Ghost of Yotei can be so beautiful that you want to live in it. The rolling fields of grass patterned with roads of white flowers are idyllic, and seeing wild horses run free as birds swarm the air is heavenly. Despite its real-world roots, the island of Ezo feels magical and holy, as if human hands could only sully the land. That's exactly what's happening in Ghost of Yotei though, as the dastardly Yotei Six led by Lord Saito stain Ezo's verdant landscapes with blood and flames.
The Yotei Grasslands have fields so green and lush that you dream of rolling around in them. But these moments of peace always come to an end. Bands of soldiers roaming the hillside, hungry ronin pillaging settlers, or even angry bears are a relatively common sight on your trip across Yotei, and protagonist Atsu deals with them almost always in the same way: by the sword.
Atsu is a scarred warrior. She was raised peacefully in the Yotei Grasslands -- spending her days hunting, training and foraging with her twin brother Jubei -- and that all came to an end when Lord Saito showed up at the door. It's a backstory that fits right in with classic samurai movies, and it becomes Atsu's sole motivation. Her family is gone, and she exists only to avenge them. After spending years on the Japanese mainland fighting wars on the frontline, she returns to Ezo with the skills she needs to take down the Yotei Six.
War has come to Ezo, and Saito's forces fight against the well-meaning but oblivious and arrogant Matsumae clan. Atsu and the Matsumae have a shared enemy, but that doesn't mean they're on good terms -- everyone on Ezo is guarded and cautious, too eager to draw a sword and take a life rather than risk their own.
Atsu, like the world itself, starts out mysterious and hostile, but the more you learn about the landscape, the more Atsu develops as a character too. Defeating the Yotei Six is the main goal, sure, but you'll spend just as much time -- if not much more -- helping foxes hiding in their dens, rescuing captured wolves and climbing mountains to pray at a shrine. There are rewards to find if you cut down bases and camps filled with foes, but just as much to gain from painting or sitting in a hot spring.
A small cast of returning characters -- primarily merchants and mentors -- form Atsu's wolf pack, and these characters gradually get Atsu to reveal a softer side. When you do come across settlers in need of assistance, like money or food, it feels out of character for Atsu to say no. She's known as an onryo -- a murderous ghost -- but when faced with someone (or an animal) in need she's generous and gracious. As a pescetarian, she doesn't even eat red meat.
The wolf pack grants you access to new armor and weapons to use in an ever-expanding list of combat options. Atsu isn't a samurai, so she's willing to use any weapon or technique required to get the job done. One katana is good, but two is better (for certain situations). A spear is ideal for keeping foes back, while the massive odachi can cleave larger enemies in two. The kusarigama, meanwhile, can break apart shields while striking multiple foes at once. That's just the melee weapons though -- there are also two bows, bombs, a rifle and a small variety of "quickfire" weapons including a pistol.
While you can assume the role of the honorable samurai and declare your presence to your enemies -- inviting them to charge at you one at a time in a standoff -- it's a better idea to quietly sneak around and take out a few extra foes one at a time, particularly those pesky archers and riflemen. When in combat you can deal stagger damage and parry foes to open them up to attacks -- you can't simply swing your sword for an easy victory. For the most part it's a well-balanced game of jankenpon (rock-paper-scissors out of Japan), though some tough enemies bend the rules in the name of a challenge.
As you start out it might seem absurd to rile up an enemy camp to charge at you, one against dozens, but as you level up your abilities, weapons, and techniques, you'll have a wolf at your side during a standoff, in addition to the ability to cut down multiple foes in a row, followed by a quick pistol shot. Small groups of foes can be taken down in a single standoff, instead of being picked off one by one from the tall grass. That method is good too though, especially once your kusarigama can assassinate quietly from a distance.
Much of Ghost of Yotei's runtime is Atsu killing and exploring while slowly bonding with those she meets -- the epitome of a tale about revenge - but in the game's later hours there's a distinct shift. Suddenly Atsu, who thought she was alone in the world, finds people to care about, people that might even mean more to her than her bloodlust. It feels odd that so much character and story development is left so late in the game, but when it happens, it's a welcome change. It helps Atsu feel more like a fully realized and distinct character, not just an avatar for the player or an archetypal warrior.
It elevates the entire experience. While Ghost of Yotei is undoubtedly beautiful and filled with personality, it can feel too much like a generic open world game in the same way that the story can feel too familiar. Helping the adorable foxes, finding hidden shrines, and cutting down wayward ronin is exciting for a while, but even with the minor ways Sucker Punch has changed what you might expect from each point of interest, they still are, ultimately, repeated points of interest, much like what you'll find in any open world. Exploration and uncovering the map feels incredibly satisfying at first, but once you've uncovered around half of the game world, you'll know what to expect from that point on, and it won't feel as fresh anymore.
While Ghost of Yotei isn't the most original story or open world, it captures an atmosphere all of its own, even when compared to Ghost of Tsushima. The beautiful vistas and drip feed of unlockable tools and cosmetics will keep you playing for hours, and the game world feels like it deserves to be seen in its entirety. If you want to get lost for 50 hours in a hauntingly gorgeous slice of the Japanese countryside, then Yotei-san is a beautiful place to visit -- but you wouldn't want to live there.