Summary
- More reactive NPCs with dynamic schedules can make Ghost of Yotei's villages feel alive and immersive.
- Villages in Ghost of Yotei should have unique aesthetics to differentiate them visually.
- Side quests impacting settlement progression can increase immersion and tie into the main narrative.
One of Ghost of Tsushima's most famous qualities is its stunning open world, as it offers players one of the most immersive experiences of feudal Japan's natural environments. However, the game's villages and settlements were a different story, leaving plenty of room for improvement. While towns like Komatsu Forge and Yarikawa have unique histories, they often feel static, with NPCs performing basic routines rather than truly living in the world, along with the fact that most of the game's villages feel just like the next in terms of aesthetics, layout, and design. Now, Ghost of Yotei has a chance to improve on that concept by introducing villages that feel more dynamic, reactive, and distinct.
In order to improve Ghost of Tsushima's settlements and villages, Ghost of Yotei will need to account for where they ultimately fell short and what modern gaming trends and design have proven is possible. Specifically, if Ghost of Yotei were to make its NPCs act more like real people, make each village feel and look different from the last, and potentially tie its narrative to each settlement's progression, the sequel to one of 2020's best games could outdo its predecessor and leave a lasting mark on the franchise.
Ghost of Yotei May Just Be a Detour in a Long Journey
While Ghost of Yotei may chart a new course, it could still lead back to familiar shores, shaping what’s next without defining the journey’s end.
How Ghost of Yotei Can Improve Tsushima's Villages
More Reactive NPCs and Dynamic Schedules Would Add Life and Movement
The heartbeat of any game world is its NPCs, who ultimately determine whether that world feels alive and moving or dead and static. Recently, games like Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 have proven the effect that featuring NPCs with real schedules and dynamic interactions can have on a game's world, so Ghost of Yotei implementing similar mechanics would undoubtedly do the same.
If Ghost of Yotei were to make its NPCs act more like real people, make each village feel and look different from the last, and potentially tie its narrative to each settlement's progression, the sequel to one of 2020's best games could outdo its predecessor and leave a lasting mark on the franchise.
In Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2, NPCs react to just about anything the player does. Ghost of Yotei could ensure its villages and settlements feel more alive by implementing similar mechanics that cause its NPCs to react in real-time to players beyond just a few lines of dialogue. Featuring NPCs with real schedules would be another great way for Ghost of Yotei to increase the immersion of its villages. If these NPCs were to be outside working during the day and asleep at night, Ghost of Yotei's world would truly feel inhabited.
Ghost of Yotei's Villages Should Be Visually Distinct From One Another
Another pitfall of Ghost of Tsushima's villages was their tendency to be too much like one another visually. While it makes sense for every village's architecture to share defining characteristics of the period, Ghost of Tsushima's settlements even followed a similar layout to one another, making each one feel like little more than a repeat of the last. Ghost of Yotei could avoid this by allowing geography and culture to play a part in the aesthetics and design of its settlements, with villages near water or mountains, for instance, changing the way each one is represented.
Introducing more verticality in Ghost of Yotei's settlements would be another great way to make each one feel distinct.
Side Quests Linked to Each Village's Progress Would Increase Immersion
Ghost of Tsushima's settlements offer players plenty of side quests to complete, but they mostly boil down to simple fetch quests more than anything else. Ghost of Yotei could improve this part of its predecessor's village design by introducing side quests that more deeply impact human settlements. For example, helping a village with a side quest in Ghost of Yotei could lead to its increased prosperity, thereby changing its appearance and gameplay opportunities over time. Players could even complete side quests for settlements that are more intimately connected to the overarching narrative, with their outcomes directly affecting the outcome of the main story.
If Ghost of Yotei takes advantage of this opportunity, it has the potential to feature settlements that feel more immersive, dynamic, and meaningful than those in Ghost of Tsushima. By making NPCs more reactive and increasing their movement, making villages more diverse in their layout and design, and linking settlement progression to side quests and the main narrative, the game could take its worldbuilding to new heights.
Ghost of Yotei
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OpenCritic Reviews
- Top Critic Avg: 87 /100 Critics Rec: 94%
- Released
- October 2, 2025
- ESRB
- Mature 17+ / Blood and Gore, Drug Reference, Intense Violence, Language, Partial Nudity, Use of Alcohol
- Developer(s)
- Sucker Punch
- Publisher(s)
- Sony Interactive Entertainment
WHERE TO PLAY
- Genre(s)
- Action, Adventure, Open-World
