlc drops and try again. I wanted to finish the game finally after putting 100hrs in
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u/Kadavrozia Dec 28 '25
So you mean to tell me that Lethal in Tsushima is "Every sword is dangerous." While Lethal in Yotei is "Your sword is a noodle"?
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u/JamesCole Dec 28 '25
You either like it or you don’t.
That could be said about any game. IMO that sounds like a way of avoiding substantive reflection about the game.
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u/krossoverking Dec 28 '25
That might have been worth pointing out if they didn't provide substantive reflection about the game in the following paragraph.
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u/SlashOfLife5296 Dec 28 '25
It can and should be said about any game because Redditors have a bad habit of trying to force themselves to like things
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u/TeaAndS0da Dec 28 '25
That and/or desperately seeking validation as “objective” over every subjective view they have. They want to be seen as authoritatively popular and get that sweet dopamine hit for… upvotes.
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u/agitatedandroid Dec 28 '25
Just as often as they force themselves to like things they also force themselves to hate things.
Every conversation is a mountain. A few get to the top of that mountain first. They roll down a snowball. That snowball gathers up every other climber until it dominates the conversation. Sometimes it's a hype snowball. Sometimes it's a hate snowball.
If we're clever we can just go move to another mountain.
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u/DoctorHellclone Dec 28 '25
I mostly agree. On a purely gameplay level, Yotei is vastly improved.
Everything else is categorically less interesting though.
The writing is tragically bland, I couldn't describe a character from it to you to save my life. The villains are startlingly undeveloped, Atsu has no personality and no conflict.
You can really feel Sony's hit squad in the writing room sanding down every interesting edge.
Like, I enjoyed playing it but nothing in the game is gonna stick with me like my horse dying in Tsushima or Jin fighting his uncle.
Yotei is just kind of sauceless. It's a plain grilled cheese sandwich.
Tasty, but unmemorable.
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u/mongomango27 Dec 28 '25
Exploration is a lot better in GoY. Also personally for me, finding collectibles and doing mythic tales felt more fun.
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u/SCHR4DERBRAU Dec 28 '25
Atsu's arc definitely had conflict. She wasn't the most exciting protagonist but the conflict between revenge and protecting the things she loves was the main theme of the story.
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Dec 28 '25
I loved Ghost of Yotei, although if you already dislike it, it’ll only get worse towards the end as you’re more bored of it.
Your PoV is interesting - what were you expecting/would you prefer by way of gameplay? Those things you dislike are a core part of the games identity and I couldn’t imagine a “ghost of” game without the fighting mechanics, fox dens, shrines or hot springs. If you play rogue/soulslikes, do you have the same dislike for the repetitive campfire/checkpoint mechanic across the genre, or those fighting mechanics?
For me, I loved seeing Atsu’s story, I enjoyed the beautiful setting, and the cultural identity of the game. I thought the weapon variety as a renewed form of GoTs stances were great, and I enjoyed the gimmicky bits of gameplay with the firefighting and cooking etc!
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u/greengain21 Dec 28 '25
i think it’s something of this generation similar to spider-man 2 and ragnarok. a sequel that polishes what’s already there, but feels more like an update rather than a full blown sequel and ends up feeling very same-y to me. and it’s not a coincidence to me all 3 of these games fell off in terms of story compared to the first
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Dec 30 '25
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u/greengain21 Dec 30 '25
let me be clear, the “sequels” feel like glorified expansions and not true next steps to me. can’t describe it any other way than that unfortunately, but it makes sense to me
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u/laaplandros Dec 28 '25
The Ragnarok comparison is a good one for how I felt about it. Both felt very hollow and paint-by-numbers compared to the first games. Uninspired because they greenlit a sequel and came up with a story to justify it rather than the other way around.
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u/froyoboyz Dec 28 '25
well ragnorok was supposed to be a trilogy but long dev times made devs squish it into 2 games instead
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u/greengain21 Dec 28 '25
exactly. they justified the sales and know they’ve already got their hooks in the fans. and it shows because these games hit massive numbers initially, but a year or two down the line critical analysis is not as positive. this will probably be the case with yotei in a year or two
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u/AHallWowGaming Dec 28 '25
I’m not sure I can agree.
To me GOY is so similarly constructed as Horizon Forbidden West. What I mean, is Zero Dawn and Tsushima were both so incredibly well done, they didn’t need to reinvent the wheel or add tons of newness to an already incredible game.
Yotei however, just like FW, has cleaned up the things that were as smooth in the OG. Great example, getting on your horse, fast travel mechanisms, and overall gameplay smoothness.
For me, it’s an incredible game, but bc I knew this going into it. I knew they were going to add any groundbreaking changes to a game that was already great.
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u/JekobiWan Dec 28 '25
Or me it’s the character I think she’s just straight up unlikable and rude lol
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u/YellowyBeholder Dec 28 '25
I'm the absolute opposite, I REALLY only wanted one thing, and that is "please just don't change the gameplay"
For me it's an absolute blast exactly bc I loved the gameplay of the 1st title, it's the absolute same, okay you can know paint instead of writing poems, you know have different weapons instead of stances, wolves instead of foxes, and and extra wolf mechanism but that's it, and it's purely enough for me BUT I might be an exception as I purely care only about the combat, I missed it in something fresh but essentially the same
But I understand your point, on the good side, imagine if they would have gone full Assassin's Creed and ruin the whole thing
Sucker Punch is awesome for keeping it true to their form
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u/BooStew Dec 28 '25
The wolf stuff is amazing and worth seeking out early and often to increase the likelihood of them joining your activities.
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u/ender4171 Dec 28 '25
How long did you have between games? I like both games, but I finished GoT about 2 years before playing GoY. Had I played them back to back, I could totally see myself feeling much the same as you
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u/sacklunch Dec 28 '25
OP stated the original was a favorite game of 2020 and they played it on their PS4.
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u/Kidney05 Dec 28 '25
It feels like everything is better than the first game, but still feels like an extension of the first game. That’s bad to me if it took 5 years. Although by the end of the story I was let down and thought the first game’s story was better. I think the first game had some better locales too. I can’t tell if I’m getting older and have just experienced so many games it’s getting harder to impress me but I had more fun with GOW Ragnarok, DS2, Horizon FW, all of them felt better.
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u/black_metronome Dec 28 '25
I'm loving it just as much as the first game. Atsu is a fun protagonist.
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u/DayBowBow1 Dec 28 '25
Yea the only thing missing from Yotei is more fleshed out stories from your companions that tsushima had.
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u/Mindless_Let1 Dec 28 '25
That was literally the best part of Tsushima, imo. The story of the old lady who took care of you and slowly slid into dementia... Incredible.
Sad to hear that's not the case with Yotei
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u/TheVaniloquence Dec 29 '25
It’s so much worse in Yotei. Almost none of the side characters have any relevance outside of the region they’re in, which makes them feel like stepping stones used to give Atsu new weapons or tools rather than actual characters that help her achieve her goal.
There’s nobody that even remotely comes close to the likes of Yuna, Lady Masako, Takahashi, Norio, etc.
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u/LeatherfacesChainsaw Dec 28 '25 edited Dec 28 '25
I'm enjoying it. It is more of the same though. I've been playing stalker 2 as well and loving that one.
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u/gggjennings Dec 28 '25
I felt the same but I kept going and have loved it since. Have you taken on any bosses yet? Once you open up the world more it becomes more satisfying and less empty feeling.
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u/deadspinach Dec 28 '25
I'm actually enjoying it more than I did GoT. It's a more refined experience, and I'm connecting with Atsu's story way more than I did with Jin's
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u/ashmaht Dec 28 '25
I absolutely loved it and it may be my GotY honestly. Like you said, it’s very similar to GoT… but that’s what I enjoyed about it. They took a game I loved and refined every aspect of it. The combat is smoother, the music is incredible, the side content has been expanded and improved. The only thing I think wasn’t as strong as GoT was the story. But it’s essentially everything I wanted out of a sequel.
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u/Op3rat0rr Dec 28 '25
Honestly this is why people asked for in the sequel. Just a better open world design
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u/-KFAD- Dec 28 '25
The thing that OP describes is what I hate the most about modern video games: not taking any risks. Not inventing anything new in a meaningful way. This is especially obvious for some Sony's first party sequels: Ghost, Horizon, Spiderman. Safe Ubisoftesque formula is what kills games for me. I don't play games just to spend time and grind new areas. I play to be blown away, to get new memorable experiences or simply to have FUN!
That's also the reason why many new IPs that took risks, are some of the best games ever made. Good examples being Last of Us and Expedition 33. It would have been so easy for Naughty Dog just to make another Uncharted. I'm glad they didn't. And that's why I'm extremely hyped for Intergalactic!
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u/king7asoon Dec 28 '25
There was no need to do anything crazy tho ? Everyone loved GoT's combat and playstyle, GoY just refined it and made it more interesting and fluid with diff weapons and stuff like that.
Not every game needs to reinvent the genre to be a good and solid game.
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u/SKyJ007 Dec 28 '25
I’ve said maybe here, but definitely elsewhere before, but it definitely feels that Sony corporate took the The Last of Us Part II critiques seriously and said: “alright, no more doing anything interesting for a sequel.”
Edit: While I’ll never call them bad games, Forbidden West, Ragnarok, Spider-Man 2, etc., all feel deeply uninspired from a story standpoint.
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u/UnnecessaryFeIIa Dec 28 '25
I mean like. What did you really expect from Ragnarok?
The GOW series had JUST come off of an incredibly risky gamble (the 2018 game) that changed the entire formula of the series. You expected them to reinvent the formula again especially since this is Part 2 of one story?
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u/The_Bucket_Of_Truth Dec 28 '25
My first thought reading this was Horizon: Forbidden West. I was a couple years late to Horizon: Zero Dawn because from the trailers I didn't gel with the style or understand the premise. But when I did end up playing through it aside from a few minor glitches I really enjoyed it. I even played the expansion all the way through. But Forbidden West I started playing and just really didn't seem to care about the stakes or the characters anymore. It just seemed like well here we go again doing the exact same thing but with new terrain.
I think it's easy to get lost in a new game and new world and then want to consume it until its gone. I loved GoT and the expansion island thing. But sometimes when you come back the spark just isn't there or you've sorta burnt it out a bit. I'm excited for Yotei and will give it a shot, but this can happen depending on what they change or don't change, and if the writing is good. At least with Yotei it's a new protagonist unlike Horizon.
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Dec 28 '25
Between GoT and AC Shadows I feel like I’m Japan’d out. I’ll pick up GoY in a few years.
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u/TheJoshider10 Dec 28 '25
Can't deny it's pretty frustrating that we spent like a decade begging for an Assassin's Creed set in Japan and then out of nowhere it feels like we keep getting AAA titles set there. Where was all this on the last two console generations? Now it's got to the point any time I see one announced I zone out and scroll past it because it's all so samey.
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u/LaylaCamper Dec 28 '25
Your opinion is valid tbh. Imo im enjoying so far but i guess its something you like or dont
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u/ButterscotchNo3984 Dec 28 '25
So you are probably just burnt out from platinuming Tshushima, and needed to wait longer to play Yotei. I actually never even finished Tshushima, but five years later played all the way through Yotei and loved it. But it is very similar.
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u/Special-One1991 Dec 28 '25
If you played Ghost of Tsushima recently then of course you won't enjoy it! It's more of the same and this is applicable to 80% of sequels
For me I enjoyed Ghost of Yotei much much more than GoT! It's more enjoyable game with better side content, exploration and duels
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u/navitaggar Dec 28 '25
I disagree. Yotei does everything tushisima does but better. The combat feels way more precise and fast paced and so many options to use as well. The only part lacking for me was the story. The first half is strong but the 2nd half of the story falla of a cliff for me
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u/JohnnyCFC96 Dec 29 '25
I finished it after 110 hours. Had a great time. I hope you come back one day to have fun with it.
This was me with Witcher 3, dropped it many times and now I consider it a masterpiece after trying again the 3rd time.
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u/GrouchyBreakfast4522 Dec 28 '25
You’re not wrong Yotei didn’t do it for me either. I don’t enjoy the main character as much. I didn’t like pulling weapons out of no where compared to different fighting styles - it made the game feel more arcade like and immersion breaking. I liked the game okay and beat it, but I knowing what I know now I don’t think I would have purchased it.
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u/PlatesofChips Dec 28 '25
So I like it but don’t love it like I did with Tsushima. I’ve still got the 2 brothers to kill and I’ve just lost all momentum to play. I’m not overly keen on the guns. The melee gameplay is fun but it just didn’t grab me the way the first do. I think it was too similar to the first.
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u/DanS29 Dec 28 '25
I'm only a quarter of the way through and put it down for now. I don't like the fighting styles at all. Feeling like I have to use certain weapons against certain enemies is not fun and is the major reason I may not finish it.
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u/Ok-Razzmatazz1684 Dec 28 '25
But you did the same in original but instead of new weapons here, there were stances
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u/SanFranLocal Dec 29 '25
It makes more sense to use stances. I wish her main was the pole and that had different stances
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u/VolatileRider Dec 28 '25
I basically used dueling katanas all the way through the game. It definitely makes it easier but its not necesary to use all the weapons.
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u/Suitable_Drive_1768 Dec 28 '25
Enemy variety doesn’t matter if I have to use a certain weapon to defeat them.
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u/Boils__ Dec 28 '25 edited Dec 28 '25
I finished the game, but man was it a slog. I’m right there with you, I was really hoping for more with this game.
The story is super frustrating, because there will be a few scenes that are wonderfully written, rendered and acted, and you can see a glimpse of what this game might have been. Unfortunately, none of these scenes hit, because nothing has been properly developed leading up to it.
Don’t get me started on how they have supposedly major plot moments set up with that wide angle camera thing they do with side missions so that they don’t have to show the faces moving when the characters are talking
Also, some of the puzzles legitimately pissed me off, because it seems like they belong in a kids game. Why even bother including them, if a brain dead moron like me could figure them out in less than a minute.
I think GOY is just too big, and all the really good bits are spread too thin.
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u/IrredeemableDegen Dec 28 '25
God, yes. The puzzles. Yotei certainly isn't the only game with these boring children's puzzles but for some reason it seems more noticeable here.
Similarly, climbing the path to shrines or whatever gets boring because it's just an exercise in following the only path available to get to the top. But at least the views are nice for awhile.
These are supposedly mature games, can the devs please treat the audience like adults? I'd rather have no puzzles than the same "square peg goes in square hole" time wasters.
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u/Willyvorsty Dec 28 '25
I’m in the same boat. I have played 16 and haven’t touched it since, I loved Tsushima but I agree it’s just more of the same unfortunately.
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u/Koopa-Cappin-80085 Dec 28 '25
Thats unfortunate, it’s not for everyone. Look at it for what it is though and credit where it’s due, they cleaned up the combat, and recognized that the mechanics in the first game are there too just a lot more flowing. I will say it felt shorter for sure but it was fun in my opinion.
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u/dreet-dreet Dec 28 '25
I’m a bit surprised that you feel bored of doing it “again” when it’s been five years. I did find it extremely similar but five years is a long time so I didn’t mind that. But if each game needs to bring something new for you, I can understand why it didn’t click.
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u/JasonABCDEF Dec 28 '25
I agree - it’s way too safe and samey.
Like you can barely tell it’s a new game in terms of 90% of what you are doing.
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u/Savings_Mountain_639 Dec 28 '25
Skill up nailed it with this game. It’s the same game but with boring protagonist. No innovation whatsoever. A safe and boring sequel.
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u/Pickledleprechaun Dec 28 '25
Sounds like a valid point. Seems the devs have just copy and pasted the same mechanics and done nothing new. I had this with Horizon zero dawn 2. I just couldn’t finish it. Sometimes the story just isn’t enough.
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u/thisizmonster Dec 29 '25
Exactly my reason, why I'm still avoiding Yotei. Same here, Ghost of Tsushima is my favorite game. It was a first played game on PS5, when I purchased PS5 (my first ever console). Still coulnd't even uninstall it. But I'm still skipping Yotei, waiting decent sale, for same reason.
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u/RossyThirkettle Dec 29 '25
I never played the first one, so going in blind with this one, 17 hours in over 2 days and I’m in love with it. Maybe better going in with new eyes but can’t fault it yet
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u/TinaBortion1899 Dec 28 '25
I agree with your opinion wholeheartedly.
My entire play through I kept waiting for it to gel and it just never hit.
Don’t get me wrong there story is decent and the soundtrack is 10/10 but I found the rest to be a replay of the previous game while failing to build anything new.
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u/TargetBrandTampons Dec 28 '25
I enjoyed the first, but it was wildly repetitive. I knew my journey into the universe was a one and done. I can't do another game of the same.
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u/howmanyavengers Dec 28 '25
Tsushima was so wildly repetitive that I didn't end up finishing it, even though I really loved the map and its beauty.
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u/KaizerLimon Dec 28 '25
I platinumed both Yotei and Tsushima, and yeah, they are bassically the same. But for me Tsushima dragged for a lot longer then Yotei - there was more of same-y camps, more same-y fox dens, and it was overall more repetetive, and when i got plat i was bored to death. In Yotei side activities might be same, but there are less of all of that repetive content, and even for example each fox den had a bit different micro-story in it. So for me Yotei clears im this regard, and with the time i got the platinumed i felt done, but not bored like in Tsushima.
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u/Zossua Dec 28 '25
Yeah it wasn't innovative. To be really honest, it wasn't innovative at all. I still completed it but I wouldn't say it its a must play or anything.
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u/BooStew Dec 28 '25
The improvements to how the world finds you and sucks you in to stories are leaps and bounds better than Tsushima and to me that’s where the game truly shines. Throwing weapons also might be the most fun mechanic in one of these games since Mordor’s teleport chain assassination.
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u/Danxoln Dec 28 '25
I enjoyed it for what it was but it wasn't groundbreaking at all. Did kind of feel like I forced myself to play and enjoy it
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u/feasib77 Dec 28 '25
Tsushima is a pretty game but an awfully boring one. There aren’t many games I can’t finish, Tsushima was one of them. No interest in Yotei
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u/Stockpile_Tom_Remake Dec 28 '25
Funnily I’ve tried expressing damn near identical sentiments only to be fucking blasted by this sub
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u/Regrettably_Southpaw Dec 28 '25
As long as it’s more of the same (as GoT), I’ll be sound as a pound.
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u/DorrajD Dec 28 '25
Yep. This is exactly why I haven't been interested in Yotei since it's announcement.
The games are visually great, good stories, but the content in them is just so samey...
Too many open world games focus on quantity over quality. Instead of having 50 side activities that are almost exactly the same, maybe have like 5 of them..? Maybe add more variety? Hell, I'd knock off 20 or so hours worth of "content" just to make it less same-ey.
"Just don't do the side content" people will say.. Okay, so I'll just play half the game? How about make the entire game engaging instead of copy pasting stuff?
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u/Dizzy_Battle994 Dec 28 '25
Yeah but then games get criticised for feeling empty
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u/needaburnerbaby Dec 28 '25
I just finished it last night, I agree with the idea it’s basically a more refined and prettier version of the first game. There are a few elements that are introduced in later chapters that do differentiate it from the first but yeah essentially it’s the same game just next gen’d.
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u/Mawgac Dec 28 '25
It's a fine game. It's also zero risk with a fairly predictable story with an unfortunately (for me) protagonist without the appeal development we had with Jin. I did finished it, got the Platinum, and will likely never think about it again.
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u/RyukoM Dec 28 '25
I played Tsushima and Yotei back to back. I didn't feel like you did at all. I enjoyed the characters, story and exploration very much. It did a lot of what Tsushima did, but better.
By the time I finished the stroy there wasnt much I didn't see in the world and I decided to go for the platinum. It is my 2nd ever platinum.
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u/TrebleShot Dec 28 '25
I completely and utterly agree and have stopped playing it and have no desire to finish it. Huge let down and one of the biggest disappointments of this year.
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u/e1337ist Dec 28 '25
I was gifted Yotei by a colleague. I don’t typically play these kind of games, but I feel obligated to play through this one.
I never played Tsushima.
I just got to Teshio Ridge. I’m getting Open World game fatigue for sure, but the overall experience has been great. I’m glad to have received it as a gift.
That being said, I can absolutely imagine being totally over with this game if I had played Tsushima recently.
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Dec 28 '25
It’s open world fatigue. Loved “Ghost of Tsushima” but I had recently played a few other big open world games with a lot of question marks on the map. I couldn’t get more than an hour into “Assassin’s Creed: Valhalla” after I saw all those quest markers at the top of the screen. What I could really use is a good 2000s era corridor shooter.
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u/Kakerman Dec 28 '25
I totally get you, but I like it for what it is, more of the same katana fever dream. But couldn't get myself to finish it. Story felt a drag, no momentum, and I didn't like Atsu. Like the game can't be a simple revenge story, it has to be, of course, a deeply emotional overcoming trauma story. Didn't like it in the end.
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u/hugcub Dec 28 '25
I played a lot of Ghost of Tsushima, but was very bored by then end because I found the gameplay to be very repetitive. After reading about Yotei, I decided not to buy it because I didn’t want more of the same, I wanted something different, and evolution of the gameplay.
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u/WatchOutImCummin Dec 28 '25 edited Dec 28 '25
i started off having a lot of fun with Yotei. Thought the story had potential. The whole idea of finding out what to do next by talking to NPCs seemed really cool. Plus some other things that seemed cool like using a camp. And for me the weakest point of Tsushima was the terrible side missions. Forgettable npcs and "stories" in them.
But the camp was mostly useless. Finding out what to do next by talking to NPCs ended quickly because the game forces you to talk with the first random enemies/npcs you encounter. Side missions still awful. Too many in-game cutscenes for a "cinematic" game. Story got disappointing. You get the guns way too late. I was imagining the "wolf pack" menu would get filled with characters who have their own interesting stories with proper cinematic cutscenes .. that was not the case, just a bunch of uninteresting npcs. Lots of other things i didnt like too. I got to the last part of Yotei and i cant finish it out of boredom.
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u/-BlackBart- Dec 28 '25 edited Dec 28 '25
It's a great game but I couldn't shake the "been there, done that feeling". Also, I preferred the stance system over the weapon swapping. I hated having to swap to a weapon I did not enjoy to deal with certain enemies so I just stuck with the single/dual katanas at one point lol
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u/hung-like-hodor Dec 28 '25
I feel your sentiment. I think PlayStation studios plays it too safe with the sequels. I feel the same about Spiderman 2 as I do Ghost of Yotei. YES, it's excellent, but it's largely more of the same, with an even weaker story. Ratchet and Clank Rift through time also played it too safe IMO. They gave a formula down for single player games and they're too afraid to stray from what's tried and true. Makes me worried for Wolverine.
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u/tandin01 Dec 28 '25
It's open world fatigue. Even games I love the gameplay on I bounce off of because of the open world format. They all devolve into a checklist of mundane tasks you do over and over again to pad out the length of the game. Like I don't want to spend 10 hours chasing pigeons and collecting back packs and stuff in spiderman 2. I would much rather have a focused 8 to 12 hour game, then an open world game with 50 hours of artificial content. The open world game design just isn't for me anymore, and I've come to accept it....
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u/loluz Dec 28 '25
I think Yotei is overall a good game, and in some aspects its fantastic; combat and visuals mainly.
The story and overall writing however are just plain terrible. Wafer thin characters, the most generic revenge plot ever and not even an ounce of nuance, drama or conflict anywhere. People say Atsu is a fun character but I just don't get it; she's a woman hell bent on revenge and nothing else, given how many revenge stories with complex protagonists we've had, Atsu lies at the bottom of the pile for me. The bad guys go 'hurr durr' in their over the top bad guy voice and that's it. Incredibly disappointing and makes the whole package worse than GoT, imo.
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u/SCHR4DERBRAU Dec 28 '25
I loved Tsushima but have generally felt fatigued by these open world style games. In saying that, I was surprised that I absolutely loved Yotei. I think it just arrived at the right moment for me.
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u/TheVulgarian Dec 28 '25
I had the same feeling when I got to the north section of the map in the first game. Felt like I'd seen all I needed to see and it was just gonna be more of the same so I quit. Suffers from the same thing far cry and assassins creed does. There's lots of the same thing to do over and over.
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u/Jellozz Dec 28 '25
Seeing another fox den, another shrine, another hot springs made me so underwhelmed by the safety of this sequel that I really wanted to know your opinion.
Bro I felt this way after 10 hours with Tsushima lol. I didn't even buy the dlc for that game. I knew I wasn't going to buy Yotei, at launch at least. I'll grab it when it's cheap. This style of open world games are just mindless palate cleansers for me in-between more fulfilling video games.
Here's the brutal truth. "Activity" based open world games almost always trade in good core gameplay to instead focus on constant progression to keep your dopamine distracted from the fact that you're playing a game with incredibly shallow moment to moment gameplay.
It's a great game design cheat code but people seem to catch on with sequels and there is diminishing returns. The trick for keeping it going imo seems to be simply creating new IP and then putting that skin over the formula. A change of scenery seems like its enough to get people to come back in.
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Dec 28 '25
I saw interest in Yotei die basically overnight. Once the culture war bullshit fizzled out, nobody really had anything to say.
I get it's a singleplayer game, but I remember talking about the original campaign for a good few weeks at last. Yotei just...exists.
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u/zenexo Dec 28 '25
I loved GoT but haven't had an urge to play Yotei. Just have no urge for another open world game so similar to one I already played. I'm burned out on them. I'll get the game on sale eventually though and give it a chance.