Topic: Ghost of Yōtei

@Werehog I don't actually want to stop, i'm just going to be out of town for a bit and was pondering whether it was possible to push through from this point to force myself to finish it before then or to leave it at a more managable point if I can't wrap it up in that time frame (those comments had vanished during the site reset, to be fair)

My question was based on if I could actively try to finish it in time from where I am up to, and ElJeffe let me know it was going to be another new open area with lots to do, so if I tried to do that and got very close to the finale, but then had to wait a while to finish it, I might be a bit rusty for the final quests and it might also lose some of its story impact if I just have a small amount left to finish at the end after time away.

Just means I ended up deciding it would be best to tackle the entire end section when i'm back so I can play it most evenings and have it flow a bit better.

I could have maybe upped my game time and would have probably been finished by now if I did, but I didn't think ahead until too late and had been playing less recently, anyway 🙈 (I naturally slow play games which sometimes leads to falling off them, but not in this case as it is a really good game)

I don't mind having a bit of a break from it though, i'd rather lock-in to be fully immersed for the final acts when I know I can focus on it most evenings and get full enjoyment out of it 😄

@Ravix For me personally I would never make myself rush through a game as that goes against how I naturally play games. Even when I tried to finish something leaving PS Plus Extra, most of the time I fail. So then I now have a another unfinished game, however this time it is something that I was enjoying, rather than something I nataurally stopped playing. So personally I would never advise to put a time limit in completeing a game unless you have to.

Well, er... yeah, but I never played those games, so they don't exist.

In all seriousness, thanks for the reminder / correction. I was probably typing a little too quickly for my own good, as I'm now recalling a brief period of similar following Spider-Man 2, too. I wonder if it was The Last of Us that kinda sparked the trend, though? Because I still don't recall game-by-game battle lines being drawn so starkly during previous console generations.

@Ravix Well, considering my question was misplaced, I appreciate you answering in such detail, and hope you're able to get back to Yōtei as soon as possible! I'm never a fan of taking a forced break from immersive story-driven games, and try my best to use smaller, more casual fare to fill any awkward gaps in my schedule, but it's never an exact science. As @JohnnyShoulder rightly adds, it's not ideal to rush something you're enjoying, either. I reckon you made the right choice.

Hmm… if only there were a portable device you could take on your trip that plays PS5 games. Ideally it would allow you to pick up from your current save and continue it on the go. Man, if only such a thing existed. 🤔 😉

When I played Ghost of Tsushima, and I needed a few breaks between missions, I really struggled to get back into the fighting bits on the main missions. One of my biggest mistakes was that I left the game for weeks just before a boss fight ... When I came back to play, I "forgot" all the fighting tricks... Even a few Mongols on the path road killed me like I was a noob I needed to reduce the difficulty for a day or two and do side quests.

The problem with the longer breaks is that I easily get detached from the story and find it hard to get back to the game, even though I enjoyed it. It is unfortunate, but it happens.

Anyway, I am sure you will be fine as long as your break is short enough, like one or two weeks. I recommend doing a few side quests when you are back to play.

@Th3solution shh, I was very tempted but I can't justify playing this beautiful game on such a small screen! If I had some side games on the go i'd probably have got a handheld as it is... quite handy... for those, I think.

@Werehog haha! No worries. It was, in part, me "verbalising my thoughts" which sometimes helps with making decisions when i'm overthhinking s*** anyway 😅 I can't play the game for a while, so I won't play it for a while. I am glad I haven't left myself right in the finale though, as that would devalue the experience, I think.

@JohnnyShoulder yeah, this is the way! Falling off games can be an issue when they get slow played and then get left for a bit, as naturally a game played over months has other stuff that gets in the way, but this game is good enough to not be a risk. My pile of unfinished games was making me a little apprehensive that this was in danger of becoming one of those if I didn't wrap it up before, but it's too good, honestly. I'm not a great binger of games and I do still mildly envy those who manage to play multiple big titles all at once, or go from title to title and complete a massive bunch of games a year, but it just doesn't fit the my playstyle and gaming time.

I spotted an area on my rides in the Grasslands region, but I can't access it yet.
My question is: Is it a bounty-related activity, or am I missing something here?

When I zoom in on the picture below, I see, at a distance, a white and red hanging rope. (It is visible on the right side, next to Atsu at a distance).

I’m having such a good time wandering around in Atsu’s shoes through another impossibly beautiful and sprawling land. Tsushima’s formula has been refined to near perfection and there are some really nice touches that give this story its own identity. The flow of the game is great and I love how just about everything Atsu does ties back to her singular hunt for the Yotei Six, creating a real sense of forward motion even when meandering off the beaten trail. In fact, this might just be the best example I’ve seen of balancing the main objective against the distractions inherent within an open world structure. It might not be everything I hoped it would be but it is certainly everything it needs to be, and then some. Nicely done, Sucker Punch. Definitely taking my time with this one.

@Metonymy Glad to hear you're enjoying your time with the game. Perhaps we can compare notes, by the time I get around to playing it. (You'll probably be done with the game by then, but will have plenty of memories to look back on, I'm sure.)

@BlAcK_Sw0rDsMaN Thanks! Yeah, I won’t be forgetting this one any time soon so I’m ready when you’re ready. Chances are I’ll still be messing around with photo mode anyways 😅

I can't wait for new game +, I wonder what the cosmetics will be like, someone brought it up in the article but it would of been nice to have a transmog, but hey ho you can't have everything all at once, will also be interesting to see what they are adding to the already incredible photo mode!!

@Oram77 Yeah, I’m hoping they add more than just filters or emotes. Those kinds of things are the least interesting aspects of photo mode for me. I’d love the ability to set lights, not just alter the time of day. Rise of the Ronin implemented this very well, I wish more photo modes did it. Lens changes would be nice too. Aspect ratio is so much more than just black bars. Still loads of fun though 😄

@Oram77 @Metonymy In the brief clip of the new Photo Mode features, I did see Atsu's horse disappear and reappear, so that's at least one confirmed new feature. Maybe it's hinting at wider control over NPCs and enemies in the vicinity? Which is always useful to have.

There were also framing grid lines placed over one shot, which should help my OCD if nothing else.

@Werehog Atsu’s horse…definitely glad to hear that will be taken care of. I laughed the first time I went to ‘hide’ Atsu and, well, I suppose it did precisely what it said it would. Frame guides are always welcome. I’m also hoping for an option to apply and adjust vignettes. At some point it’d be nice if the working radius was a little larger as well. Now, if only the game could help narrow down my variants. I don’t know if you have trouble with this or not but I typically end up with at least three to four slightly different versions of the same picture and end up agonizing over which one I think is best.

@Metonymy Heck, I wish I could keep myself contained to three or four variants of each shot! By game's end, I think I had saved nearly 2,000 screencaps to my USB, which I then transferred to my PC and sorted to arrive at my final (for now) total of 224.

In other words, yes, I know exactly what you're talking about up there!

Always find it interesting flipping between different Photo Modes and seeing each developer's approach to their essential settings. Even across Sony's first-party studios, there are huge differences in what each Photo Mode considers "basic" and it can sometimes be quite surprising. Every single Photo Mode I've ever used does at least one thing better than all the others, but is also always missing something I'd personally consider real important. Case in point, Ghost of Yōtei might have sliders for Contrast and Exposure, but it doesn't have one for Brightness. It's like, how...?!

@Werehog 2000 to 224 is an impressive feat! It really amazes me how much value photo mode adds to these games, at least for those interested in it.

I do wonder what drives this difference in approach. Is the developers version of the mode simply based off of their own in-house tools or do they develop it from the ground up? I suppose they also have to consider how to streamline the process in the name of accessibility. As is, my cinematographer brain is forced to do gymnastics when things like aperture have no actual effect on exposure. The nice thing about gaming in 2025 is there’s usually an update around the corner that might just address something bothersome 😄

@Metonymy Yep. When starting a new game, I occasionally check How Long to Beat and always think to myself, "Right, and then add four more hours if it's got a Photo Mode."

I think early Photo Modes were exactly that, a dev tool which they left on for a laugh. Outside of a few gimmicky examples in the PS3 era, I think they really took off when the PS4's DualShock came with a Share button. The first Photo Mode I ever properly engaged with, the one in which I most definitely caught the (shutter)bug, was Batman: Arkham Knight. Since that came with stuff like filters and whatnot, I'd imagine that was one of the first to have some effort put into it.

You're right, while I'm looking forward to seeing what Sucker Punch add to Ghost of Yōtei tomorrow, I'm sure it won't be the last opportunity for them to tinker with its Photo Mode. It's already leaps and bounds beyond the worst examples of the feature, so they can only make it better!

Quoted for truth. I'll always appreciate the inclusion of a Photo Mode no matter what, but in games this stunning they're an extra-special treat.

I'd love to see some of your shots, but only if you're up for sharing 'em!

So as not to derail the Ghost of Yōtei topic, I'll reply to your other paragraph elsewhere.

Wow! Tekezo the Unrivalled can f*** right off, thank you very much!

Probably best to not try and do what must be the hardest fight in the game when you've had around 2 weeks not really playing the game much, but I really thought I could do it. My parrying was improving knocking the rust off, my dodges fine, but he'd still spam an attack through a thrown weapon or a dodge that basically one hits you on hard mode and you can either die or revive and drink some sake trying to parry as he attacks instantly as you stand up in your animation 😂

I will have to leave this fight for now. I am incapable of beating him, I have to admit defeat. But hopefully it has sharpened my instincts and refreshed my mind of the controls by fighting this guy for half an hour or more 🙈

@Ravix I've waiting for people to start talking about this guy. honestly he kicked my ass for a while (his combos are just ridiculous) brought back to the Shadow of the Erdtree era lol. I have faith that you will beat him though

@Ravix [shamefully holds up hand to be counted as somebody who lowered the difficulty to "Story" and yet still died three times before managing to button-mash Takezo to death]

Having a single, semi-optional boss who kicks your butt no matter what seems to be a trend in recent action-adventure games. Heck, Jedi: Survivor had three of 'em.

If you want a tip from my best friend (who managed to defeat Takezo on "Normal" difficulty)...