Ghost of Yotei Praised in Japan for How Quintessentially Hokkaido It Feels

Released on October 2, Ghost of Yotei is quickly garnering praise from Japanese gamers who are busy exploring Sucker Punch’s depiction of 1600s Japan. Its choice of setting, picturesque scenery, and expansive map seem to be resonating with local residents, with the developers receiving plaudits for their detailed research and sense of style.

Sucker Punch’s standalone sequel to 2020’s award-winning Ghost of Tsushima moves the action to Ezo on Japan’s northernmost main island of Hokkaido. You play as Atsu, a warrior on a quest to take vengeance on the six men who slaughtered her family.

Overall, Ghost of Yotei’s scenery is getting a lot of praise from Japanese speaking commenters for its beauty, especially the titular Mount Yotei. However, one commenter, who apparently lives in Hokkaido, shared a photo of the real Mount Yotei, saying: “You were probably thinking they exaggerated its beauty for the game, right? But Mount Yotei really is a beautiful mountain. Please come and visit.”

In a follow-up post, they added that the developers’ decision to choose “Mount Yotei instead of (Hokkaido’s highest mountain) Daisetsuzan makes so much sense as a person born and raised in Hokkaido. Mount Yotei isn’t part of a mountain range, it stands alone, and that’s what gives it the ‘wow’ factor.”

https://twitter.com/rina_asami_w/status/1973604258655469969?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw

The view from the mountain in-game is also getting some love for being extremely beautiful, with one user sharing screenshots.

https://twitter.com/YusukeORTtype2/status/1975100964572197129?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw

Sharing an in-game screenshot featuring Mount Yotei, another user commented: “I live in Ezo but Ghost of Yotei is way more quintessentially Hokkaido than I could have imagined, lol. (…) Whether it is to scale or not, the fact that the entire map is Hokkaido is deeply moving.”

https://twitter.com/ngo_nyanko/status/1973441795892847049?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw

As a sidenote, map software company Zenrin got into the Ghost of Yotei spirit by sharing a real-life map of Ezo on its official X account to mark the game’s release.

https://twitter.com/ZENRIN_official/status/1973402585051914517?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw

Although Atsu’s story is serious, like in Ghost of Tsushima the game also gives the player plenty of opportunities to explore the beautiful landscapes, relax in hotsprings and interact with local fauna, such as foxes. Many Japanese comments point out how “cute” these animals and their movements are, such as the fox’s butt-wiggle reaction to your attempts to slice through bamboo, and the appearance of the Japanese long tailed tit, with users sharing a screenshot of the white bird perching on Atsu’s hand.

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However, as cute as these animals might be, one user warned players that petting foxes like Atsu can do is not a good idea in real life, as although it wasn’t an issue in the 1600s, the foxes in Hokkaido nowadays carry the parasitic disease echinococcosis, which can be passed to humans.

Ghost of Yotei’s opening title movie, which follows Atsu riding through the landscape at speed, also gained much praise and shares, with one Japanese language comment going so far as to say: “As expected, this game’s opening movie has surpassed all others.” Talking about the opening, another commenter added: “You’re galloping up the hill and then boom, Mt Yotei appears at its most beautiful. I take my hat off to the staff of Sucker Punch for their good taste and successful research. They really know how to hit the right note for Japanese audiences.” Others praised translation and voice acting aspects, saying that Ghost of Yotei has a “perfect localization for Japan.”

During the making of Ghost of Yotei, the developers took many research trips to Japan. Director Nate Fox previously talked about the team’s commitment to creating a respectful representation of Japan to match Sucker Punch’s previous work on Ghost of Tsushima. In fact, Fox and Jason Connel were made permanent tourism ambassadors to the real-life Tsushima in recognition of how Ghost of Tsushima has spread awareness of the place. As more people experience Ghost of Yotei, it will be interesting to see if it gets similar recognition.

Verity Townsend is a Japan-based freelance writer who previously served as editor, contributor and translator for the game news site Automaton West. She has also written about Japanese culture and movies for various publications.