Vasishta

There seldom comes a game that connects with me as much as this game did. Ghost of Yotei is the perfect game for me. Sure, there are some elements that could be improved based on preference, but as a total package I would give it a 10/10. Beyond game mechanics and design, Ghost of Yotei resonates with me and was made for people like me who grew up reading the same manga, watching the same anime, and listening to the same music. This game captures a moment that is so intertwined with the Toonami 00s-10s era. It isn’t a nostalgia grab. It isn’t spectacle. It is art. It is a game that sings the lessons we have learned from our great teachers: Musashi, Kojiro Jin, Fuu, Mugen, and Spike. Ghost of Yotei is steel folded thousands of times to forge the perfect blade. The first thing to note about this game is the music, as it has a profound impact on how this resonates with me. Shiro Watanabe directed a hip-hop remix of the entire soundtrack that can be toggled on in the settings. After the intro cutscene and our hero, Atsu, rides through a field of white flowers on her horse, I turned on Watanabe Mode. The music immediately put a smile on my face and I never turned it off. It has the spirit of Nujabes and Samurai Champloo without compramising the sounds necessary to tell Atsu’s story. Even while I write this I am listening to Kei and Retribution. Once I started into the game I noticed something that really enhanced my love for this game and enjoyment. All elements of the game, UI, music, gameplay, cinematography, and level design where all there to support the story. In the menu as you gather companions, they are slowly added into your Wolf Pack. Showing the progression of Atsu’s character arc by accepting in more people into her life after the tragic death of her family. Also mentioning the story, I should probably talk about the story. But, I will stay spoiler free. The story is simply about revenge (classic). But a huge part of the exploration of revenge in this story is loneliness because Atsu has suffered extreme loss, and lives in an extremely patriarchal world. She is battling against her own feelings, and what society says she should feel. How this game explores revenge and loneliness is the single best I have seen in a video game. Now, it is almost impossible to explore themes deeper than a novel, but this game isn’t trying to compete with novels, which I like. It knows that a story told through this medium needs to heavily rely on visuals, voice acting (which I had in Japanese of course), and mechanics to tell the story in a way a novel simply could not. Every action, quest, sword swing, and dialogue perfectly services the story. I will only reference one scene in this review to help explain why I made those claims above. It is a side quest, so if you don’t want spoilers please skip this paragraph. The scene involves Atsu learning from the Odachi master, Yoshida. It is at the end of his quest line and Yoshida asks Atsu to accept her past, her pain, and her enemies free from judgment. This is a genius end to his storyline, as all you have to do is sit there. The camera zooms out to the side of the mountain where you become smaller and smaller. Now, a “normal player” will just click through this an end the meditation immediately and move on, but not I. I sat there in meditation for 20 minutes thinking on Atsu journey at first, then my own. I was so still and deep in thought accepting all of my faults, my mistakes, and my enemies. When I came back, I exited out of the meditation and it all clicked. I shed a tear. This was the mission where I truly felt what the designers were intending with their art. It was not just a game at which we are passive observes on a story. It was a story told to have the player reflect on their own selves as the character in game does. Each lesson is not just a lesson for Atsu, but for the player as well. The game is filled with Easter eggs. There is an entire questline based off of Miyamoto Musashi and specifically Takehiko Inuoe’s manga about Mushashi, Vagabaond. It is simply not a reference for reference sake, but an active part of telling Atsu’s story and discussing the burden of greatness. No more Easter eggs for now because you should find out yourself when you play the game. One thing I really appreciate about this game, maybe more so than the actual game itself, is that it consulted and collaborated with the indigenous people of Japan, the Ainu, to showcase their culture. For those that don’t know, what we consider “Japanese people” are actually not native to the islands of Japan. There were a couple cultures of people that lived on those islands thousands of years before the modern Japanese people (Yayoi people) colonized it. So, it is very important to me that this game treated the indigenous Ainu people with the respect that they deserve because the Japanese government have not. As we all know, Japan has committed atrocities to China during WWII. However, these atrocities extend to the Ainu, and the other indigenous populations. But, this game treats their culture with respect, grace, and beauty. My favorite character is an elderly Ainu woman, Huci, who helps Atsu out in the second half of the game. She teaches Atsu about balance and, funnily enough, a version of dialectical materialism. She explains to Atsu that people are not “Evil” or “Good” but are subjects of their material conditions and upbringing. So if you wanted to help people, you must first find out what they are missing. What this game does the best are the small moments. Weather it is riding your horse across the plains, slicing a guy in half, painting a picture, or simply walking around, the game focuses on those intimate moments alone. The camera is always at a cinematic angle to capture the full beauty of the world. We are on a journey with Atsu. One that has moments of intimacy, quite, and calm. The game does not rush you to each moment of hyper violence and spectacle. It holds you in the moment. This review is a bit scattered about with it’s ideas, but I kinda like that. Next thing I appreciate in this game over the last one is that the main character is a Woman. Thank god. I’ve had it with male power fantasy. I also hate that, “only men can harbor these feelings and that woman cannot comprehend the loneliness or anger a man feels on his past of revenge” or whatever. Atsu is an extremely relatable and compelling character, more so than Jin, from the first game. The way she feels her motions are way more raw, realistic, and nuanced. Not once did I think she was written for the male gaze. There is no hyper sexuality, misogyny (in the writing of her I mean. There is misogyny in the story because, yanno, Japan.), or anything that would indicate Atsu as a lesser of character than Jin. It is truly her story that is being told. This is probably due to the fact that there were in fact women on the writing team. This game does not turbo glaze the Japanese or fetish-ize them. It tells an open and honest story about revenge and the loneliness that can cause a person that takes place in Japan. It hit me a lot harder than I thought it did. It fully gripped me from beginning to end. Every story beat, fight, and small moment kept me connected to Atsu and her story while giving me space to reflect on my own story.