Ghost of Yōtei: Legends Review – In the Presence of a Legend

Somewhere, somehow, I feel like Sony’s failed live-service initiative can be blamed on one single mode – Ghost of Tsushima: Legends. Released as a free co-op update that no one really expected, it added a Japanese folklore twist to the action, as players controlled four fallen warriors turned Ghosts, battling against Oni and other terrors. It was so well-received that many, including myself, pointed to it as a stellar example of a co-op looter done right, even if it was free and didn’t receive rapid-fire updates.

Well, Legends has returned, this time in Ghost of Yōtei. After hearing that it was in development for as long as the single-player story, with the majority of Sucker Punch then shifting over when the base game shipped, I have to lambast the entire live-service initiative again. Because once again, it’s a fun, content-rich mode that leverages the excellent combat of the base game, offers four varied classes with fun playstyles, implements a gear grind that’s straightforward with subtle depth, and includes oodles of unlocks. All that without any microtransactions whatsoever, though there is plenty to complain about as well.

The story this time around focuses on the Yōtei Six, but not the ones you’re thinking of. These are monstrous figures with mystical powers who serve Lord Saito. Each member has a separate story arc split into three chapters – which supports up to two players – and an Incursion – which up to four players can join. Think of the latter as a finale where you end up battling the Yotei Six member in question. And unlike the story, their enhanced forms allow for new attacks (as if dealing with their minions wasn’t enough).

"It also doesn’t help that you’re at the mercy of progression when it comes to being able to equip other weapon types. The Archer, for example, can use a katana and sword. What does it do to deal with shielded enemies at close range? Well, nothing – at least not until you’re Rank 5 and unlock the Kusarigama."

Overall, I enjoyed running through the story, both solo and with another player, since each chapter offers unique mechanics. For instance, the Spider has Jubokko Trees, which manifest as exploding plants and dangerous ground that can quickly be your undoing. You’ll need to use the plants to destroy the tree, which can also be done by shooting its weak points when they manifest. However, there are also gates that can only really be destroyed with the plants, and managing enemy spawns in between all that can get chaotic. The layouts of each section are definitely more geared towards combat than stealth, though the classic “Plan B” smoke bomb remains, allowing you to assassinate the few fools caught in the haze.

However, the Ghost of Yōtei combat loop is still retained and feels as good as ever. Perfect Parries into massively damaging slices; swapping out weapons to overwhelm a foe; tossing weapons and instantly annihilating threats – it all feels great. The downside is that your move set will depend on the equipped weapon. So while the starting Yari had Thundering Wave, it lacked Typhoon Sweep and Typhoon Kick – both of which became available on later, higher Ki variants alongside passives such as automatically parrying Scythe attacks with heavy strikes.

It also doesn’t help that you’re at the mercy of progression when it comes to being able to equip other weapon types. The Archer, for example, can use a katana and sword. What does it do to deal with shielded enemies at close range? Well, nothing – at least not until you’re Rank 5 and unlock the Kusarigama. The only class that can wield all weapon types is the Samurai, and even that has to wait until Rank 20 to add the Kusarigama to their arsenal. And just like the base game, the right weapon alignment is often key. Without it, you’re kind of just doing your best.

At least you’re amply rewarded in each gear category, making it relatively easy to kit out an entire character and slowly build your Ki level (which is the de facto “Power” level). Each class can also equip various passives with more options unlocking per slot as you go along. These can modify their skill and Ultimate in unique ways, while conferring other benefits (like using Spirit to refill your ammo as an Archer). It’s a nice selection, although the lack of a support class is kind of baffling. Maybe the Ronin’s Breath of Izanami from the original was judged as too powerful? At least the Mercenary can add Weakening Blast to their Ultimate, which confers some of the benefits of Weakening Burst (and some poison to boot).

"Even on Bronze, it felt like a single hit from a Yuki-Onna was enough to down me, and that’s not accounting for the bombardier, who can blanket entire areas in explosives within an instant. Even if I had unlocked those 30 percent increased health passives, how much longer would I have really stayed alive?"

Once you gather more gear, the ability to upgrade each piece becomes available. Each has a Ki limit, so eventually, you’ll need to tackle tougher content to obtain higher rarities. Then you’ll have the ability to reroll gear passives and properties to your liking, further min-maxing a piece of gear in a desired direction. It’s simple but still addictive, and encourages experimenting with different versions of the same gear.

You won’t be repeating the story to grind all of that out, though, as the main appeal of Legends is Survival. Four stages, three waves each. Protect three separate points on the map from encroaching enemies, who will sabotage them if they’re left alone for long enough. Initially, there’s a lot of running back and forth, until you realize the most optimal strategy is each player hanging around a different area, with a fourth player potentially acting as a floater to reinforce where necessary. Of course, you could always go two in each area and rotate accordingly. Things can get dicier on tougher difficulties, especially when Challenge Cards enter the mix (especially when some offer increased rewards in return for enemies dealing increased damage).

The new survival maps offer a range of places to grapple and platform across, and the avenues for crossfire (aside from the Kitsune’s stronghold) feel significantly lower. It can take some getting used to, especially when navigating them for the first time, and that’s before their gimmicks (like fox fire that requires rolling away to dispel). Of course, you can even the odds by spending currency earned in the middle of waves to unlock things like health regeneration for the team, increased health or even a Spirit Bear who seemingly represents the collective vengeance of all the slain bears from the base game. And it’s awesome.

Unfortunately, there are issues with the balancing. I remember starting on Lethal with the base game, and even when dialling the difficulty down to Normal, it was surprising just how squishy Atsu felt in the early hours. Stat and armor upgrades, alongside more Ghost tools, fixed this, but that’s kind of how you feel all the time in Legends, even when meeting the Ki requirement. Heck, even on Bronze, it felt like a single hit from a Yuki-Onna was enough to down me, and that’s not accounting for the bombardier, who can blanket entire areas in explosives within an instant. Even if I had unlocked those 30 percent increased health passives, how much longer would I have really stayed alive?

"As it stands, I wouldn’t say that Ghost of Yōtei: Legends is necessarily superior to Tsushima – at least, outside of the combat – but balancing issues aside, it’s about as addictive and still enjoyable. Getting the rhythm down and slaying hordes of foes feels satisfying, and the campaign offers a strong amount of variety."

It also felt like some enemies just had oodles of health, and even when two players attacked head-on, they would block without breaking a sweat (until spamming heavy strikes with the right weapon, of course). Combine all this with later waves, especially on higher difficulties, having more health for each enemy, and it feels like the odds are tilted a little too heavily against the Ghosts.

Of course, it’s early days yet – if such issues persist, even when min-maxed builds are finally discovered, then I could see Sucker Punch rolling out balance adjustments. It’s definitely a significant step up from Tsushima: Legends at present, and not always in the best ways. I’m still unsure about bringing over the campaign’s mechanics, like frozen health, but we’ll see how these are smoothed out over time (and I say this knowing that there’s already a Nightmare Solo Mercenary Run available).

As it stands, I wouldn’t say that Ghost of Yōtei: Legends is necessarily superior to Tsushima – at least, outside of the combat – but balancing issues aside, it’s about as addictive and still enjoyable. Getting the rhythm down and slaying hordes of foes feels satisfying, and the campaign offers a strong amount of variety. If Sucker Punch builds on it, much like it did with the original – a raid is due next month – then it could very well eclipse it. In the meantime, its legend is just beginning, and I look forward to the future.

This game was reviewed on PlayStation 5.