As enjoyable as Ghost of Tsushima’s campaign was, I spent many more hours playing its Legends DLC with friends. It was a wonderful online co-op experience and I’ve been very much looking forward to seeing how Ghost of Yōtei puts its own twist on the formula. Fortunately, that wait isn’t much longer, as Sucker Punch has announced that Ghost of Yōtei Legends arrives on March 10 for free, along with patch 1.5. The online co-op mode will see players taking on supernatural versions of the Yōtei Six.
At launch, it will have three mission types. In Survival, players can team up with up to three others to take on waves of increasingly difficult enemies on one of four maps. Players will have to fight to control territory on each map, and once they control a location, they can activate a Blessing for an advantage. If they lose control, however, they’ll unleash a Curse, which puts their team at a disadvantage. Each map will feature its own unique Blessings and Curses.
The second mode is Story, which can be taken on in pairs. This mode has a series of a dozen missions, and after completing each set of three Story missions, the two players will face an Incursion. Each Incursion is a large-scale, four-player assault on a stronghold belonging to a member of the Yōtei Six. At the end of each Incursion is a boss fight featuring a giant version of the Spider, the Oni, the Kitsune, or the Snake. An additional mode will arrive in April, which is a Raid that puts players to the ultimate test against the Dragon and Lord Saito himself.
Players will get to choose from one of four classes in Ghost of Yōtei Legends: Samurai, Archer, Mercenary, or Shinobi. Any class is capable of using a katana and a ranged weapon, but each one will excel at different aspects of Ghost of Yōtei’s weapon and combat systems. For example, the Samurai uses the ōdachi and has access to the widest range of weapon types, while the Archer can use the yari and carry an additional weapon. Meanwhile, the Mercenary prefers dual katana and a variety of utility-focused abilities. Finally, the Shinobi can use the kusarigama and an assortment of stealth-focused skills.
Along with the co-op modes, Legends also brings a new lobby where players can practice their combat and archery, challenge friends to a game of Zeni Hajiki, or set a high score in Bamboo Strike. For the most part, I enjoyed Ghost of Yōtei earlier this year, but as I said in my review, its structure being so similar to Ghost of Tsushima really dampened the experience. It’s a very safe sequel, and works for those who just want more of Ghost of Tsushima. I’m hoping Ghost of Yōtei Legends at least innovates a bit over Ghost of Tsushima’s Legends.
