Ghost of Tsushima by Sucker Punch took the world by storm with it being hailed as one of the PS4’s best games and 5 years later, Sucker Punch brings us back to the ancient land of the rising sun in Ghost of Yotei. Considered a sleeper hit by most including myself, Ghost of Tsushima took the concept of being a Samurai and turned it into a fun yet cinematic experience. 

Same Same, But Different

It’s been 5 years since Tsushima and while a lot could happen in that time span, Sucker Punch’s depiction of ancient Japan is still something to look forward to. The environment got expanded turning more into an open world experience with environmental cues to look forward to. While playing the demo, familiarity took over with the combat of the game being highly similar to its predecessor with there being more weapons available but the katana staying the tried and true weapon of choice. 

Time and Time Again

Instead of Jin Sakai you’re playing Atsu and with controlling Atsu comes a slightly different gameplay experience. She’s as capable of a fighter as Jin for sure but she brings with her different weapons along the way. But apart from that the biggest change from a gameplay and storytelling perspective was this time travel mechanic that let her relive her childhood. 

Personally seeing how vibrant the past was compared to how dreary the present was really drove a point across on how bad the situation currently is. It’s in these little tidbits that effective storytelling was done without explaining everything and coming from a demo just has me clamoring for the lore behind what’s happening

The Right To Bear Arms

Earlier on, I mentioned how there’s more weapon variety in this title compared to its predecessor and it all boils down to combat. As there’s no mystic arts involved, fights in the game are heavily influenced by the weapons that you’re wielding and the opponent you’re up against. You know the saying: don’t bring swords to a gun fight? What about bringing a longer ranged weapon in a sword fight? Another layer was added to the fights in the game weapon matchups becoming relevant but what if, it’s not a human you’re up against but an actual bear?

Of all the possible roadblocks that halted my demo experience, it was the bear that did me over. It added another perspective on what can and would go wrong but there’s nothing wrong with that. Considering the open world nature of the game presented all I could hope for is a rematch with the bear down the line.

Exploring Japan All Over Again

Fighting a bear wasn’t on my bingo card but it definitely opened up another perspective when it came to playing the demo and that’s in how much content there truly is waiting to be explored. October couldn’t come fast enough with a game this fun looming on the horizon and considering the glimpse of the skill tree that I could’ve tinkered with, there’s more in store for fans of the franchise.