thicc_girls_are_teh_best
Member
Just jumping in to give some thoughts as I (now) watch the SOP. From what I've been seeing online though reception seems a lot of "it's fine" with mention of it looking very iterative. There might be some truth to that, but I still have some thoughts & questions while watching:
Overall I think those saying it seems like a very "iterative" sequel are right, as that's the vibe I ultimately get. Iterative sequels are totally fine, but it's also been five years since the last game. At that point I think those expecting a more full-fledged sequel are within their right, and if an extra year to cook would've made Yotei that sequel, it'd of been worth it IMO. I still think what they have seems pretty neat though, and the game looks great visually, but it does seem to be a quite safe sequel all things considered. Scale-wise it also doesn't "feel" like it'll be much of a jump compared to the first game, and it's gonna be really hard to put in a single encounter that feels "heavy" in the way HFW: Burning Shore's final boss encounter was (still up there as a peak moment for current-gen IMHO).
A few of the questions I put forth earlier would hopefully have good answers to them and, if so, could make for a more transformative experience IMO, but I suspect the game doesn't implement the mechanics in the way I framed them, otherwise that'd of been mentioned in the SOP. I'm also not sure exactly how much of a visual showcase this is going to be for the PS5 Pro, outside of higher output resolution and frames. Games driven heavily on art style & aesthetic design like Yotei get a lot of headroom from even the base hardware, and SP have had a lot of time to optimize the engine even further ahead of release.
-They say you can freely explore Atsu's past with push of a button, so I'm thinking this is going to be a more involved game mechanic? Like, can I swap between her present & past while exploring locations she's been before (childhood village for example) dynamically in order to solve puzzles or do cool semi-platforming segments? That would be a lot more interesting than just a simple button prompt to trigger a cutscene of her past while walking around.
-Visually the artstyle is bloody stunning, but on a technical level I think AssCreed Shadows has this beat
-The cards Atsu draws as clues while playing, does that lead into any type of detective-like system where you need to actually analyze very specific clues in certain patterns or notice certain things, maybe read a pair of clues across two different cards in a certain time frame, to build up new clues and unlock different paths through the game (main quest & side missions)? Or is it more a window dressing thing or like the logs in Horizon games that give "clues" but mainly only exist to fill in backstory?
-Will it be possible for skilled players to sequence-break and speedrun the Yotei Six through mastering game systems & specific mechanics?
-Are all fights against the Yotei Six "just" 1v1 encounters in big open spaces, or will any of them have some puzzle-like elements and set piece-style moments (preferably with involved game mechanics) to bring in some variety?
-Being able to disarm enemies (and being disarmed yourself) is pretty cool, same with switching weapons & styles throughout combat. Though, these types of design choices should've been expected from a sequel.
-Some of the enemy AI in groups didn't seem that great. There's one part after Atsu discovers the leader on a brief mission segment while walking around on roofs, then jumps down to kill two maskless samurai. A third person is there too (masked), and he's easily within earshot plus close enough to have peripheral vision to notice the other two being killed, but he doesn't respond to any of it. Is that a one-off instance or indication of enemy AI throughout the game as a whole?
-The environments are beautiful and seem huge, but also seem kind of empty? Yeah you can do stuff like fishing or training cuts on bamboo chutes, and all that stuff, and find some optional side quests from NPCs, but there wasn't a strong sense you can do particularly much more in its open world vs. the first game
-Music sounds great but that shouldn't be a surprise
-Japanese audio & full lip sync from the get-go is a nice bonus
-The B&W Mode is probably the most impressive part the game visually for me. Definitely lets the art style shine.
-The Watanabe music tracks sound cool, but I dunno if it's a good fit with the game. I expect something more anime stylized with those type of tracks considering what Watanabe's worked on
Overall I think those saying it seems like a very "iterative" sequel are right, as that's the vibe I ultimately get. Iterative sequels are totally fine, but it's also been five years since the last game. At that point I think those expecting a more full-fledged sequel are within their right, and if an extra year to cook would've made Yotei that sequel, it'd of been worth it IMO. I still think what they have seems pretty neat though, and the game looks great visually, but it does seem to be a quite safe sequel all things considered. Scale-wise it also doesn't "feel" like it'll be much of a jump compared to the first game, and it's gonna be really hard to put in a single encounter that feels "heavy" in the way HFW: Burning Shore's final boss encounter was (still up there as a peak moment for current-gen IMHO).
A few of the questions I put forth earlier would hopefully have good answers to them and, if so, could make for a more transformative experience IMO, but I suspect the game doesn't implement the mechanics in the way I framed them, otherwise that'd of been mentioned in the SOP. I'm also not sure exactly how much of a visual showcase this is going to be for the PS5 Pro, outside of higher output resolution and frames. Games driven heavily on art style & aesthetic design like Yotei get a lot of headroom from even the base hardware, and SP have had a lot of time to optimize the engine even further ahead of release.
