How Ghost of Yotei’s Best Feature Borrows From Red Dead Redemption 2 and BOTW

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While feudal Japan might seem very different from the Wild West or the world of Hyrule – lacking tumbleweeds and dragons, for example – the game Ghost of Yotei actually shares a lot with Red Dead Redemption 2 and The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. All three games focus on letting players discover things for themselves, and Yotei’s world is designed with that same idea in mind.

Yotei’s game world expands on ideas introduced in Ghost of Tsushima. The use of natural cues like the wind and bird sounds to guide players towards objectives was a good step forward, encouraging exploration instead of relying on on-screen markers. However, the game relies too heavily on repeating the same types of tasks. Completing dozens of similar activities – like hitting bamboo stalks, finding shrines, visiting hot springs, composing haiku, and clearing enemy camps – became tedious. Each activity felt almost identical every time, which ultimately broke the sense of immersion. The initial bamboo strike felt just like the twentieth, constantly pulling players out of the experience with each repeated action.

Ghost of Yotei‘s Map Is Much More Rewarding to Explore Than Tsushima‘s

Thankfully, Ghost of Yotei avoids the repetitive issues found in some open-world games. While activities are spread across the map, there’s less repetition and a wider variety of tasks. The reduction in the number of shrines—from 49 to 11—is a good example of this. More importantly, Yotei frequently introduces unexpected twists, so activities rarely play out the same way twice. This could be a small change, like requiring players to use a different hand for a bamboo strike, or a larger one, where an objective unexpectedly changes into something else. This unpredictability keeps things fresh and prevents the game from feeling like a tedious checklist, a problem that can sometimes plague games like Assassin’s Creed Shadows.

What makes a game world truly captivating is a sense of wonder and a strong connection to the environment. In Yotei, various activities are signaled by clear visual cues. For example, hot springs are marked by a noticeable mist, duels happen near trees decorated with old papers and ropes, foxes consistently appear by trees with red leaves, and shrines are located at the end of paths lined with Torii gates.

Ghost of Yotei Is Designed for the Player’s Eye

These visual cues give players a glimpse of what lies ahead without overwhelming them, keeping them immersed in the game world and reducing the need to constantly check the map. While the previous game used similar visual elements, Yotei improves on this by avoiding the common open-world practice of automatically marking cleared areas on the map. Instead, players must actively explore – using tools like a spyglass, purchasing maps, or gathering information from NPCs – to discover and mark missions themselves. This subtle change encourages players to engage with the game world directly, rather than relying on the game to reveal everything automatically.

Side quests in the game often encourage exploration in a similar way to the main story. Instead of typical open-world objectives, you’ll find interesting locations like a burnt-down house or a bar decorated with demon masks. These unusual spots invite you to investigate and are often the start of a side quest, a little story, or a useful item. What makes these quests special is that they aren’t marked on the map with the usual indicators. You have to actively search for the people who give you the quests, perhaps by finding a note or overhearing a conversation. The game even remembers how you discovered the quest, showing just how much freedom it offers players.

What truly makes the game special is the dynamic open world between missions. While playing as Atsu, you might be unexpectedly attacked, chased by wandering samurai, or even challenged to a duel right in front of your own wanted poster! You’ll encounter interesting characters like a witty bowyer, reunite with faces from past adventures, gather information about the dangerous Yotei Six, or stumble into entirely new questlines – sometimes even from someone with a pet bear. While Yotei offers moments of peaceful beauty and stunning scenery, the world also constantly throws surprises at you, ensuring that Ezo feels lively and unpredictable. It’s a world filled with people who can genuinely impact Atsu’s story.

Sucker Punch Productions intentionally designed the game to surprise players and offer many different ways to experience the world. Director Nate Fox explained that they learned from mistakes in the first game and wanted to create a sequel full of unexpected moments.

According to Fox, the Ghost of Yotei update enhances the game’s mini-game sections by ensuring players aren’t repeatedly challenged with the same scenarios when discovering new secrets. The developers have created a variety of different results to surprise players and emphasize the rewarding nature of exploration, a key feature of open-world games. They wanted to deliver a diverse and engaging experience for players who enjoy uncovering the game’s mysteries.

Ghost of Yotei Echoes Red Dead Redemption 2‘s Focus on Surprising Players

While Fox didn’t specifically mention them, it’s clear that games like Red Dead Redemption 2 and Breath of the Wild influenced the creation of Yotei. Red Dead Redemption 2, in particular, is full of unexpected events that bring its Wild West setting to life. Players might stumble upon ambushes, encounters with the KKK, or even crime scenes. Although some events repeat in the lengthy game, these little details significantly enhance the immersive experience.

The world of Red Dead Redemption 2 was meticulously crafted to be visually engaging. While the map is much larger than Yotei‘s and doesn’t pack secrets into every corner, the developers intentionally avoided cluttering it with icons. According to art director Rob Nelson, the team focused on making the environment feel natural and organic, so that players would be drawn in by what they saw. Art director Aaron Garbut further explained this design philosophy in another interview.

According to Garbut, the most exciting experiences happen when you unexpectedly find something intriguing – like discovering a hidden mystery or getting involved in something unplanned. He describes it as entering ‘new territory’ where the line between intentional action and chance encounters blurs. When the unpredictable, real world interacts perfectly with a carefully planned story, the result can be truly remarkable.

Ghost of Yotei Also Borrows a Bit From Both BOTW and TOTK

Both Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom excel at encouraging exploration through visual design, more so than other open-world games. According to Breath of the Wild director Hidemaro Fujibayashi, speaking at CEDEC 2017 (as translated by Matt Walker of Camouflaj), the development team used what they called the “Triangle Rule” to achieve this. This involved strategically placing triangular mountains and rock formations to partially hide areas, enticing players to investigate by climbing or moving around them to reveal what’s hidden beyond.

This design gently leads players forward with their natural curiosity, as they’re constantly exploring new buildings and shrines in search of rewards. Combined with systems that reward trying new things and maps that players have to complete themselves, it’s easy to see why discovering secrets is so central to these games – and why players enjoy them so much.

Ghost of Yotei could lean even more into the style of classic Zelda games. It could offer options like disabling map markers or turning off helpful text explanations. However, it already incorporates enough of these ideas to encourage players to explore the world of Ezo and discover its secrets. Yotei is a visually stunning game – one of the best-looking on PS5 – and Sucker Punch Productions has made sure it’s just as engaging to play as it is to look at.

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2025-11-19 19:19