The most recent State of Play showcase for Sucker Punch’s Ghost of Yotei has taken over gaming headlines. The new character, Atsu, the revenge story, a Watanabe mode, and a massive open world set in Japan already make it strong competition against Ubisoft’s Assassin’s Creed Shadows.
But before anyone starts grabbing their pitchforks, this is not just a case of comparing apples and oranges. Both games share a strikingly similar premise and design philosophy. Shadows has assassinations and samurai sword fighting at its core, and Yotei features those elements as well. But why does it feel like Yotei is much more focused on its design than Shadows?
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+ 3As a fan of both franchises, part of me wishes Ubisoft’s latest Assassin’s Creed entry had shown something completely fresh instead of retreading familiar mechanics and relying on a bloated open-world formula. While I do appreciate the character switching mechanic between Naoe and Yasuke, much of the game’s world is built around Naoe’s design in traversal and parkour.
Ghost of Yotei’s strength lies in its cinematic flair. Sure, Shadows might offer a bigger map, featuring Edo and its neighboring cities, but Yotei’s approach to Ezo is much more restrained, focusing on atmosphere and cinematic presentation, especially with its dynamic camera angles.
When it comes to gameplay, while both titles share that same weighty third-person action combat, Yotei already feels more purposeful. It gives players all the tools they need from the start, instead of making them hunt down Legendary weapons in bandit camps or swapping it from the loadout like in Shadows.
click to enlarge+ 3This might sound like nitpicking, but Shadows’ reliance on RPG mechanics has pushed its core assassination gameplay and combat to the background. There’s just too much emphasis on stat numbers and random weapon rolls. Yotei doesn’t fall into that trap. It presents a pure, single-player open-world experience without the baggage of stat-chasing.
Perhaps the most ironic similarity between the two is the revenge story. Shadows features the Shinbakufu, while Yotei introduces the notorious Yotei Six. Both are representations of corrupt authority, but what makes Yotei stand out, based on the gameplay showcase, is how each of the Yotei Six appears to have their own narrative arc. Atsu must find clues to track them down, and each confrontation ends in a cinematic showdown. In contrast, Shadows has 12 targets (which doubles that of Yotei) and that sheer number bloats the game’s structure, with some of the targets devolved into simple assassinations.
Obviously, I haven’t played Ghost of Yotei yet, so things might disappoint me when it comes out. But overall, I’m already excited for it because of how distinct it feels from the first game, which was Ghost of Tsushima. It’s a sequel that knows its strengths, doubles down on what works, and dares to try something new with its gameplay and exploration.
click to enlarge+ 3As for Assassin’s Creed Shadows, reviews have been out for some time. While there are certainly positives, the negatives have overshadowed them. It’s a good Assassin’s Creed game, but it doesn’t feel like a true step forward for the franchise. It’s the same bloated open world I’ve grown tired of, paired with a lackluster story that seems to have forgotten what made the series great.
Personally, I can’t wait to dive into Ghost of Yotei’s world. After spending hours exploring Azuchi-Momoyama Japan in Shadows, I eventually burned out around the 60-hour mark due to its repetitive and rigid structure. I’m hoping Yotei captures that true samurai experience once more, just as Tsushima did.
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