It's impossible not to compare Assassin's Creed Shadows and Ghost of Yotei. The fact of the matter is that they have a lot in common: they're both stealth-action games set in feudal Japan. They both feature revenge-centric stories headed up by powerful warriors – although Yotei's protagonist, Atsu, isn't technically a samurai or shinobi herself, she decidedly borrows techniques from them.
But at the end of the day, AC Shadows and Ghost of Yotei are poised to be very different games about very similar subject matter. They're made by two very different dev studios, with very different approaches to map design, combat, and storytelling. The latest State of Play revealed quite a bit more about Ghost of Yotei, all of which seems to suggest that it's going to great lengths to distinguish itself from AC Shadows. Here are ten of the biggest differences we've seen between the two titles.
1 Ghost Of Yotei Has Just One Playable Character
VS AC Shadows' Two
Perhaps the most obvious difference between the two games is that Ghost of Yotei has just one playable character, Atsu, while AC Shadows has two, Naoe and Yasuke. Naoe and Yasuke represent two distinct fighting styles, with the former more focused on stealth, and the latter on more direct combat. Atsu will instead embody both styles, with her abilities varying based on her skills and layout.
In addition, Yotei's single playable character may suggest it'll have a more focused narrative. Where Yasuke's story was decidedly weaker than Naoe's in AC Shadows, Yotei is uniquely positioned to portray just one character's journey.
2 Ghost Of Yotei Has A Slightly Different Setting
A Different Part Of Feudal Japanese History
Although Ghost of Yotei and Assassin's Creed Shadows have fairly similar settings, there are some subtle differences that may make them feel very distinct. AC Shadows is set mostly in and around the Kansai region of central Japan: Kyoto, Kobe, and Osaka are featured prominently. It begins just over twenty years before the events of Yotei, in 1579.
By contrast, Ghost of Yotei is set far further north, in Japan's Hokkaido region. The game itself is named after Mount Yotei, a snow-capped volcano that frequently appears in trailers and other imagery from the game. That means we'll likely see a much cooler climate in Yotei – expect heavy snows and mild summers.
3 Different Approaches To Mapping & Exploration
Yotei Is More Immersive
AC Shadows employs a very typical Ubisoft–style open world, with a wide variety of activities spread throughout its map. Ghost of Yotei appears to take a much more organic approach to exploration, eschewing the usual point of interest-pockmarked map. Instead, you'll discover points of interest by spotting them in-game, or by listening to rumors from local NPCs. As a matter of fact, it won't have side activity map markers at all: you'll be solely responsible for locating your next mission.
Although exploring in AC Shadows does require a little more effort than in most Ubisoft games due to its scouting system, its map still provides a lot more information about what points of interest are available where. That makes it easier to level up, but does take away a bit from the wonders of free exploration.
4 AC Shadows Has A Different Weather System
Yotei Seems To Stay In One Season
Custom Image by Lee D'Amato
Assassin's Creed Shadows has a dynamic system of seasons, in which the weather of each location changes as time passes. The passage of seasons affects gameplay: you may no longer be able to hide beneath the surface of a pond when it freezes over, while thick foliage in spring may make it easier to crouch in tall grass.
5 Ghost Of Yotei Will Have A More Flexible Memory System
Vs. AC Shadows' Flashback Missions
Both Ghost of Yotei and AC Shadows put a lot of emphasis on memory. AC Shadows does so through structured flashbacks: you'll occasionally come across a mission that pulls you back in time, and forces you to play through a chapter of your character's history before returning to the game's present. Although interspersed with other sections of the story, these sections are largely linear.
Memories in Yotei, however, will unfold in a much more flexible and nonlinear way. You'll be able to jump freely between past and present during certain sections of the game, seeing the world through a younger Atsu's eyes, then returning at will. It's unclear exactly how this will work, but it appears to be a pretty unique storytelling mechanic.
6 Ghost Of Yotei Appears To Have Less Of A Focus On Parkour
AC Shadows Is All About Climbing & Jumping
Parkour is a central mechanic throughout the Assassin's Creed series, and Shadows is no exception. It has some of the fanciest footwork of the entire series: Naoe will do a backflip on a dime, use a grappling hook to quickly scale large distances, or deftly jump from narrow ledge to narrow ledge in the pursuit of stealth.
Ghost of Tsushima imitated Assassin's Creed parkour to a lesser extent – it's there, but decidedly less of a focus. Yotei appears to imitate that approach: Atsu has access to some parkour moves, and can use a grappling hook, too, but she's not quite as daring in her parkour as Naoe.
7 Ghost Of Yotei Will Have More Flexible, Fluid Combat
Building On Tsushima
A common complaint about AC Shadows is that, while its stealth gameplay is perfectly fine, its action combat suffers. It's too difficult when you're playing as Naoe, and too easy when you're playing as Yasuke; you're either cutting enemies down in a single strike, or having just the same done right back to you. If one approach isn't working, you have to leave the battlefield to switch characters, watch another loading screen, come back, and start all over.
Ghost of Yotei will have a much more fluid combat system. Although its core mechanics are very similar, with a sort of parry-riposte and different weapon strengths and weaknesses at its core, Atsu will be able to swap weapons and techniques much more easily in the heat of battle. If one fighting style isn't working, simply switch it up at the press of a button.
8 Ghost Of Yotei Will Have A Unique Camping System
"Let The Game Come To You"
Ghost of Yotei has a unique camping system unlike anything I've seen in any other game. While it's not unheard of for games to include a camping mechanic, allowing characters to rest and prepare for whatever challenges lie ahead, Yotei puts a unique spin on this common feature by allowing NPCs to visit you at camp. They'll present you with various sidequests and other intel, so you don't always have to seek them out; to borrow the phrasing used by the game's developers put it during the recent State of Play, the game will come to you.
This will bolster its player-centered exploration in a unique way. Miss a landmark or an NPC, never to return to the region? They just might pay you a visit back at camp later.
9 Ghost Of Yotei Uses A Dynamic Progression System
The Player's Actions Forge Their Path Forward
AC Shadows has a pretty typical progression system: you earn skill points by completing various in-game activities, then spend them on skills divided into various branches of a skill tree. It works fine, and makes for very intuitive character customization, but it's not the most exciting way to develop a character. You've certainly seen its ilk before.
10 Ghost Of Yotei Wears Its Influences On Its Sleeve
Kurosawa, Miike, & Watanabe Modes
Both AC Shadows and Ghost of Yotei wear their inspirations on their sleeves. They draw quite a bit on classic samurai movies, as well as the westerns in turn based on those same samurai movies. This manifests itself in different ways: AC Shadows will sometimes borrow camera angles, or music cues, or plot beats from one of its inspirations.
Yotei goes a step further, though, allowing players to play in one of two modes that imitate the stylistic markings of different iconic samurai movie directors: a wide-angle, black-and-white filter for Akira Kurosawa, and a close-up, extra-bloody mode for Takashi Miike. Playing in its unique Shinichiro Watanabe mode will allow players to listen to a variety of different lo-fi music tracks as they play, similar to those used in the anime Samurai Champloo. These unique modes and the visual styles they emulate are just one more way that Ghost of Yotei is different from Assassin's Creed Shadows.
Source: PlayStation/YouTube
