Ghost of Yotei Is Missing One of Modern Gaming’s Best Features

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Ghost of Yotei immediately captivated me with its beautiful scenery, smooth fighting, and engaging story. As soon as I drew my sword, it reminded me of Ghost of Tsushima – it genuinely feels like a worthy follow-up. It keeps the dramatic, emotional story and the incredibly fun gameplay. However, after many hours spent mastering stealth and swordplay, I kept noticing one missing feature, and it wasn’t even the frustrating lock-on system.

I spent many hours perfecting Atsu to match how I like to play, carefully choosing upgrades for my abilities and the best gear like armor, a hat, and a mask. However, there’s a problem: Ghost of Yotei lacks a transmog system – a feature common in many modern games that’s really important for personalizing your character and expressing yourself.

Armor Looks vs. Build Bonuses: Transmog Is a Missed Opportunity in Ghost of Yotei

Transmogrification, often called ‘transmog,’ is a feature that allows players to customize how their armor looks without changing its protective abilities or special effects. It’s a really popular and easy-to-use feature in many modern games, so it’s noticeable that Ghost of Yotei doesn’t have it. While it’s understandable that the original Ghost of Tsushima didn’t include it, leaving it out of the 2025 sequel feels like an oversight, especially since many other recent games – like Wuchang: Fallen Feathers and Monster Hunter Wilds – do offer this customization. In Ghost of Yotei, armor isn’t just about protection; it significantly impacts Atsu’s appearance and how you build your character throughout the game.

In Ghost of Yotei, you often have to choose between how your character looks and how well they perform. I invested a lot of time gathering materials and crafting the perfect gear, but it’s frustrating when you find a cool outfit that doesn’t actually improve your stats. Given how immersive and cinematic the game is, it would be great to be able to customize your appearance without compromising your character’s effectiveness.

It’s not just about how things look. Today’s games let you personalize your experience, and Ghost of Yotei feels incomplete without the ability to change your character’s appearance. Sucker Punch Productions has done so much well with this game, it’s surprising this feature was left out. While it might seem minor, it actually makes a big difference. I’ve always loved customizing my characters in games, and with so many cool options in Yotei, being able to use any gear to create the look I want would be fantastic.

Learning From Games That Get It Right

Many recent games now let you change how your character looks without affecting their abilities, and it’s become a really popular feature. Games like Wuchang: Fallen Feathers, Diablo IV, and Monster Hunter Wilds have done this particularly well. I especially enjoyed being able to customize my character’s appearance in Monster Hunter Wilds while still benefiting from the best gear. Wuchang: Fallen Feathers is even nicknamed “fashion souls” because of its strong focus on character style, and I think that says a lot about how good its customization system is. Ultimately, these games allow you to create a unique character identity based on how you want them to look, not just how powerful they are.

The lack of a transmog system in Ghost of Yotei is particularly noticeable. The game excels in so many areas – the satisfying feel of combat, the smooth parries, and the beautiful animations. Given how polished the game is overall, the missing feature feels odd. Unlike other games where you can customize your character’s appearance separately from their abilities, Yotei ties everything together, requiring consistent visual and gameplay elements.

It’s really annoying when you finally get powerful gear late in the game, only to realize it doesn’t fit with the look you’ve already created and enjoy. The developers could have avoided this by taking inspiration from games like Ghost of Tsushima, which offer ways to change your appearance. Without that option, there’s a frustrating gap between how you want to play and how you want your character to look. Being able to customize your character’s appearance is a key part of enjoying a game, and it’s disappointing that this was overlooked.

From Ghost of Tsushima to Ghost of Yotei: A Recurring Oversight That Can Be Fixed

It’s disappointing that Ghost of Yotei doesn’t allow you to change the appearance of your armor separately from its stats, because Ghost of Tsushima had the same limitation. Ghost of Tsushima was a beautiful game with lots of great-looking armor, but you were stuck with whatever stats came with it. I really liked one particular outfit, the Traveler’s Attire, even though it wasn’t ideal for fighting or sneaking. I used it anyway, so I was surprised to find myself facing the same issue in Yotei.

Modern gamers want more control over how they play. Personalization is now the norm, not just a bonus, and players expect games to be both useful and visually appealing, especially in single-player adventures. Since there’s no need to balance things for competition or online economies, players simply want to fully immerse themselves in their characters and the story. While Ghost of Tsushima didn’t quite deliver on this, I’m optimistic the next game will address this.

Despite current concerns, there’s still reason to be optimistic. Sucker Punch plans to continue supporting Ghost of Tsushima with updates, including a Legends Mode. Adding transmog – the ability to change a weapon or armor’s appearance without changing its stats – would be a relatively simple addition. The game already has fantastic armor designs, collectible materials, and a progression system that could easily accommodate it. Considering Sucker Punch and Sony’s history of responding to player feedback, implementing this popular feature could elevate an already excellent game into a truly exceptional samurai experience. Hopefully, the developers will consider adding it.

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2025-10-28 16:12