Ghost of Yotei Wants You to Slow Down
One of the main challenges open world games face during development is being able to justify why they have opted for an open world in the first place. It’s all well and good letting players run around to their heart’s content, but there needs to be an incentive for doing that, a reward for players to find that wouldn’t be as impactful in a more linear experience.
A reason a lot of open world games have similar design philosophies is because there is a process there that works. Design a map that isn’t too big or small, put interesting things in it that are varied enough to remain enticing. Don’t add a boatload of tasks that feel like ticking off a checklist. These are lessons that have been taught for over two decades now, and they come with just as many success stories as there have been disasters.
The problem with using other games as a reference point, however, is that it creates the risk of familiarity. If someone has played a lot of open world games, they will have a strong understanding of how they work. There has to be something different about it, and that can be realised through a variety of methods; a unique gameplay feature, a stylistic level design choice; it can be anything.
Regardless, at some point, there is a threshold these games pass that decides whether or not their open worlds were a success or not. Results will always vary from person to person, but if it ends up in failure, that’s the entire game ruined. The moment it becomes a chore to play, it’s hard to appreciate anything else about it.
So why am I going to be talking about Ghost of Yotei in this article? Well, put simply, there’s a bit of a split in the wonderful world of the internet over how both this game and Ghost of Tsushima have maps that are all style and no substance. I lean more into the positive side of the spectrum, particularly when it comes to Ghost of Yotei, whose open world is a lot more comprehensive than I think people give it credit for.
Note: All screenshots used in this article were taken by me on the base PS5
The Night of the Burning Tree
Ghost of Yotei released on the 2nd of October 2025, to strong critical acclaim. The second entry in Sucker Punch’s Ghost series, this new instalment takes place around Mt. Yotei in the early 1600s, after the famous battle of Sekigahara. It follows Atsu, a lone wanderer seeking revenge for the murder of her family committed by a group known as the Yotei Six.
This group is now spread all across the region. It has been a long time since Atsu lived here. In the sixteen years since her family’s death, she travelled across Japan and fought in wars as a mercenary. A lot has changed during the time she was away, and not for the better.
One of the core themes of Ghost of Yotei’s story is family. It serves as the inciting incident, it’s what constantly drives the narrative forward, and while Atsu’s journey is a tumultuous one, it ultimately ends up revolving around family in its conclusion.
The structure of the world also reflects this in multiple ways. Narratively, most members of the Yotei Six have a region of the map dedicated to them, so journeying to their location, hunting for clues, reflecting on how this person was involved in her family’s massacre, then ultimately defeating them serves as a chapter in the game’s story.
All of that makes for an intense experience, both for Atsu, and for you playing through it. It’s very easy to be swept up by the heat of the moment. Ghost of Yotei is an emotionally charged game, and it’s understandable to be quickly swept up by Atsu’s frustrations with the world around her, as it is to be soaked in her rage.
Each name she crosses off her list is a reminder of the fact she is not done yet. But the further she travels, the more the cracks begin to show. She is impulsive, and she will do whatever it takes to complete her quest, even if that means isolating herself from those around her.
She has garnered a reputation as “the Ghost”, a wandering onryo who kills anyone she pleases. It’s an identity she embraces because it allows her to enact the revenge that she so desperately needs. Her quest begins to consume who she is as a person, and she is completely fine with letting that happen.
This finally brings us to Ghost of Yotei’s open world. I had to delve into the narrative themes so that I could paint a clear picture of the headspace Atsu is in when you are exploring Mt. Yotei and its surrounding landscapes.
Understanding the contrast between the main story and its side activities is important, and I feel like this connection has been lost for some people when they talk about this game. At first glance, it’s clear why players might think activities such as “slice through bamboo sticks, follow the wolf to a bandit camp, paint this waterfall, learn a new song on your shamisen”, might come across as a bit mundane.
The world is full of these, and you are constantly reminded of them through map pages you can buy at the shop, and the yellow bird that always appears at the most inconvenient times to try and sway you from your path to the nearest hot spring.
What initially comes across as simple, checklist activities turn into something a lot more significant when you tie them into the themes of the narrative. Like I mentioned earlier, a core motif of Ghost of Yotei is family, and never has that been more important until now.
One Day, You'll Understand
The purpose of these optional excursions varies depending on the context. If we were to talk explicitly about gameplay and nothing else, they serve as a method to upgrade Atsu’s capabilities. Slicing bamboo increases your focus, following foxes to their dens grants you new charms, etc.
They all provide something tangent to the gameplay experience that makes them worth doing. They will noticeably enhance your combat proficiency, and that alone makes it worthwhile exploring and going out of your way to search them out.
But if you were to engage with them solely from that outlook, they run the risk of becoming dry pretty quickly. Feeling like a chore is the antithesis of what exploration is meant to be, so when it does become drudgery, your enjoyment of the game quickly falls to pieces.
So, to avoid that, Ghost of Yotei takes things the extra mile. These side activities have been designed to revolve around Atsu and her family. Every time she makes a stop to engage with something, it’s because there is a connection there to her past.
The shamisen is a fantastic example of this. Learning how to play a new song serves a strong gameplay purpose, granting you buffs depending on which song you play. Thematically, though, as a child, she was taught to play the shamisen by her mother. Every new song she learns makes the connection with her that much closer.
You are keeping her memory alive through your instrument, and every time you learn a new song, you are presented with a beautiful cutscene of Atsu playing it, hammering the point further. It’s always a special moment, and I loved it every single time I saw it.
Painting is another activity that has a prominent relation to her family. Her parents taught her that careful examination of your surroundings is one thing, but understanding and appreciating them is something else. It’s important to know what you are looking at, but it’s also vital to understand why something is the way it is, and in turn, cherish its beauty.
Shrine trails are some of the most visually splendid sequences of the game, and one of the things I will remember most from my time with Ghost of Yotei. These take you to remote areas of the map. They are treacherous and not for the faint of heart, and simultaneously provide you with some of the best views of the region.
They showcase a land of turmoil, and while it may be the sight of a major conflict, this was where Atsu grew up. The places she sees are home to distant memories, and they make her stop what she is doing to instead do something that distracts her from her quest for revenge. They also give you, the player, a break from the violence to enjoy some peace and quiet.
All of this plays an important part of what makes Ghost of Yotei what it is. The intensity of the story, and the ability to unwind through the side activities. Action and meditation. Knowing when to strike, and realising when to slow down. Later on in the game, when the narrative begins to shift, the importance of reflection becomes even more significant.
Death is Not Atonement
When Atsu’s quest takes her to her lowest point, she begins to lose sight of herself. Her quest is put into question, and doubts begin to brew. Is she taking it too far? At what point will she be satisfied, if ever?
For me, during moments like this, I would take time to explore the world around me to connect with why I am doing all of this. Something as simple as dipping in a hot spring and reflecting on a memory would make an impact for me, as it would for Atsu.
Moments like these ground Atsu in reality. Her rage may lead her to perform acts she didn’t think she was capable of, but her connection to her family can never be wavered. That was how I interpreted the significance of these open world activities.
I never viewed them as generic tasks to be checked off a list. I viewed them as breaks for both me and Atsu. They gave me the opportunity to learn more about her as a person. It didn’t matter if all I was doing was slicing bamboo, completing a bounty, or just cooking fish at a campfire near a river. Each of these gave me a connection to her way of life.
At first, they invested me in Atsu’s stake for revenge. You see everything that was taken away from her, and you want the same resolution as her. Then later on, when there’s a glimmer of hope for a better future, you want her to build a better life. I don’t think I would’ve had this level of attachment to her as a character if it weren’t for all the things I found up to this point.
My appreciation of the story was strong because of my connection to not just her plight, but who she was, and is, as a person. It’s everything she was taught, from her survival skills to her ability to create art, that make her as compelling as she is.
They provided a meditative experience that gave me some of the most heartwarming moments I have experienced in a story for a while, combined with some of the most jaw-dropping views I have seen in a video game. I was given the space to breathe and marvel at the gorgeous scenery around me.
For Atsu, it reminds her of the purpose of her quest, and why she is fighting. That emotional tether keeps her moving. While skipping these activities has no impact on the events of the narrative, going out of your way to do them gives you all of the small details that strengthen your understanding of what Atsu is going through.
By allowing her to stop and reflect on her past, as well as her present, they give both her and you a chance to think about the quest you are on and how worth doing it actually is.
Wander On, My Love
Sucker Punch’s approach to open world design isn’t going to work for everyone, even when there is a narrative connection to all of it like I have mentioned here. Despite everything I have said, some will still find it tiring, and that is completely understandable.
I still think the way they went about it is worth talking about. I enjoyed Ghost of Tsushima immensely, but the level of thought that went into designing Ghost of Yotei’s open world is underappreciated, and has set a benchmark on how to make side activities that have a tangible narrative connection, not just serving as a tool for filler gameplay content.
My enjoyment of the story wouldn’t be as high without them, which makes them a vital part of the experience. It’s not a perfect system; I think the fact you can buy maps that tell you where these spots are is a bit trivialising. I found them a lot more satisfying when I stumbled on them.
The execution of it as a whole, however, is not to be understated. I didn’t buy Ghost of Yotei on release after hearing concerns of it being safe and a bit repetitive, and yet, I ended up enjoying it more than its predecessor.
I understand the issues other players had, though. Either way, there are a few lessons to be learnt here, but they can all be summarised into one point. You can fill an open world with fun gameplay activities and make them as varied as possible.
Or you can make a world that completely revolves around your main character, the ordeal that they are going through, and provide the player with something that can make them appreciate and connect with their surroundings on an organic level.
It entirely depends on the type of game it is, but for Ghost of Yotei and Atsu’s adventure, doing the little things had the biggest impacts because of what they meant, not solely because of what they provided. Design with intention, not convenience.
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