Japan Aesthetic

... • modern Japanese fashion illustration aesthetic • luxury anime editorial composition... analysis • magazine contact sheet aesthetic • multiple camera angles • ...photography • premium Japanese fashion magazine aesthetic • natural studio lighting • ...modern Tokyo fashion editorial • Vogue Japan style editorial • Harper’s Bazaar ... analysis • magazine contact sheet aesthetic • multiple camera angles • ...

... rendering • modern Japanese fashion illustration aesthetic • luxury anime editorial compositionAvoid: • photorealistic... styling analysis • magazine contact sheet aesthetic • multiple camera angles • dense ... photography • premium Japanese fashion magazine aesthetic • natural studio lighting • cinematic shadows... • modern Tokyo fashion editorial • Vogue Japan style editorial • Harper’s Bazaar style...

... of colour, enhancing the overall aesthetic. Designed with practicality in mind... features for visibility Manufactured in Japan, this watch is a testament...

... realm of the dead in Japan. It hadn't even looked impressive... university's exchange program, here in Japan to talk with coders and ... if designed with a horror aesthetic, so I made notes, even .... It all looked fit for Japan prior to the 18th​ century, ... male divinity who helped create Japan. That meant… "You're Izanami?" I ...

... the west as opposed to Japan`s. It`s a High... fair game. High school in Japan, is at the intersection of "... is a culture with different aesthetic sensibilities, we have to air ...

... all from different versions of Japan," he said quietly, staring at... destruction, they really nailed the aesthetic. Ten out of ten for ...

... appropriate for the lavish, extravagant aesthetic of the city, not for... like Africa? Zamesi? Asia like Japan? it would be cool to... have a Jedi around Japan. Maybe he meets Katana. Discord...

... on Reddit and communities in Japan and Korea. My playtime is..., suddenly shifting to a fantasy aesthetic that doesn't fit the rest ...

... up when you’re driving around Japan. This can hurt performance a... Motion Blur Quality are entirely aesthetic choices. Neither one is going...

... same time. lol The cyberpunk aesthetic, music, and overall vibe are... this Anime film got in Japan to even the mild fanfare...

... the OWCS Champion Clash in Japan, or step back to learn... year, and it’s happening in Japan from May 22-24, in partnership .... And don’t let the adorable aesthetic trick you; Domina, Zarya, Mercy, ...

... map illustration. ​ [VISITED_COUNTRIES]: South Korea, Japan, China, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Macau...vector graphic, premium editorial infographic aesthetic, Swiss modernist design language, museum... random multicolor appearance - infographic-for-kids aesthetic ​ Use a restrained premium ink-inspired..., premium infographic composition, minimal luxury aesthetic, print-ready vector appearance. ​ TYPOGRAPHY: add...

... night vibe - 80s/90s Japan was colorful with lights, advertising.... This could really reinforce the aesthetic in game. For ex. Jet...

... the expansive entrance continue this aesthetic. (Strollers and wheelchairs are rented... Alien, drawing largely from hyper-modern Japan for the colony design…which ...

... Catholic aesthetic, and Catholicism is one of the bigger branches in Japan insert...

... to Zootopia ride in Tokyo Japan Disney, bring back the Germany... Disney's much loved "fairy tale" aesthetic. Kind of like Space Mountain...

... aside from very few foreign aesthetic things that they like (mostly... in the real world outside japan don't do well, although anime... do decently well. Zack312 said: Japan simple just like European culture... nations. When war ended and Japan lost, the country was devastated... American companies doing business in japan in the 60's and 70's ...

... themes purely as an aesthetic. Christianity is uncommon in Japan, so it's showcased...

... Japan from his childhood but wanted to keep a "feudal ninja" aesthetic...

... Sylvian's literate and seductive crooning. Japan were a singular force that.... While Sylvian would carry the aesthetic torch with his work in ...

... Again, my critique of Japan is: There are not enough ...trails (or "tracks" in Japan) to provide powder skiing for .... The only benefit to Japan is the frequent refreshes during ... superior ski experience in Japan simply due to the terrain ... my AT Gear to Japan, not to the Alps. Overall, ...Would I go back to Japan? Yes! In a heartbeat! I ... The culture, the food, the aesthetic, the vibe, etc. Honshu is ...

... help but think about how Japan treats that sort of gayness... adults, or serious. And well, Japan is very big on hammering... view of lesbian relationships in Japan. However, that does not apply... like how Japan views and treats Christianity. It's seen as an aesthetic and... with things the rest of japan kinda just... isn't.

... of Uncle Sam's representive to Japan But the pièce is still...? Verdict: I like the modern aesthetic, everything worked and was in ...

Game Title: FORZA HORIZON 6 Platforms: Xbox Series X | S (May 19, 2026) PC (May 19, 2026) PlayStation 5 (2026, TBD) Trailers: Forza Horizon 6 - Official Gameplay Teaser Trailer Forza Horizon 6 – Official Launch Trailer Developer: Playground Games Reviews aggregates: OpenCritic: 92 / 100 - 100% Critics Recommend Metacritic: 91 / 100 Some Reviews (updating): IGN - Luke Reilly - 10 / 10 Technically, Forza Horizon 6 has not skipped a beat, and it runs like a titan. Aesthetically, it’s the best-looking and best-sounding game Playground has produced to date, set in the most wonderfully realised map it’s ever crafted – full of dense, authentic details and stunning driving roads. It’s rewarding to explore, the campaign is well-paced with a great payoff, and I simply cannot stop playing. I’ll always concede Forza Horizon 3 may forever be my favourite open-world racer, because who doesn’t love driving around their own backyard, but make no mistake: Forza Horizon 6 is unequivocally the best. The new standard in open-world racing is here, and it’s a gundamn masterpiece. Eurogamer - Dom Peppiatt - 5 / 5 Forza Horizon exists at the intersection between simulation and arcade. There have been missteps along the way, where the balance has thrown out to either side, but here, in Japan, Playground Games has the traction, the momentum, and the confidence to barrel through the finish line apace, hitting all the corners and nailing all the lines. This is Forza Horizon at its most powerful: with broad appeal and niche specialty, overclocking the fun factor whilst adding depth to its most finicky mechanics. The Japanese backdrop came at the perfect time; a beautiful accompaniment to a beautiful game. It's taken 14 years to get here, but I think Forza Horizon 6 finally delivers on the promises the original game made, way back in October 2012. Radio Times - Rob Leane - 5 / 5 Turn 10 Studios have mastered the art of creating these giant sandbox environments, stuffing them with varied things to do, and letting you loose in a staggering array of different vehicles to just have fun. Tune the radio to your favourite music genre, start your engines, and let yourself enjoy it. Giant Bomb -Jeff Grubb - 5 / 5 In a lot of ways, this is my ideal video game. Becoming one with the controller and the vehicle in a drop-dead-gorgeous setting that essentially never runs out of content? It’s almost perfect, and I think it’s fair to use that word for the craft that is on display in Forza Horizon 6. VGC - Chris Scullion - 5 / 5 Forza Horizon 5 was already an exceptional racing game, but Forza Horizon 6 takes everything up a notch to deliver an even more engaging, entertaining and all-encompassing experience. There's an absolute wealth of racing, exploring and collecting to do here, and that's before the inevitable live-service updates start adding even more content. Few games are as essential as this. Dexerto - Joe Pring - 5 / 5 Horizon’s sixth entry is such a triumph on almost every conceivable level that it’s difficult to imagine how Playground will be able to refine the series’ quality further than it already has. Barring wonky building systems that, thankfully, can be completely ignored, this isn’t just the quintessential Horizon game. Playground’s newest racer sets the benchmark for fun-first racing that’s almost obsessive in how accessible it makes itself to any type of player without anything getting lost in translation. Playground has spent 16 years refining Horizon’s formula into something remarkably frictionless, and Horizon 6 feels like the first time every piece fully clicks into place. Forza Horizon 6 doesn’t just bring the series to Japan. It finally brings Horizon home after a journey that started in Colorado, and the result is one of the best racing games of all time. Nexus Hub - Sam Aberdeen - 10 / 10 Forza Horizon 6 blends spectacle with endlessly satisfying arcade racing, a vibrant Japan setting, and an unbridled sense of fun - it doesn't reinvent the Horizon formula, but Playground Games still knows how to build the ultimate festival racer. MondoXbox - Davide Mapelli - 10 / 10.0 Forza Horizon 6 accomplishes an extraordinary feat: improving upon a formula that was already close to perfection. Playground Games elevates the experience with a stunning, massive map of Japan, refined mechanics, and endless content. It’s a majestic racing game and a true masterpiece that will keep players engaged for years to come. An absolute must-play for any racing fan. GAMINGbible - Richard Lee Breslin - 10 / 10 Out of all the gorgeous places this series has taken us, Japan was always a frequent request across social media, and now that wish has come true. On top of that, the gameplay is divine, and the content that the game has now, and perhaps what’s to come, might just keep us entertained until the arrival of the next entry and beyond, wherever that may take us. We may only be in April, but I’d be surprised if anything pips Forza Horizon 6 as the best racing game of 2026. Stevivor - Jam Walker - 9.5 / 10.0 Despite [a] handful of quibbles, I still find Forza Horizon 6 to be an utter joy. Drifting down lush mountainous woodlands to a stunningly radiant coastal fishing village while Rydeen plays is an absolutely singular experience. Gamer Social Club - Mark Pell - 9.5 / 10.0 An exceptional, breathtaking world that players will be kept busy in for years, Forza Horizon 6 is one of 2026s best games and one of the best racing games ever created. Game Informer - Brian Shea - 9.25 / 10 There’s always a moment early on in the Forza Horizon games when everything just clicks. Though that moment came a bit later for me in this sixth entry, by the time the game opened up, revealing its broad collection of offerings, I was absolutely hooked. Even for a series built on delivering approachable racing action that appeals to both newcomers and hardcore players, Forza Horizon 6 impresses at each turn, delivering one of the greatest racing games of this generation. Console Creatures - Luke Williams - 9 / 10.0 Playground Games revs its engines on yet another Forza Horizon experience that is both safe and still committed to racing ahead at the pace of good game development in one of its most beautiful settings yet. GamesRadar - Justin Towell - 4 / 5 If there was a bit of personality on show from the rival drivers, more action in the racing to make it less of a procession, a little more resistance in the trackside obstacles and Flatout 4-style deformation tech for the crashes, this would likely be the best racing game ever made. As it is, while it plays the racing too safe to be essential for racing game aficionados, even they will undoubtedly take much enjoyment from the sheer high quality of this game. It is amazing. PC Gamer - Phil Savage - 84 / 100 Ultimately, Forza Horizon 6's only competitor is the previous Forza Horizon games—itself a scary thought given the regularity with which Microsoft removes them from sale. While I'd love for the series to flex its creativity a bit more, that desire doesn't dampen my deep appreciation for what Forza Horizon 6 does achieve. submitted by /u/ChiefLeef22 to r/gaming [link] [comments]

artist possibly one of my favorite Space marine Fan Chapters ever (hell my favorite take on the concept of "lost Primarchs") as they are not a Typical Space Marine Legion (infact they're quite unorthodox) But they fill a specific niche like all the other Legions That being "Combat Medic" they are the support of the legion and i love that their Designs Reflect that heavily from the very "Frilly girly pink" look they got to the hearts and just how friendly they look in comparison to most of the Marines they are heavily anime themed (especially since their homeworld is inspired by Japan and its anime) and you can feel that magical girl type influence they have i also like how Subverting the typical Male Primarch their Primarch is a girl adding onto that Motherly friendly face that they have i also like that they are kinda Reverse Space Wolves which while the Space wolves are hardcore Viking warriors with wolf themes (and some wolf features) the Space Maids are very friendly and have cat themes throughout (and both would definitely piss off the Inquisition with their actions) hell they even have something akin to the space wolves ale that being literal Catnip weed that is EXTREMELY potent (just like the ale) their successors and Traitorous offshoots also have their own aesthetics going on while still blending into that Space Maid mold that they spawned from (i also like that despite their friendly face they will still put belt to ass whenever they want after all they are still Space Marines) i do like how they evolved the joke concept of Space Marine Maids in pretty dresses who serve people food and actually give them enough lore to be kinda Legit and you can take them Somewhat Serious (at least as Seriously as you can be with Neko Super Soldier Maids) Overall i love these guys from the design to how they are lore wise submitted by /u/Able_Health744 to r/TopCharacterDesigns [link] [comments]

I usually stationery store hop before this submitted by /u/fetusnecrophagist to r/Journaling [link] [comments]

This is what happens when you set your series in 1920s Japan. (Pretty big spoilers for Demon Slayer's ending ahead, do not click the spoiler boxes) Demon Slayer concludes roughly in the year 1925. 2 years later, the Military Service Law of 1927 would go into effect, mandating that all men age 20 register for military service. The Demon Slayer characters end the series in their teens (15-17). By 1931, all of them would be eligible to drafted and considering they're literally the most physically fit people on the planet, there'd be little reason for them to be exempted from military service. (with the exception of Tanjiro who lost an eye and has a crippled arm) This implies a nightmarish scenario where characters like Zenitsu and Inosuke are slaughtering Manchu civilians and committing atrocities in the name of the Emperor with their superpowered breathing techniques. This is basically the main pitfall with historical fiction. When your story is set in the real world, you can't avoid the implications of real world historical events. Another historical fiction manga, Golden Kamuy, involves the Ainu people (the native residents of Hokkaido, Japan's northernmost island) and their fight to preserve their culture against Japanese encroachment. The series ends on hopeful note saying the Ainu culture, with the help of the Japanese, was preserved thanks to the actions of the main characters. This is at best cope, and at worst a bold faced lie. The last native speaker of the Ainu language died in 2021. The language is functionally extinct. The Japanese didn't fail to assimilate the Ainu, they succeeded and their culture has been effectively wiped out. The happy ending of Golden Kamuy rings hollow thanks to real world context. Most countries have ugly histories, and when your story is a period piece set in one of those ugly eras of history, your story can't avoid the implications. You can't make big alterations to history or else it ceases to be period piece, so you have to write around the history as best you can. It's why these days, neo-historical settings like Space Westerns are more popular, because you can dodge all the uncomfortable real world implications while still being able to use all of the tropes and aesthetics of the historical setting. submitted by /u/carbonera99 to r/CharacterRant [link] [comments]

submitted by /u/jjrs to r/japannews [link] [comments]

Designer : Japanese architect Hiroyuki Wakabayashi. Original fleet is deep blue . submitted by /u/SevenSharp to r/RetroFuturism [link] [comments]

submitted by /u/n3xus1oN to r/bizarrebuildings [link] [comments]

Open Use Notice: Everything in this guide is free to use, share, adapt, or build on in any way you like. The only thing I'd ask is that you mention it came from our community, r/ProgressionFantasy. This is where it started, and that's worth remembering. All views presented are my own, shaped by years of personal reading and experience. Cross-reference, form your own opinions, and don't take any of this as gospel. TL;DR: Wuxia is about moral choices, not kung fu. Xianxia is about becoming something inhuman, not leveling up. Xuanhuan is that third category you didn't know existed — most "cultivation novels" you've read are actually this. And "face" is not ego, it's social currency in an anarchic world. This post covers all of that, plus a full glossary, book recs, and a breakdown of sect structures, economic systems, and cultivation paths as design tools for writers. Fair warning: this got long. I kept trying to cut stuff and kept going "no wait, you need this context." Get some tea. Intro I've been lurking on r/ProgressionFantasy for a while now, and I keep seeing the same questions. What's Xianxia? What's Wuxia? What's a Dantian? Why do some cultivation novels feel completely different from others? So here's the thing — I'm Chinese. Born and raised. I grew up on the 1986 Journey to the West TV series. Every kid in China watched that show. It holds some kind of world record for reruns during summer break. After that came Investiture of the Gods — gods, demons, Daoists, and Buddhists all fighting across three realms during the fall of the Shang Dynasty. Back then I didn't know any of this had a genre name. It was just the air you breathed growing up. Wuxia meant Jin Yong and Gu Long. In middle school, everyone passed around Jin Yong novels under their desks during class. The teacher would confiscate one, you'd borrow another copy the same afternoon. Gu Long came later, during that teenage phase when you think brooding loners are the coolest thing alive. Jin Yong writes about how a person stands firm in a chaotic world. Gu Long writes about how a person survives loneliness. Two completely different flavors of the same genre. Then came the internet era and web novels exploded. From the earliest ones like Zhu Xian and A Record of a Mortal's Journey to Immortality, to later hits like Battle Through the Heavens, Shrouding the Heavens, and A Will Eternal — I lived through the entire arc of Chinese web fiction, from its wild west days to full industrialization. So this post is my attempt to lay out everything I can think of, from someone who grew up inside all of this. Not an encyclopedia — more like a tour guide. I'll walk you through, point out what matters and why, and you decide where to stop and look closer. I'm sure I'm missing things, but I'll try to cover every important piece I can. Quick disclaimer: Everything below is my personal take. I'm not an academic. I'm not a professor. I'm a reader and writer who grew up marinating in these stories. Everyone has their own angle on this stuff — this is mine. If you see things differently, tell me in the comments. We learn from each other. This guide is written for two groups: readers (you want to know what you're reading and what to read next) and writers (you want to know how big this toolbox is and how to use it). I. Where This All Comes From — You Already Know More Than You Think Before we get into Wuxia and Xianxia proper, here's something worth pointing out: a lot of you have already encountered this stuff. You just didn't know it. The training system in Dragon Ball? Toriyama borrowed the skeleton from Chinese wuxia. Qi, martial techniques, master-disciple lineages, martial tournaments — all wuxia bones. The four-element bending system in Avatar: The Last Airbender? The martial arts driving each bending style are all Chinese kung fu (Tai Chi, Baguazhang, Hung Gar, Northern Shaolin), and the energy system runs on qi and meridians — though the four elemental categories themselves aren't directly from Daoist Wuxing. Naruto's chakra system? Chinese meridian theory, filtered through Indian yoga, then shipped to Japan. Even the word "cultivation" becoming a thing in the English PF community — that only happened because so many Chinese web novels got translated and there was no existing English word for what the characters were doing. So the community had to invent a usage. Chinese storytelling goes way back — Song Dynasty oral tales, Yuan Dynasty plays, Ming and Qing Dynasty epic novels. But you don't need a full literary history lesson. What you need to know is this: China has been telling stories with an industrial base for over a thousand years, and from the very beginning, it was pulling from multiple sources. Daoism gave cultivation fiction its skeleton — internal alchemy, talismans, formations, ascending to immortality. Buddhism brought in reincarnation, karma, the six realms, and the concept of tribulations — when you see "Heavenly Tribulation" or "karmic debt" or "transcending tribulation to ascend" in a xianxia novel, the roots are Buddhist. Even some religions you wouldn't expect left traces: Zoroastrianism entered China during the Tang Dynasty, and elements of light-vs-darkness dualism and sacred fire worship seeped into Chinese narrative tradition. The Ming Cult in Jin Yong's The Heaven Sword and Dragon Saber comes directly from Manichaeism (which shares deep roots with Zoroastrianism) — their fire worship is preserved intact in the novel. Nestorianism (an early Eastern branch of Christianity) also arrived during the Tang. Some of its concepts — like a "final judgment" style of ultimate reckoning — may have indirectly influenced the logic of "Heavenly punishment" in later narratives, though that chain of influence is harder to trace. Beyond these big philosophical and religious traditions, regional folk culture from different parts of China fed a massive amount of material into cultivation fiction. Miao border-region Gu sorcery (巫蛊术 — cultivating venomous insects to harm or control people) became "Gu Cultivators" (蛊修) in xianxia — a fully independent cultivation branch with its own rules and aesthetics. Western Hunan corpse-driving (赶尸术 — legends of making the dead walk home for burial) evolved into all kinds of corpse cultivation and corpse-refining settings. Then there's Maoshan Daoism, Southeast Asian-influenced sorcery (降头术), folk exorcism and demon-hunting traditions... each of these regional folk beliefs and practices came with its own rule system, its own taboos, its own visual style. Plenty of xianxia novels weave these regional elements into their world-building — maybe a sect's core technique descends from ancient Miao Gu arts, or a faction's signature skill is actually corpse-driving reimagined for a cultivation world. This gives xianxia a kind of cultural density that other genre fiction struggles to replicate — it didn't grow from one unified system. It grew from dozens of local traditions across different regions, different ethnic groups, different corners of China. Journey to the West is the best example of all these streams merging: a Buddhist pilgrimage story, starring a stone monkey who cultivated through Daoist practices, fighting demons from every tradition, in a world where Buddhist and Daoist heavenly courts run side by side. The "throw anything in" freedom you see in modern web novels? That wasn't invented by modern authors. It's been this way for a thousand years. Just as Western fantasy has a throughline from King Arthur to Tolkien to Sanderson, Chinese narrative tradition has a throughline from Journey to the West and Investiture of the Gods to Jin Yong to today's web novels. The difference is that China's line was blending different philosophical and religious systems from day one, so the toolbox was always bigger. And here's the scale part: Qidian (China's largest web novel platform) alone has roughly ten times the number of active serials as all of Royal Road. What does that volume mean? It means every niche you can imagine, every narrative experiment, every system design variant — someone in the Chinese web novel world has already tried it. The toolbox in front of you is bigger than you think. II. Wuxia — "Xia" Matters a Hundred Times More Than "Wu" Most Western readers naturally focus on the "Wu" part of Wuxia — combat, martial arts, kung fu. Fair enough. That's the most visible piece. But if you're willing to look one layer deeper, there's something interesting going on. "Xia" is the real soul of Wuxia. What Is Xia? Xia ≠ hero. Xia ≠ knight. Xia ≠ paladin. Xia is a behavioral choice: a person with power, in an unjust world, chooses to use that power to do what's right — even when it costs them. Jin Yong wrote a line in The Legend of the Condor Heroes that basically defines the ultimate value of the entire genre: "为国为民，侠之大者。" "To serve the nation and its people — that is what makes a true hero." Looks simple. But the entire wuxia genre can be read as a relentless interrogation of that sentence. What counts as "the nation"? What counts as "the people"? What if the nation itself is unjust? What if protecting the people means turning against your own master? Gu Long went in a completely different direction. His version of Xia doesn't care about nations or grand causes. It cares about how one person keeps their soul intact in a world that's lonely and absurd. Gu Long's protagonists are always drinking, making friends, losing friends. Li Xunhuan (from Sentimental Swordsman, Ruthless Sword) has tuberculosis, is arguably the best fighter alive, and spends his entire life paying the cost of good deeds he's already done. Jin Yong's wuxia is worldly — it cares about society, justice, the fate of nations. Gu Long's wuxia is solitary — it cares about loneliness, friendship, existence. Both are wuxia. That's how wide this genre really is. Jianghu: The Wuxia World Engine "Jianghu" literally means "rivers and lakes." What it actually means is a parallel social order running underneath official society. In the wuxia world, there are courts, officers, laws. But wuxia characters don't live in that world. They live in the Jianghu — a parallel society with its own rules, its own factional hierarchies, its own system of debts and blood feuds. This concept alone is a complete world-building kit. You don't need to invent a magic system. You just need to ask: What does the underground layer of this society look like? Who has power there? What are the rules? What happens when you break them? If you're a writer, think about it this way: Jianghu is the "second society." In Sanderson terms, it's your world's second magic system — except this one doesn't run on energy. It runs on favors owed and grudges held. What Combat Actually Does in Wuxia Here's something a lot of Western readers miss: In good wuxia, martial arts aren't the point. They're the vehicle. Fight scenes don't exist to show who's stronger. They're narrative engines: - A duel between two characters is actually a collision between two philosophies of life - Learning a new technique doesn't mean "leveling up." It means understanding something - The lineage of martial techniques through sects is really about loyalty and betrayal between masters and students The best fight Jin Yong ever wrote — Qiao Feng fighting a hundred men alone at Juxian Manor in Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils — isn't about Qiao Feng being strong. It's about a man who just learned the truth about his identity, who's been abandoned by everything he believed in, choosing to face everyone alone. The fists are the action. The story is identity and choice. If you're thinking about writing in this space, a few things worth keeping in mind: - Wuxia's central conflict isn't "beat a stronger boss." It's moral dilemma — what's the cost of doing the right thing? - The power system can be dead simple (internal energy + techniques). Complexity comes from relationships and jianghu politics - Don't measure wuxia characters by "level." Measure them by the choices they make - Wuxia's closest Western parallel isn't fantasy — it's closer to noir, hardboiled detective fiction, and 1970s kung fu films - Recommended study: Jin Yong's Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils, The Smiling, Proud Wanderer; Gu Long's Sentimental Swordsman, Ruthless Sword, Legend of Chu Liuxiang III. Xianxia — Less Power System, More "What Am I Becoming?" If wuxia asks "how does a person live in an unjust world," xianxia asks "can a person become something that isn't human?" The literal meaning of "修仙" (xiuxian): to cultivate toward immortality. Not getting stronger. Not fighting bigger enemies. It's about transforming yourself from a mortal being into a different kind of existence. This is one of the sharpest differences between xianxia and a lot of Western progression fantasy. Take Cradle as an example — Lindon goes through deep changes over the series. The arm fusion, the soul mutations — real transformations. But they're mostly changes in what he can do. In good xianxia, a realm breakthrough hits deeper than that. How the character experiences time shifts. Their relationship with mortals changes. What "death" even means to them changes. Not a stronger version of the same person. Something else wearing the same face. That's what "修" (xiu) actually means. You're not improving. You're turning into something else. Daoist Internal Alchemy: Where It All Started Xianxia's cultivation system wasn't invented by web novel authors. It has a real philosophical foundation: Daoist internal alchemy (Neidan, 内丹学). Here's what Neidan looks like: Three Treasures: Jing, Qi, Shen (精、气、神) - Jing (Essence) — base life energy, bound to the physical body - Qi — flowing energy, tied to breath and meridians - Shen (Spirit) — consciousness, awareness, the spiritual Three Dantians: - Lower Dantian (abdomen) — stores Jing - Middle Dantian (chest) — processes Qi - Upper Dantian (between the eyebrows) — condenses Shen Four Stages of Transformation: 1. Refining Essence into Qi — converting bodily energy into flowing energy 2. Refining Qi into Spirit — converting flowing energy into spiritual power 3. Refining Spirit into Void — dissolving individual consciousness back into emptiness 4. Merging Void with the Dao — becoming one with the fundamental principle of reality Notice the pattern? You never "get more" of anything. Every step replaces what you were with something new. That's why calling xianxia a "leveling system" misses the point entirely. Most web novels simplify this system. 99% of xianxia novels use a single dantian (the lower one) and reduce the whole process to "absorb energy, break through, get stronger." Authors know the full system exists — they're cutting it down on purpose. Serialization demands simpler systems. Readers need to keep up without getting lost. But the best xianxia authors know how deep the original system goes, and they selectively pull from it. A side note — orthodox Daoism has a bunch of concepts that get borrowed by web novels but rarely understood correctly. Like "Wu Wei" (无为) — it doesn't mean "do nothing." It means "don't force against natural law." This shows up in a lot of high-level breakthrough designs: the harder you try to break through, the more you fail. Or "Yin and Yang" (阴阳) — not a good-vs-evil binary, but two forces that exist simultaneously in everything and are constantly transforming into each other. That's why some cultivation systems have a principle of "extreme Yang births Yin" — cultivate to the extreme and you have to face your own opposite. And the Five Elements cycle (五行相生相克) — not just "fire beats metal." It's a circular system of checks and balances. Good authors use it to design factional dynamics and counter-relationships between sects, not just as an elemental attribute table. Qi vs Qi (气 vs 炁) I mentioned this in a previous reply, but it's worth saying properly. The "Qi" (气) most xianxia novels use isn't actually the same concept as what Daoist classics talk about. The classic texts use "炁" — same pronunciation, different character. 气 (qi) — breath, air, generalized energy. You can sense it, direct it, quantify it. 炁 (qi) — Primordial Qi. The original essence from before Yin and Yang separated. Can't be quantified, can't be stored. Can only be experienced through transformation. Most web novels use 气 because it's easy to understand, easy to write with, easy to build stat systems around. But some of the more literary xianxia novels use the concept of 炁, and you can feel the difference — cultivation in those stories doesn't feel like "charging a battery." It feels like molting. Side note for anyone building a cultivation system: you don't need to use 炁 to write well. But knowing this distinction exists helps. If your cultivation system feels like "numbers going up" instead of "qualitative change," the reason might be here — you're using 气 logic (accumulable energy) instead of 炁 logic (irreversible transformation). Cultivation Paths — Each Path Comes With Its Own Character Design Xianxia isn't one road. Chinese web fiction has developed a huge number of branching paths, each with its own logic, its own costs, its own narrative flavor: Body Cultivation (体修) — Refining the physical body. Minimal dantian work, minimal meditation. You torture your body through extreme methods until it becomes something else. Pain is the progress bar. Soul Cultivation (魂修) — Advancing through Spiritual Sea (识海, a mental space). Power manifests in spiritual forms — illusions, mental attacks, consciousness invasion. Sword Cultivation (剑修) — Binding your entire cultivation to a single sword. Person and sword become one. The sword is the dantian. Extreme focus traded for extreme attack power. Spirit Cultivation (灵修) — The "standard" path. Using dantian and meridians to circulate spiritual energy. The default mode for most xianxia novels. Formation Cultivation (阵修) — Cultivating through building and understanding formations. Not personal combat power — it's spatial control and rule manipulation. Here's the thing that matters: which path you pick for your MC directly determines where the narrative gravity of your book sits. Body cultivation stories naturally lean toward physical limits and willpower. Soul cultivation stories lean toward psychological horror and consciousness exploration. Sword cultivation stories lean toward focus and sacrifice. This isn't just "swapping abilities" — it's changing the entire tone of the book. The Real Problem with Realm Design Every Western author who wants to write xianxia spends a lot of time naming their realms. Qi Condensation, Foundation Building, Core Formation, Nascent Soul... The names don't matter. What matters is: what does your character give up at each step? In the original Neidan process, each transformation from Jing to Qi to Shen is irreversible. You're not upgrading. You're abandoning part of who you used to be in exchange for a new form of existence. The best xianxia novels preserve this: a breakthrough rewrites what you are. You gain abilities you never had, sure — but you also burn away things you can't get back. Your connection to mortals. Certain emotions. The option of going home. If your realm system is just "numbers go up each level," it's closer to a Progression Fantasy that happens to use an Eastern aesthetic — which is totally fine. Lots of very successful novels do exactly that. But knowing the difference helps you see what kind of design choice you're making. IV. Xuanhuan — Half the "Xianxia" You've Read Is Actually This Alright. Here's something most Western readers have no idea about: A lot of the "cultivation novels" you've read on WuxiaWorld and WebNovel aren't xianxia. They're xuanhuan. Xuanhuan (玄幻) literally means "mysterious fantasy." It's a broader category: it can have cultivation, it can have levels, it can have Eastern elements, but the core doesn't necessarily root itself in the Daoist system. Battle Through the Heavens? Leans xuanhuan. Soul Land? Xuanhuan. Coiling Dragon? Xuanhuan. Martial Universe? Xuanhuan. These novels all have cultivation systems and realm progression, but their systems have a weaker connection to Daoist internal alchemy. Their cultivation mechanics are largely author-original — they use "Battle Qi" (斗气) instead of "Spiritual Qi" (灵气), and their world-building often blends in Western fantasy elements. (Of course, the boundaries between these categories are always blurry — lots of novels have both xianxia and xuanhuan elements. Think of it as a spectrum, not boxes.) Why does this distinction matter? Because if you bring xianxia expectations to a xuanhuan novel, something feels off. You go "why doesn't this cultivation have any Daoist feel? Why does this system feel so gamey?" Answer: because it was never xianxia to begin with. The flip side: if you're writing a story that has cultivation elements but doesn't want to root itself in Daoist principles — congratulations, you're writing xuanhuan. Nothing wrong with that. Some of the most commercially successful Chinese web novels are xuanhuan. Battle Through the Heavens alone has generated enough adaptation revenue to buy a small city. Quick comparison: Wuxia Xianxia Xuanhuan Core People in the Jianghu Cultivating toward immortality Mix whatever you want Power Base Internal energy, martial techniques Spiritual Qi, Dantian, Daoist systems Author-defined End Goal Justice/survival through righteousness Ascend to immortality / merge with the Dao Up to the author World Ancient China + Jianghu Cultivation world / Immortal realms Any setting Western parallel Noir / Hardboiled No direct equivalent High Fantasy Representative works Jin Yong, Gu Long A Mortal's Journey, Renegade Immortal Battle Through the Heavens, Coiling Dragon V. The Terminology — Design Tools, Not Just Labels Heads up: this section gets into the weeds. If you just want book recommendations, skip to Section VIII. But if you're interested in how any of this works under the hood — or if you're building your own system — this is the good stuff. Chinese xianxia novels have a massive vocabulary of specialized terms. Most translations give you an English equivalent and call it a day. But these terms aren't labels — each one represents a design choice. Spiritual Root (灵根) The innate condition that determines a character's cultivation aptitude in xianxia. Common design: Five-element roots (Metal, Wood, Water, Fire, Earth). The worst is having all five (you can cultivate everything but master nothing). The best is a single root (one element, extremely pure). Deliberately counter-intuitive: "More versatile = worse." This is the opposite of Western RPG logic where maxing all stats = strongest. The reason? Mixed roots create Qi interference. Purity > versatility. This is Daoist philosophy at work — the Great Dao is simple, less is more. A Record of a Mortal's Journey to Immortality's Han Li starts with bad spiritual roots and works his way up through careful planning and patience. The "Mortal Flow" (凡人流) subgenre was born from this — no cheat, no system, just a mediocre-talent person using brains and patience to cultivate. Meridians (经脉) Channels through which spiritual energy flows in the body. Unblock more meridians = more energy bandwidth. Western readers might recognize this from traditional Chinese medicine or Avatar: The Last Airbender. In xianxia novels, meridian design is usually more specific — different cultivation methods require opening different meridian routes, and getting it wrong causes "Qi Deviation" (走火入魔, your energy runs wild inside your body — minor case: injury, major case: you explode). Qi Deviation is one of the best built-in risk mechanisms in fiction. You don't need to invent external enemies to create tension — cultivation itself is dangerous. Every step of progress carries the risk of losing control. Golden Core / Nascent Soul (金丹 / 元婴) The two most iconic realms in xianxia. Golden Core: condensing all your spiritual energy into a pill-like core inside your dantian. A qualitative shift — from "borrowing the world's spiritual energy" to "having your own energy nucleus." Nascent Soul: growing a "soul infant" inside the Golden Core — another you. This is where xianxia gets truly ontological: there's now an independent life form inside your body. The point here: these aren't "upgrades." They're metaphors for something scarier. Golden Core = you stop depending on the outside world. Nascent Soul = you start splitting into plural existence. No going back. And every step changes how you relate to everything around you. Heavenly Tribulation (天劫) Lightning from the sky during critical breakthroughs. This isn't a boss fight. It's a filtering mechanism. The Heavenly Dao (the universe's rule system) doesn't allow too many beings to break through to higher levels, so it actively tries to kill you. The stronger the cultivator, the more terrifying the tribulation. And if you ever need a climax scene that writes itself: Heavenly Tribulation. A character accumulates an entire volume's worth of cultivation, then faces the test. Succeed and you transform. Fail and you die. You don't need an external villain for tension — the sky itself is the enemy. Dao Heart (道心) A cultivator's will / core conviction. Dao Heart isn't "courage." It's closer to "absolute certainty in the path you have chosen." Dao Heart shatters = you start doubting the path you've been walking = cultivation regresses or collapses entirely. Honestly, this might be the single cleverest thing about xianxia as a system: your psychological state becomes a hard combat stat. Waver internally, and your power drops — doesn't matter how much energy you've stockpiled. Which means the most dangerous enemy in a xianxia novel isn't the guy who hits harder. It's the one who makes you doubt yourself. Emotional manipulation, faith attacks, even plain old heartbreak — all can be lethal strikes. If your cultivation system doesn't have something like "Dao Heart," consider adding one. It solves one of progression fantasy's biggest problems: when a character is powerful enough, what can still threaten them? Answer: themselves. Fortuitous Encounter (机缘, Jiyuan) A once-in-a-lifetime cultivation opportunity that can't be forced — ancient ruins, mysterious inheritances, rare treasures hidden in the world. This is one of the most important plot drivers in xianxia. It explains why the MC can surpass people with better innate talent: talent determines your ceiling, but encounters determine your trajectory. Many xianxia plots are structured around the pursuit, discovery, and competition over these encounters. Karmic Fortune (气运, Qiyun) A character's "fate score." High fortune = encounters come to you, disasters turn into blessings. Low fortune = everything goes wrong. Some novels design this as a lootable resource — kill a "Child of Fortune" (气运之子) and you can steal their luck. This creates one of xianxia's darkest narrative tools: the MC might not just be fighting for power, but literally stealing someone else's destiny. Divine Sense (神识, Shenshi) A higher-order perception ability that advanced cultivators develop. Lets you scan your surroundings, identify objects, and communicate remotely using consciousness. You'll see this in virtually every xianxia novel. It's basically radar, but it also creates interesting limitations — stronger cultivators can detect weaker ones using Divine Sense, which means stealth and concealment become real tactical concerns. Lifespan (寿元, Shouyuan) Each cultivation realm has a corresponding maximum lifespan. Foundation Establishment might give you 200 years. Golden Core, 500. Nascent Soul, 1000+. Running out of lifespan before breaking through = death. This is one of xianxia's strongest narrative pressure tools. A character might be powerful enough to handle any enemy, but they're racing against a clock that never stops. Storage Ring (储物戒) A spatial artifact where the inside is much larger than the outside. Standard equipment in xianxia — every cultivator carries one. Think of it as a pocket dimension on your finger. Kill someone? Grab their storage ring first. It's also a common source of plot-driving treasure discoveries. Karma (因果, Yinguo) Actions generate karmic bonds. At lower realms this doesn't matter much. At higher realms, accumulated karma becomes a real obstacle to breakthrough — you carry the weight of everyone you've killed, every debt unpaid, every oath broken. Some novels make Karma Tribulation a specific type of Heavenly Tribulation. Split due to Reddit's character limit. Part 2 | Part 3 Edit: Corrected the Avatar/Five Elements comparison per reader feedback. The bending system's martial mechanics are Chinese, but the four elemental categories aren't a direct simplification of Wuxing. submitted by /u/No-Ride-3370 to r/ProgressionFantasy [link] [comments]

A friend who studied in Japan once told me that photography there feels like using a "cheat code". Whether it's the urban sprawl or the scenery, most areas in the country are so naturally aesthetic that almost any shot you take ends up looking like a masterpiece. Anyway here are a few of the photos that I took over my past visits to Japan. submitted by /u/Kasmuchas to r/japanpics [link] [comments]

Every global hegemon has an aesthetic that their architecture, literature, and art are based on. The British Empire had Gothic aesthetic, the Soviets had Brutalist, and Americans (arguably) Art Deco. You'll notice that these aesthetic weren't just for architecture but also fed into the literature and art of the time. For example; the Soviets disliked Western nonconformist art that was unclear as opposed to Brutalist honesty. Unlike Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy who irl had their own aesthetic, Nazi and Avant Garde respectively, Imperial Japan didn't really have their own aesthetic historically due to the position they were in so we can't just look back to irl to see what aesthetic Japan would use. I thought cyberpunk at first due to the mod but then I realize it makes literally no sense in universe. This is a time where colored TV didn't even exist, nobody is gonna use an aesthetic primarily based on colors. submitted by /u/Bitter-Penalty9653 to r/TNOmod [link] [comments]

submitted by /u/LilToptext to r/196 [link] [comments]

submitted by /u/Illuminated-Autocrat to r/victoria3 [link] [comments]

Game Information Game Title: Ghost of Yotei Platforms: PlayStation 5 (Oct 2, 2025) Trailer: Review Aggregator: OpenCritic - 89 average - 96% recommended - 67 reviews Critic Reviews 4News.it - Riccardo Amalfitano - Italian - 9.7 / 10 Ghost of Yōtei is a work that confirms Sucker Punch's maturity in the field of narrative video games. It is not simply an ideal sequel to Ghost of Tsushima, but a project with its own personality, rooted in a less traveled and explored historical and cultural context and made unique by a strong spiritual and natural component. Mount Yōtei and Hokkaidō become not only evocative settings, but active protagonists in the story, blending geography, myth, and introspection into an original narrative fabric. From a gameplay perspective, the title refines the tried-and-tested formula, enriching it with environmental dynamics, new weapons and approaches linked to Ainu culture, and introducing sequences that combine action and spirituality. The artistic and technical direction is once again of the highest standard, exploiting the potential of PlayStation 5 not as a mere display of power, but as a tool to convey atmosphere, consistency and charm. The more meditative and measured pace of the game is a deliberate stylistic choice that sets Ghost of Yōtei apart from the frenzy of many contemporary open-world games: an approach that may divide audiences, but one that reinforces the consistency with the narrative tone and aesthetics of the work. Overall, Ghost of Yōtei stands out as a chapter that broadens the scope of the series, offering a dynamic experience that you can decide for yourself how to approach, combining entertainment and cultural reflection. It is a video game that demands time and attention, but rewards you with a believable world, a story rich in meaning, and a strong identity. ACG - Buy "An excellent sequel to an already incredible first title. Ghost of Yotei adds some complexity but also streamlines the original games combat into a smoother and more unique experience. The world is gorgeous, the land is fun to explore and the combat is excellent. Andrenoob - Relict King - Spanish - 10 / 10 Ghost of Yotei is a visual and sensorial journey that surpasses its predecessor. It takes us through different regions and faces different enemies in the search for balance. It invites us to find ourselves in different moments. The best PlayStation game in years. Atarita - Eren Eroğlu - Turkish - 85 / 100 Ghost of Yotei is a fantastic game with the freedom and gameplay variety it offers to players. It impresses with its visuals and delivers an emotional experience with its story, but it falls short when it comes to enemy AI. CGMagazine - Zubi Khan - 8 / 10 On top of its gripping narrative, expanded weapon variety, and redefined approach to open-world game design, Ghost of Yōtei is a must-play and instant classic on PlayStation 5. CNET - Oscar Gonzalez - Unscored Sucker Punch had the difficult task of improving on a game some might consider perfect. Not only did they complete the task, but made it look effortless with Ghost of Yotei. The game has all the same great elements that made the original so enjoyable, yet improved on practically every aspect with hardly any flaws. COGconnected - Rhett Waselenchuk - 100 / 100 But, most importantly, it’s simply a ton of fun. Sucker Punch Productions has raised the bar to a seemingly insurmountable height. When it’s all said and done, people will look back at this generation and regard Ghost of Yotei as a true magnum opus. It’s games like these that remind me just how special the medium can be. Console Creatures - Matt Sowinski - 9 / 10 Ghost of Yōtei is an incredible sequel, filled with moments that will stay with me for a long time. It feels like the first party exclusive we've been waiting for, with Sucker Punch continuing to hit its stride. Daily Mirror - 3 / 5 For me, though, it dulls most of the excitement and enjoyment for what I believe we should be expecting from a first-party PlayStation exclusive this far into the PS5 generation. Ghost of Yotei is beautiful in the moment, yet like Atsu herself, can never quite decide where to best focus its talents. Dexerto - James Busby - 4 / 5 While Ghost of Yotei’s tale of revenge may not cut as deep as its predecessor, Sucker Punch’s blade is still deadly. The environments of Ezo are begging to be explored, and the melee combat has never been sharper, delivering more weapons, blood, and adrenaline-fueled duels worthy of the Kurosawa films that inspired it. Whether you’re a fan of Ghost of Tsushima or a newcomer to the series, Ghost of Yotei is a must-play. Atsu’s adventure sets a new gold standard for samurai action games and marks an exciting new chapter in the Ghost saga – one that will hopefully shape the series for years to come. Digital Spy - Joe Draper - 4 / 5 Ghost of Yōtei doesn't distance itself from Ghost of Tsushima too much, but the satisfyingly blood-soaked combat, rewarding exploration and intuitive ways of immersing the player make for a highly-addictive follow-up that we couldn't put down. Digitec Magazine - Simon Balissat - German - 4 / 5 While the open world in other games is a character in its own right, here it serves as a beautifully designed and sometimes cheesy eye-catcher between adventures. Behind the cheesy façade lies a samurai action epic with Atsu as the protagonist, who captivates me as a cool and torn anti-heroine. The story is fun but predictable, much of it a single video game cliché. I love the fluid combat system, which is elegantly reduced to its essentials. Sometimes I'm a ninja in the shadows, sometimes a sniper, and then again a human tank. One thing I always am: damn badass. Some may find the overall gameplay experience too simple and one-dimensional. But I absolutely love the samurai action, which succeeds in focusing on what really matters. Echo Boomer - David Fialho - Portuguese - Essential Ghost of Yōtei did something rare for me: it left me so captivated by everything it does well that it’s hard to even recall any truly negative aspects, or think of fixes for the small flaws. At its core, Ghost of Yōtei is the best version of what Sucker Punch could have created for this sequel. And that, in itself, is a huge achievement. A game that took everything great about the original and made it better, while delivering a story that feels more engaging, emotional, and perfectly suited to the potential of this wonderful interactive medium. Enternity.gr - Panagiotis Petropoulos - Greek - 9 / 10 Ghost of Yotei is clearly superior to Ghost of Tsushima and offers even more attractive landscapes to explore, a combat system with more possibilities, and numerous secrets. Eurogamer.pt - Adolfo Soares - Portuguese - 4 / 5 Ghost of Yōtei is a beautiful and refined open world with brutal and spectacular combat. The narrative oscillates between powerful moments and others that are more predictable, but overall it is an engaging adventure. Visually, it looks stunning on the PS5 Pro, running smoothly despite some occasional stutters. Everyeye.it - Italian - 8.3 / 10 In any case, a stop in Ezo is a must for fans of Jin Sakai, and in general, anyone looking for a gripping and evocative adventure would do well to take on the role of Onryo. GAMES.CH - Benjamin Braun - German - 90% In the end, "Ghost of Yōtei" not only met our high expectations, but actually exceeded them. This applies in particular to the extremely well-developed story, but also to the first-class visual presentation and the fantastic soundtrack. GRYOnline.pl - Maciej Bogusz - Polish - 9 / 10 After nearly 60 hours with Ghost of Yotei I can confidently say that this game elevates Tsushima into a new level, and introduces lots of well made innovations. It is a game with its own identity, a beautiful world, great exploration, and a cool story with a satisfying finale. Game Rant - Dalton Cooper - 10 / 10 Ghost of Yotei is a monumental open world graphics powerhouse driven by intense combat and an enthralling revenge story. GamePro - Dennis Müller - German - 85 / 100 Quote not yet available GameSpew - Richard Seagrave - 10 / 10 A true love letter to classic samurai films, Ghost of Yotei is wonderfully presented and an absolute joy to play. Its stunningly-realised world will have you immersed from the outset, spurring you to explore and discover its secrets in order to develop Atsu into a fearsome ghost. And its combat remains thrilling throughout. GameSpot - Richard Wakeling - 9 / 10 Ghost of Yotei is shaped by Atsu, its new protagonist, as you're propelled on a gripping tale of revenge amidst the backdrop of Feudal Japan's contrasting beauty and violence Gameblog - French - 9 / 10 Sucker Punch thus treats us once again to a beautiful epic in feudal Japan, which has nothing to be ashamed of compared to the great Japanese cinema from which it draws inspiration, and is worthy of the most poetic of haiku with a soothing shamisen tune in the background. Gamepressure - Giancarlo Saldana - 9 / 10 At its core, Ghost of Yotei is another tale of revenge, but it’s the way it frames that theme—through Atsu’s humanity, the land of Ezo, and the people within it—that makes the experience truly worthwhile. GamerFocus - Julián Ramírez - Spanish - 7.8 / 10 There's no doubt that Ghost of Yotei is technically impressive. It has spectacular graphics, great music, and is fun to play. But it's still more of the same. The story is functional, but it's a revenge plot we've seen many times before, and there are no real innovations in combat, exploration, or other gameplay aspects. It's a very well-made game and the general public will definitely enjoy it, but those looking for "something more" or who want to get away from what so many other open-world games already offer will have to look elsewhere. Gamersky - 奕剑者柴王 - Chinese - 9 / 10 Ghost of Yotei remains a shining example of the industry's highest level of resource management in game development. If you found Ghost of Tsushima's classic gameplay formula enjoyable, then Ghost of Yotei will take that experience to the next level, delivering an unforgettable audiovisual journey. GamesRadar+ - Andrew Brown - 4.5 / 5 Ghost of Yotei is a vast, sprawling adventure with one of the greatest protagonists in gaming. While some dated climbing segments and a nagging sense of artificiality prevent it from reaching perfection, Sucker Punch's historical RPG is a must-play revenge fantasy. Gaming Nexus - Jason Dailey - 9 / 10 Ghost of Yotei separates itself from the original game in all the right ways, improving and iterating on everything from combat to quest design. This is what a sequel should be. This is why we play video games. GamingBolt - Ravi Sinha - 9 / 10 While fans of the original may initially find it more iterative than evolutionary, Atsu's quest for vengeance is an incredible new tale from Sucker Punch that expands on Tsushima in all the best ways. HCL.hr - Zoran Žalac - Unknown - 82 / 100 Ghost of Yotei features a new character, takes place in a different region and era, yet somehow still feels very similar to the adventures in Tsushima. That’s both a good thing if you enjoyed the previous game, and a slight disappointment if you were expecting something more advanced or different. Hobby Consolas - Spanish - 91 / 100 Ghost of Yotei is a consummate revenge game with which Sucker Punch dares to present an open world with good ideas that come close to fitting together perfectly. Dazzling in its visuals, powerful in its narrative, and sharp in its combat. Yotei is almost as precise as a katana slash. IGN - Michael Higham - 8 / 10 A predictable but well-executed story takes you through Ghost of Yotei's gorgeous landscapes and satisfying, fluid action – it may not be revolutionizing open world games, but it's a great distillation of the samurai fantasy. IGN Italy - Francesco Destri - Italian - 7 / 10 Ghost of Yōtei offers solid gameplay and atmosphere but falls short of expectations, with déjà-vu design and modest production values. A good open world, yet not the standout PS5 exclusive it should be. IGN Spain - Mario Seijas - Spanish - 9 / 10 Ghost of Yotei doesn't take many risks, but it has the advantage of being built on a fantastic foundation. This sequel adds some very interesting features that improve the experience many of us enjoyed in Tsushima. Sucker Punch brings a well-rounded character, reactive and visceral combat, and a beautiful open world perfect to get lost in. INVEN - Hongman Yoon - Korean - 9.5 / 10 Ghost of Yōtei surpasses its predecessor in every respect—from its meticulously refined mise-en-scène to combat systems and polished side quests. Yet compared to the sharp conflicts that defined the earlier narrative, its more straightforward storytelling may feel somewhat simplified. Impulsegamer - 4.6 / 5 AAA samurai action with style, depth and thrilling combat; an open-world triumph. KonsoliFIN - Jaakko Herranen - Finnish - 5 / 5 Ghost of Yōtei is great but somehow "safe" sequel, a bit like Horizon Forbidden West. Then again, it's been years since the first game, so it really doesn't matter at all. If you liked Tsushima, you'll definitely like Yōtei too. LevelUp - Spanish - 9 / 10 Ghost of Yōtei is a visually stunning and immersive open-world experience with satisfying combat, and an emotionally resonant narrative. While the game's secondary content and open-world structure can be repetitive, it carefully balances beauty and brutality, offering a memorable journey through feudal Japan. It refines the formula of its predecessor, earning its place as a standout title on PlayStation 5. Loot Level Chill - Mick Fraser - 10 / 10 Ghost of Yotei is a genuine masterpiece that takes up the mantle dropped by Tsushima and runs with it. MMORPG.com - 9.5 / 10 From its quiet contemplative moments, taking in the aurora borealis atop the peaks of Mount Yotei itself, to the nail-biting assaults on castles or liberating towns from Saito’s grasp, Ghost of Yotei was an excellent experience from start to finish. Nexus Hub - Sam Aberdeen - 9.5 / 10 Ghost of Yotei is every bit as exciting, absorbing, and visually awe-inspiring as its predecessor - a stellar sequel that carefully refines its stylish combat, solid art direction, and grand exploration. One More Game - Ricki Buzon - 9 / 10 Despite its more streamlined narrative, familiar genre beats, and sometimes repetitive nature, Ghost of Yōtei is an experience that's worth the wait and more. It honors the spirit of Ghost of Tsushima while evolving its systems in meaningful ways, offering a refreshingly fresh and refined combat experience, deeper customization, and a richly realized world. Ghost of Yōtei is unmissable. Exploring Ezo Island is a rewarding experience in Ghost of Yōtei, whether you're admiring its breathtaking landscapes or engaging in dynamic combat that challenges your adaptability and mastery of diverse weaponry. Atsu’s personal quest for vengeance may occasionally take a backseat to the wealth of activities available, but the journey remains compelling throughout. Oyungezer Online - İpek Atam - Turkish - 9 / 10 If you loved Ghost of Tsushima, you will love Ghost of Yotei even more. With five distinct weapons, its action has become much more varied and fluid, and with the subtle Japanese elegance that permeates every corner of the game, it is, as a whole, a truly "beautiful" production. PPE.pl - Wojciech Gruszczyk - Polish - 9 / 10 Ghost of Yotei is exactly what we've come to expect from Sucker Punch – a beautiful, polished, and incredibly atmospheric tale of revenge that perfectly fits the tradition of PlayStation exclusives. Atsu delivers as a heroine, combat can be truly intense and satisfying, and the world – despite some shortcomings – is delightfully detailed. At the same time, it's a conservative title: no bold decisions, no revolution, and a finale that leaves a bit unsatisfied. It's a classic, solid Sony production – great to play, though without any memorable moments. PSX Brasil - Bruno Henrique Vinhadel - Portuguese - 95 / 100 In another fantastic trip to Japan, Sucker Punch hits the mark again with Ghost of Yōtei, an amazing game, some of the best open-world combat, and impeccable art direction. PlayStation Universe - John-Paul Jones - 10 / 10 Ghost of Yōtei is that rare sequel that not only maintains the essence of its highly successful predecessor, but also qualitatively leapfrogs it in just about every meaningful way and metric. Underscored by a grippingly furious tale of revenge inspired by a layer cake of classic Japanese samurai cinema, the best combat ever seen in a samurai title and the most compelling open world since Red Dead Redemption 2, Ghost Of Yōtei is a jaw-dropping demonstration of Sucker Punch Productions operating at the peak of its considerable powers. Ghost of Yōtei redefines the term 'must-have' and wholly validates PlayStation Studios broader approach to embracing single-player epics such as this. Push Square - Liam Croft - 9 / 10 Building on its predecessor in all the right ways, Ghost of Yotei is an incredible sequel that makes you the ruler of your experience. Player freedom drives its open world, letting you craft the type of game you want to play. With improved combat, a better story, and outstanding use of PS5 features, Sucker Punch has outdone itself and created a follow-up for the ages. Ghost of Yotei is comfortably its greatest work to date. Quest Daily - Julian Price - 8.5 / 10 Is it the ultimate open-world samurai experience? Not quite — but it doesn’t need to be. Yōtei is one of the most beautiful PS5 titles yet, with stellar combat, a gripping story, and a deeply personal protagonist. While its immersion doesn’t quite match other recent titles, it still holds its own. SECTOR.sk - Oto Schultz - Slovak - 10 / 10 After more then 300 years a ghost returns, but now, manifested as a vengeful spirit. Atzu takes upon the role of onry& 333; to finally revenge her family, as she has sworn 16 years ago. Her homeland of Ezo is vibrant, expansive, full of surprises and wants to be explored. So, while acquiring a set of Katanas, & 332;dachi, Yari, Kusarigama and other tools, she slowly climbs up the ladder of names that make up the Y& 333;tei Six. And naturally, the cloth with all their names just keeps getting bloddier and bloddier' Saudi Gamer - Arabic - 8 / 10 his sequel goes beyond a new plot and island, with added freedom in how to tackle the first half of the story, but it might not go enough with addressing the mix and match feel of the first game. SavePoint Gaming - Jake Su - 9.5 / 10 For those who loved Ghost of Tsushima, this is essential. For newcomers, it is one of the finest samurai adventures gaming has ever seen. And for everyone, it proves that Sucker Punch remains a studio at the height of its powers. If not for the slight misstep with the targets of our ire, Atsu's quest would have been a perfect slice of brilliance. Shacknews - Aidan O'Brien - 9 / 10 In Atsu, we have a haunted protagonist, someone trapped between two states of being. On one hand, the warrior who wishes only to feel the splash of blood upon her face as her blade finds its home in the heart of her enemies. On the other, the young girl who cannot help but wonder who she would get to be if the demons and the flames had never devoured her family on that faithful night. Perhaps, somewhere in the tale of the onryō, there is room for both. Sirus Gaming - Lexuzze Tablante - 8 / 10 Ghost of Yotei isn’t without its flaws, but its refined and exciting combat, added weapons, great cast of characters, and the beautiful island of Ezo make this game a great successor to Ghost of Tsushima. I still have a few more Tales and Myths to finish, but I would rather play it again from the start in Lethal Mode with a Japanese dub to fully immerse myself in this amazing world that Ghost of Yotei offers. Spaziogames - Italian - 8.9 / 10 Quote not yet available TheGamer - Stacey Henley - 4 / 5 This is an experience that walks, talks, and carries a customisable sword like every other triple-A game, but it looks damn good doing it, and is a lot of fun. Surely with a game like Ghost of Yotei, that's all you're looking for, and Sucker Punch is only too happy to deliver. It's not the best triple-A game of all time, but it might be the most triple-A game of all time. TheSixthAxis - Aran Suddi - 9 / 10 Ghost of Yōtei is an excellent game with an engrossing story, a great lead, deep combat and a land that has so much to discover with a lot of details. This is a truly worthy successor to Ghost of Tsushima. Toisto - Joonatan Itkonen - 5 / 5 Ghost of Yotei is a generational masterpiece, encapsulating everything great about the open world adventure genre. This is a beautifully written and directed saga that stands tall alongside its influences without ever sacrificing the joy of gameplay and discovery at the hands of spectacle. It is one of the best games on PlayStation. Tom's Guide - 4 / 5 Ghost of Yotei is another high-quality and seriously cinematic PS5 exclusive. It offers few new ideas compared to its predecessor, and the segmented nature of its main campaign makes the story feel repetitive. However, what it lacks in originality it makes up for with brilliantly brutal combat, a sizeable open-world stuffed with distractions and stunning visuals, especially on PS5 Pro. Too Much Gaming - Carlos Hernandez - 4.5 / 5 Ghost of Yotei is less of an upgrade but a clear testament to Sucker Punch’s true specialty, and a reminder of how powerful an open-world samurai adventure can be. It’s gorgeous, tightly crafted, endlessly absorbing, and a must-play for anyone with a PS5. Wccftech - Alessio Palumbo - 8.8 / 10 Ghost of Yōtei is a worthy sequel to the already excellent Ghost of Tsushima, building upon that game's foundation with an equally interesting (albeit quite different) plot and select improvements to combat and open world exploration. It may feel a little too familiar, not to mention similar to the previous game, but that sensation is quickly forgotten amidst all the fun you'll have in Ezo. WellPlayed - Adam Ryan - 9.5 / 10 Ghost of Yōtei is an improvement on Tsushima when measured by almost any metric. The beautiful open world is dense and invites exploration, the combat is tighter and more varied, but it's Atsu's personal, honest story of revenge and self-reflection that makes this an unforgettable masterpiece. Worth Playing - Redmond Carolipio - 9 / 10 Ghost of Yotei is automatically one of my favorite games of 2025. It comes at a time when people just want to kick some ass in the most beautiful settings imaginable, and it's one of the more satisfying plays you'll find on the PS5. It's the most fun you'll have checking off a to-do list. ZTGD - Ken McKown - 8 / 10 Ghost of Yōtei is another outstanding achievement by the team at Sucker Punch. While I didn’t love it as much as its predecessor, it is still one of the best games to launch this year. Sony continues to push the envelope when it comes to single player experiences. I just wish they would step outside of the template more often. This game hits all the notes I expected, for better or worse, and it suffered at times because of it. It rarely disappointed me, but it also rarely blew my socks off. I wanted to love it more, but it just played some parts too safe to make it stand out. submitted by /u/requieminadream to r/PS5 [link] [comments]

Game Information Game Title: Ghost of Yotei Platforms: PlayStation 5 (Oct 2, 2025) Trailer: Review Aggregator: OpenCritic - 89 average - 96% recommended - 67 reviews Critic Reviews 4News.it - Riccardo Amalfitano - Italian - 9.7 / 10 Ghost of Yōtei is a work that confirms Sucker Punch's maturity in the field of narrative video games. It is not simply an ideal sequel to Ghost of Tsushima, but a project with its own personality, rooted in a less traveled and explored historical and cultural context and made unique by a strong spiritual and natural component. Mount Yōtei and Hokkaidō become not only evocative settings, but active protagonists in the story, blending geography, myth, and introspection into an original narrative fabric. From a gameplay perspective, the title refines the tried-and-tested formula, enriching it with environmental dynamics, new weapons and approaches linked to Ainu culture, and introducing sequences that combine action and spirituality. The artistic and technical direction is once again of the highest standard, exploiting the potential of PlayStation 5 not as a mere display of power, but as a tool to convey atmosphere, consistency and charm. The more meditative and measured pace of the game is a deliberate stylistic choice that sets Ghost of Yōtei apart from the frenzy of many contemporary open-world games: an approach that may divide audiences, but one that reinforces the consistency with the narrative tone and aesthetics of the work. Overall, Ghost of Yōtei stands out as a chapter that broadens the scope of the series, offering a dynamic experience that you can decide for yourself how to approach, combining entertainment and cultural reflection. It is a video game that demands time and attention, but rewards you with a believable world, a story rich in meaning, and a strong identity. ACG - Buy "An excellent sequel to an already incredible first title. Ghost of Yotei adds some complexity but also streamlines the original games combat into a smoother and more unique experience. The world is gorgeous, the land is fun to explore and the combat is excellent. Andrenoob - Relict King - Spanish - 10 / 10 Ghost of Yotei is a visual and sensorial journey that surpasses its predecessor. It takes us through different regions and faces different enemies in the search for balance. It invites us to find ourselves in different moments. The best PlayStation game in years. Atarita - Eren Eroğlu - Turkish - 85 / 100 Ghost of Yotei is a fantastic game with the freedom and gameplay variety it offers to players. It impresses with its visuals and delivers an emotional experience with its story, but it falls short when it comes to enemy AI. CGMagazine - Zubi Khan - 8 / 10 On top of its gripping narrative, expanded weapon variety, and redefined approach to open-world game design, Ghost of Yōtei is a must-play and instant classic on PlayStation 5. CNET - Oscar Gonzalez - Unscored Sucker Punch had the difficult task of improving on a game some might consider perfect. Not only did they complete the task, but made it look effortless with Ghost of Yotei. The game has all the same great elements that made the original so enjoyable, yet improved on practically every aspect with hardly any flaws. COGconnected - Rhett Waselenchuk - 100 / 100 But, most importantly, it’s simply a ton of fun. Sucker Punch Productions has raised the bar to a seemingly insurmountable height. When it’s all said and done, people will look back at this generation and regard Ghost of Yotei as a true magnum opus. It’s games like these that remind me just how special the medium can be. Checkpoint Gaming - Luke Mitchell - 9.5 / 10 Ghost of Yotei is a confident sequel that grows from its predecessor in smart ways, with a bigger, bolder, more beautiful world to explore every nook and cranny of. Atsu is a strong lead, and her journey of vengeance takes some compelling twists and turns, while Edo Japan provides a true bounty of interesting side quests, charming characters, neat distractions, and wonderful secrets across what feels like a truly epic adventure. With entertaining combat and visuals that are among the best seen, Ghost of Yotei balances its violence and beauty delicately, offering a strong experience from the team at Sucker Punch Productions: an entirely memorable journey, and an action-packed, stunning adventure. Console Creatures - Matt Sowinski - 9 / 10 Ghost of Yōtei is an incredible sequel, filled with moments that will stay with me for a long time. It feels like the first party exclusive we've been waiting for, with Sucker Punch continuing to hit its stride. Daily Mirror - 3 / 5 For me, though, it dulls most of the excitement and enjoyment for what I believe we should be expecting from a first-party PlayStation exclusive this far into the PS5 generation. Ghost of Yotei is beautiful in the moment, yet like Atsu herself, can never quite decide where to best focus its talents. Dexerto - James Busby - 4 / 5 While Ghost of Yotei’s tale of revenge may not cut as deep as its predecessor, Sucker Punch’s blade is still deadly. The environments of Ezo are begging to be explored, and the melee combat has never been sharper, delivering more weapons, blood, and adrenaline-fueled duels worthy of the Kurosawa films that inspired it. Whether you’re a fan of Ghost of Tsushima or a newcomer to the series, Ghost of Yotei is a must-play. Atsu’s adventure sets a new gold standard for samurai action games and marks an exciting new chapter in the Ghost saga – one that will hopefully shape the series for years to come. Digital Chumps - Ben Sheene - 9.5 / 10 Ghost of Yōtei is every bit the spectacle players should expect from the team behind Ghost of Tsushima. While the fundamental core remains familiar, Sucker Punch shows an even deeper understanding of vibrant, engaging worlds and Japanese culture. Digital Spy - Joe Draper - 4 / 5 Ghost of Yōtei doesn't distance itself from Ghost of Tsushima too much, but the satisfyingly blood-soaked combat, rewarding exploration and intuitive ways of immersing the player make for a highly-addictive follow-up that we couldn't put down. Digitec Magazine - Simon Balissat - German - 4 / 5 While the open world in other games is a character in its own right, here it serves as a beautifully designed and sometimes cheesy eye-catcher between adventures. Behind the cheesy façade lies a samurai action epic with Atsu as the protagonist, who captivates me as a cool and torn anti-heroine. The story is fun but predictable, much of it a single video game cliché. I love the fluid combat system, which is elegantly reduced to its essentials. Sometimes I'm a ninja in the shadows, sometimes a sniper, and then again a human tank. One thing I always am: damn badass. Some may find the overall gameplay experience too simple and one-dimensional. But I absolutely love the samurai action, which succeeds in focusing on what really matters. Echo Boomer - David Fialho - Portuguese - Essential Ghost of Yōtei did something rare for me: it left me so captivated by everything it does well that it’s hard to even recall any truly negative aspects, or think of fixes for the small flaws. At its core, Ghost of Yōtei is the best version of what Sucker Punch could have created for this sequel. And that, in itself, is a huge achievement. A game that took everything great about the original and made it better, while delivering a story that feels more engaging, emotional, and perfectly suited to the potential of this wonderful interactive medium. Enternity.gr - Panagiotis Petropoulos - Greek - 9 / 10 Ghost of Yotei is clearly superior to Ghost of Tsushima and offers even more attractive landscapes to explore, a combat system with more possibilities, and numerous secrets. Eurogamer.pt - Adolfo Soares - Portuguese - 4 / 5 Ghost of Yōtei is a beautiful and refined open world with brutal and spectacular combat. The narrative oscillates between powerful moments and others that are more predictable, but overall it is an engaging adventure. Visually, it looks stunning on the PS5 Pro, running smoothly despite some occasional stutters. Everyeye.it - Italian - 8.3 / 10 In any case, a stop in Ezo is a must for fans of Jin Sakai, and in general, anyone looking for a gripping and evocative adventure would do well to take on the role of Onryo. GAMES.CH - Benjamin Braun - German - 90% In the end, "Ghost of Yōtei" not only met our high expectations, but actually exceeded them. This applies in particular to the extremely well-developed story, but also to the first-class visual presentation and the fantastic soundtrack. GRYOnline.pl - Maciej Bogusz - Polish - 9 / 10 After nearly 60 hours with Ghost of Yotei I can confidently say that this game elevates Tsushima into a new level, and introduces lots of well made innovations. It is a game with its own identity, a beautiful world, great exploration, and a cool story with a satisfying finale. Game Informer - Kyle Hilliard - 9.3 / 10 Ghost of Yōtei does not radically reinvent or change what worked in Tsushima, but that’s fine, because frankly, Sucker Punch nailed the mechanics the first time. Game Rant - Dalton Cooper - 10 / 10 Ghost of Yotei is a monumental open world graphics powerhouse driven by intense combat and an enthralling revenge story. GamePro - Dennis Müller - German - 85 / 100 Quote not yet available GameSpew - Richard Seagrave - 10 / 10 A true love letter to classic samurai films, Ghost of Yotei is wonderfully presented and an absolute joy to play. Its stunningly-realised world will have you immersed from the outset, spurring you to explore and discover its secrets in order to develop Atsu into a fearsome ghost. And its combat remains thrilling throughout. GameSpot - Richard Wakeling - 9 / 10 Ghost of Yotei is shaped by Atsu, its new protagonist, as you're propelled on a gripping tale of revenge amidst the backdrop of Feudal Japan's contrasting beauty and violence Gameblog - French - 9 / 10 Sucker Punch thus treats us once again to a beautiful epic in feudal Japan, which has nothing to be ashamed of compared to the great Japanese cinema from which it draws inspiration, and is worthy of the most poetic of haiku with a soothing shamisen tune in the background. Gamepressure - Giancarlo Saldana - 9 / 10 At its core, Ghost of Yotei is another tale of revenge, but it’s the way it frames that theme—through Atsu’s humanity, the land of Ezo, and the people within it—that makes the experience truly worthwhile. GamerFocus - Julián Ramírez - Spanish - 7.8 / 10 There's no doubt that Ghost of Yotei is technically impressive. It has spectacular graphics, great music, and is fun to play. But it's still more of the same. The story is functional, but it's a revenge plot we've seen many times before, and there are no real innovations in combat, exploration, or other gameplay aspects. It's a very well-made game and the general public will definitely enjoy it, but those looking for "something more" or who want to get away from what so many other open-world games already offer will have to look elsewhere. Gamersky - 奕剑者柴王 - Chinese - 9 / 10 Ghost of Yotei remains a shining example of the industry's highest level of resource management in game development. If you found Ghost of Tsushima's classic gameplay formula enjoyable, then Ghost of Yotei will take that experience to the next level, delivering an unforgettable audiovisual journey. GamesRadar+ - Andrew Brown - 4.5 / 5 Ghost of Yotei is a vast, sprawling adventure with one of the greatest protagonists in gaming. While some dated climbing segments and a nagging sense of artificiality prevent it from reaching perfection, Sucker Punch's historical RPG is a must-play revenge fantasy. Gaming Nexus - Jason Dailey - 9 / 10 Ghost of Yotei separates itself from the original game in all the right ways, improving and iterating on everything from combat to quest design. This is what a sequel should be. This is why we play video games. GamingBolt - Ravi Sinha - 9 / 10 While fans of the original may initially find it more iterative than evolutionary, Atsu's quest for vengeance is an incredible new tale from Sucker Punch that expands on Tsushima in all the best ways. HCL.hr - Zoran Žalac - Unknown - 82 / 100 Ghost of Yotei features a new character, takes place in a different region and era, yet somehow still feels very similar to the adventures in Tsushima. That’s both a good thing if you enjoyed the previous game, and a slight disappointment if you were expecting something more advanced or different. Hobby Consolas - Spanish - 91 / 100 Ghost of Yotei is a consummate revenge game with which Sucker Punch dares to present an open world with good ideas that come close to fitting together perfectly. Dazzling in its visuals, powerful in its narrative, and sharp in its combat. Yotei is almost as precise as a katana slash. IGN - Michael Higham - 8 / 10 A predictable but well-executed story takes you through Ghost of Yotei's gorgeous landscapes and satisfying, fluid action – it may not be revolutionizing open world games, but it's a great distillation of the samurai fantasy. IGN Italy - Francesco Destri - Italian - 7 / 10 Ghost of Yōtei offers solid gameplay and atmosphere but falls short of expectations, with déjà-vu design and modest production values. A good open world, yet not the standout PS5 exclusive it should be. IGN Spain - Mario Seijas - Spanish - 9 / 10 Ghost of Yotei doesn't take many risks, but it has the advantage of being built on a fantastic foundation. This sequel adds some very interesting features that improve the experience many of us enjoyed in Tsushima. Sucker Punch brings a well-rounded character, reactive and visceral combat, and a beautiful open world perfect to get lost in. INVEN - Hongman Yoon - Korean - 9.5 / 10 Ghost of Yōtei surpasses its predecessor in every respect—from its meticulously refined mise-en-scène to combat systems and polished side quests. Yet compared to the sharp conflicts that defined the earlier narrative, its more straightforward storytelling may feel somewhat simplified. Impulsegamer - 4.6 / 5 AAA samurai action with style, depth and thrilling combat; an open-world triumph. KonsoliFIN - Jaakko Herranen - Finnish - 5 / 5 Ghost of Yōtei is great but somehow "safe" sequel, a bit like Horizon Forbidden West. Then again, it's been years since the first game, so it really doesn't matter at all. If you liked Tsushima, you'll definitely like Yōtei too. LevelUp - Spanish - 9 / 10 Ghost of Yōtei is a visually stunning and immersive open-world experience with satisfying combat, and an emotionally resonant narrative. While the game's secondary content and open-world structure can be repetitive, it carefully balances beauty and brutality, offering a memorable journey through feudal Japan. It refines the formula of its predecessor, earning its place as a standout title on PlayStation 5. Loot Level Chill - Mick Fraser - 10 / 10 Ghost of Yotei is a genuine masterpiece that takes up the mantle dropped by Tsushima and runs with it. MMORPG.com - 9.5 / 10 From its quiet contemplative moments, taking in the aurora borealis atop the peaks of Mount Yotei itself, to the nail-biting assaults on castles or liberating towns from Saito’s grasp, Ghost of Yotei was an excellent experience from start to finish. Nexus Hub - Sam Aberdeen - 9.5 / 10 Ghost of Yotei is every bit as exciting, absorbing, and visually awe-inspiring as its predecessor - a stellar sequel that carefully refines its stylish combat, solid art direction, and grand exploration. One More Game - Ricki Buzon - 9 / 10 Despite its more streamlined narrative, familiar genre beats, and sometimes repetitive nature, Ghost of Yōtei is an experience that's worth the wait and more. It honors the spirit of Ghost of Tsushima while evolving its systems in meaningful ways, offering a refreshingly fresh and refined combat experience, deeper customization, and a richly realized world. Ghost of Yōtei is unmissable. Exploring Ezo Island is a rewarding experience in Ghost of Yōtei, whether you're admiring its breathtaking landscapes or engaging in dynamic combat that challenges your adaptability and mastery of diverse weaponry. Atsu’s personal quest for vengeance may occasionally take a backseat to the wealth of activities available, but the journey remains compelling throughout. Oyungezer Online - İpek Atam - Turkish - 9 / 10 If you loved Ghost of Tsushima, you will love Ghost of Yotei even more. With five distinct weapons, its action has become much more varied and fluid, and with the subtle Japanese elegance that permeates every corner of the game, it is, as a whole, a truly "beautiful" production. PPE.pl - Wojciech Gruszczyk - Polish - 9 / 10 Ghost of Yotei is exactly what we've come to expect from Sucker Punch – a beautiful, polished, and incredibly atmospheric tale of revenge that perfectly fits the tradition of PlayStation exclusives. Atsu delivers as a heroine, combat can be truly intense and satisfying, and the world – despite some shortcomings – is delightfully detailed. At the same time, it's a conservative title: no bold decisions, no revolution, and a finale that leaves a bit unsatisfied. It's a classic, solid Sony production – great to play, though without any memorable moments. PSX Brasil - Bruno Henrique Vinhadel - Portuguese - 95 / 100 In another fantastic trip to Japan, Sucker Punch hits the mark again with Ghost of Yōtei, an amazing game, some of the best open-world combat, and impeccable art direction. PlayStation Universe - John-Paul Jones - 10 / 10 Ghost of Yōtei is that rare sequel that not only maintains the essence of its highly successful predecessor, but also qualitatively leapfrogs it in just about every meaningful way and metric. Underscored by a grippingly furious tale of revenge inspired by a layer cake of classic Japanese samurai cinema, the best combat ever seen in a samurai title and the most compelling open world since Red Dead Redemption 2, Ghost Of Yōtei is a jaw-dropping demonstration of Sucker Punch Productions operating at the peak of its considerable powers. Ghost of Yōtei redefines the term 'must-have' and wholly validates PlayStation Studios broader approach to embracing single-player epics such as this. Push Square - Liam Croft - 9 / 10 Building on its predecessor in all the right ways, Ghost of Yotei is an incredible sequel that makes you the ruler of your experience. Player freedom drives its open world, letting you craft the type of game you want to play. With improved combat, a better story, and outstanding use of PS5 features, Sucker Punch has outdone itself and created a follow-up for the ages. Ghost of Yotei is comfortably its greatest work to date. Quest Daily - Julian Price - 8.5 / 10 Is it the ultimate open-world samurai experience? Not quite — but it doesn’t need to be. Yōtei is one of the most beautiful PS5 titles yet, with stellar combat, a gripping story, and a deeply personal protagonist. While its immersion doesn’t quite match other recent titles, it still holds its own. SECTOR.sk - Oto Schultz - Slovak - 10 / 10 After more then 300 years a ghost returns, but now, manifested as a vengeful spirit. Atzu takes upon the role of onry& 333; to finally revenge her family, as she has sworn 16 years ago. Her homeland of Ezo is vibrant, expansive, full of surprises and wants to be explored. So, while acquiring a set of Katanas, & 332;dachi, Yari, Kusarigama and other tools, she slowly climbs up the ladder of names that make up the Y& 333;tei Six. And naturally, the cloth with all their names just keeps getting bloddier and bloddier' Saudi Gamer - Arabic - 8 / 10 his sequel goes beyond a new plot and island, with added freedom in how to tackle the first half of the story, but it might not go enough with addressing the mix and match feel of the first game. SavePoint Gaming - Jake Su - 9.5 / 10 For those who loved Ghost of Tsushima, this is essential. For newcomers, it is one of the finest samurai adventures gaming has ever seen. And for everyone, it proves that Sucker Punch remains a studio at the height of its powers. If not for the slight misstep with the targets of our ire, Atsu's quest would have been a perfect slice of brilliance. Shacknews - Aidan O'Brien - 9 / 10 In Atsu, we have a haunted protagonist, someone trapped between two states of being. On one hand, the warrior who wishes only to feel the splash of blood upon her face as her blade finds its home in the heart of her enemies. On the other, the young girl who cannot help but wonder who she would get to be if the demons and the flames had never devoured her family on that faithful night. Perhaps, somewhere in the tale of the onryō, there is room for both. Sirus Gaming - Lexuzze Tablante - 8 / 10 Ghost of Yotei isn’t without its flaws, but its refined and exciting combat, added weapons, great cast of characters, and the beautiful island of Ezo make this game a great successor to Ghost of Tsushima. I still have a few more Tales and Myths to finish, but I would rather play it again from the start in Lethal Mode with a Japanese dub to fully immerse myself in this amazing world that Ghost of Yotei offers. SomHráč.sk - Martin Kubeš - Slovak - 90% Ghost of Yōtei is an excellent successor to the acclaimed Ghost of Tsushima, surpassing it in every aspect. Nothing more needs to be said—just play it, and the game will prove it to you itself. Spaziogames - Italian - 8.9 / 10 Quote not yet available TheGamer - Stacey Henley - 4 / 5 This is an experience that walks, talks, and carries a customisable sword like every other triple-A game, but it looks damn good doing it, and is a lot of fun. Surely with a game like Ghost of Yotei, that's all you're looking for, and Sucker Punch is only too happy to deliver. It's not the best triple-A game of all time, but it might be the most triple-A game of all time. TheSixthAxis - Aran Suddi - 9 / 10 Ghost of Yōtei is an excellent game with an engrossing story, a great lead, deep combat and a land that has so much to discover with a lot of details. This is a truly worthy successor to Ghost of Tsushima. Toisto - Joonatan Itkonen - 5 / 5 Ghost of Yotei is a generational masterpiece, encapsulating everything great about the open world adventure genre. This is a beautifully written and directed saga that stands tall alongside its influences without ever sacrificing the joy of gameplay and discovery at the hands of spectacle. It is one of the best games on PlayStation. Tom's Guide - 4 / 5 Ghost of Yotei is another high-quality and seriously cinematic PS5 exclusive. It offers few new ideas compared to its predecessor, and the segmented nature of its main campaign makes the story feel repetitive. However, what it lacks in originality it makes up for with brilliantly brutal combat, a sizeable open-world stuffed with distractions and stunning visuals, especially on PS5 Pro. Too Much Gaming - Carlos Hernandez - 4.5 / 5 Ghost of Yotei is less of an upgrade but a clear testament to Sucker Punch’s true specialty, and a reminder of how powerful an open-world samurai adventure can be. It’s gorgeous, tightly crafted, endlessly absorbing, and a must-play for anyone with a PS5. Wccftech - Alessio Palumbo - 8.8 / 10 Ghost of Yōtei is a worthy sequel to the already excellent Ghost of Tsushima, building upon that game's foundation with an equally interesting (albeit quite different) plot and select improvements to combat and open world exploration. It may feel a little too familiar, not to mention similar to the previous game, but that sensation is quickly forgotten amidst all the fun you'll have in Ezo. WellPlayed - Adam Ryan - 9.5 / 10 Ghost of Yōtei is an improvement on Tsushima when measured by almost any metric. The beautiful open world is dense and invites exploration, the combat is tighter and more varied, but it's Atsu's personal, honest story of revenge and self-reflection that makes this an unforgettable masterpiece. Worth Playing - Redmond Carolipio - 9 / 10 Ghost of Yotei is automatically one of my favorite games of 2025. It comes at a time when people just want to kick some ass in the most beautiful settings imaginable, and it's one of the more satisfying plays you'll find on the PS5. It's the most fun you'll have checking off a to-do list. ZTGD - Ken McKown - 8 / 10 Ghost of Yōtei is another outstanding achievement by the team at Sucker Punch. While I didn’t love it as much as its predecessor, it is still one of the best games to launch this year. Sony continues to push the envelope when it comes to single player experiences. I just wish they would step outside of the template more often. This game hits all the notes I expected, for better or worse, and it suffered at times because of it. It rarely disappointed me, but it also rarely blew my socks off. I wanted to love it more, but it just played some parts too safe to make it stand out. submitted by /u/Turbostrider27 to r/Games [link] [comments]

Game Title: GHOST OF YOTEI Platforms: PlayStation 5 (October 2, 2025) Trailers: Ghost of Yōtei - Announce Trailer | PS5 Games Ghost of Yōtei - State of Play Gameplay Deep Dive | PS5 Games Developer: Sucker Punch Reviews aggregates: OpenCritic: 89 Average - 97% recommend - 66 reviews Metacritic: 87 / 100 - 102 reviews Some Reviews (updating): Game Rant - Dalton Cooper - 10 / 10 Ghost of Yotei is a monumental open world graphics powerhouse driven by intense combat and an enthralling revenge story. COGconnected - Rhett Waselenchuk - 100 / 100 But, most importantly, it’s simply a ton of fun. Sucker Punch Productions has raised the bar to a seemingly insurmountable height. When it’s all said and done, people will look back at this generation and regard Ghost of Yotei as a true magnum opus. It’s games like these that remind me just how special the medium can be. PlayStation Universe - John-Paul Jones - 10 / 10 Ghost of Yōtei is that rare sequel that not only maintains the essence of its highly successful predecessor, but also qualitatively leapfrogs it in just about every meaningful way and metric. Underscored by a grippingly furious tale of revenge inspired by a layer cake of classic Japanese samurai cinema, the best combat ever seen in a samurai title and the most compelling open world since Red Dead Redemption 2, Ghost Of Yōtei is a jaw-dropping demonstration of Sucker Punch Productions operating at the peak of its considerable powers. Ghost of Yōtei redefines the term 'must-have' and wholly validates PlayStation Studios broader approach to embracing single-player epics such as this. Loot Level Chill - Mick Fraser - 10 / 10.0 Ghost of Yotei is a genuine masterpiece that takes up the mantle dropped by Tsushima and runs with it. Andrenoob - Relict King - 10 / 10.0 Ghost of Yotei is a visual and sensorial journey that surpasses its predecessor. It takes us through different regions and faces different enemies in the search for balance. It invites us to find ourselves in different moments. The best PlayStation game in years. GameSpew - Richard Seagrave - 10 / 10 A true love letter to classic samurai films, Ghost of Yotei is wonderfully presented and an absolute joy to play. Its stunningly-realised world will have you immersed from the outset, spurring you to explore and discover its secrets in order to develop Atsu into a fearsome ghost. And its combat remains thrilling throughout. SECTOR.sk - Oto Schultz - 10 / 10.0 After more then 300 years a ghost returns, but now, manifested as a vengeful spirit. Atzu takes upon the role to finally revenge her family, as she has sworn 16 years ago. Her homeland of Ezo is vibrant, expansive, full of surprises and wants to be explored. So, while acquiring a set of Katanas, & 332;dachi, Yari, Kusarigama and other tools, she slowly climbs up the ladder of names that make up the Y& 333;tei Six. And naturally, the cloth with all their names just keeps getting bloddier and bloddier' KonsoliFIN - Jaakko Herranen - 5 / 5 Ghost of Yōtei is great but somehow "safe" sequel, a bit like Horizon Forbidden West. Then again, it's been years since the first game, so it really doesn't matter at all. If you liked Tsushima, you'll definitely like Yōtei too. 4News.it - Riccardo Amalfitano - 9.7 / 10.0 Ghost of Yōtei is a work that confirms Sucker Punch's maturity in the field of narrative video games. It is not simply an ideal sequel to Ghost of Tsushima, but a project with its own personality, rooted in a less traveled and explored historical and cultural context and made unique by a strong spiritual and natural component. Mount Yōtei and Hokkaidō become not only evocative settings, but active protagonists in the story, blending geography, myth, and introspection into an original narrative fabric. From a gameplay perspective, the title refines the tried-and-tested formula, enriching it with environmental dynamics, new weapons and approaches linked to Ainu culture, and introducing sequences that combine action and spirituality. The artistic and technical direction is once again of the highest standard, exploiting the potential of PlayStation 5 not as a mere display of power, but as a tool to convey atmosphere, consistency and charm. The more meditative and measured pace of the game is a deliberate stylistic choice that sets Ghost of Yōtei apart from the frenzy of many contemporary open-world games: an approach that may divide audiences, but one that reinforces the consistency with the narrative tone and aesthetics of the work. SavePoint Gaming - Jake Su - 9.5 / 10.0 For those who loved Ghost of Tsushima, this is essential. For newcomers, it is one of the finest samurai adventures gaming has ever seen. And for everyone, it proves that Sucker Punch remains a studio at the height of its powers. If not for the slight misstep with the targets of our ire, Atsu's quest would have been a perfect slice of brilliance. MMORPG.com - 9.5 / 10.0 From its quiet contemplative moments, taking in the aurora borealis atop the peaks of Mount Yotei itself, to the nail-biting assaults on castles or liberating towns from Saito’s grasp, Ghost of Yotei was an excellent experience from start to finish. GamesRadar+ - Andrew Brown - 4.5 / 5 Ghost of Yotei is a vast, sprawling adventure with one of the greatest protagonists in gaming. While some dated climbing segments and a nagging sense of artificiality prevent it from reaching perfection, Sucker Punch's historical RPG is a must-play revenge fantasy. GameSpot - Richard Wakeling - 9 / 10 Ghost of Yotei is shaped by Atsu, its new protagonist, as you're propelled on a gripping tale of revenge amidst the backdrop of Feudal Japan's contrasting beauty and violence Gameblog - 9 / 10 Sucker Punch thus treats us once again to a beautiful epic in feudal Japan, which has nothing to be ashamed of compared to the great Japanese cinema from which it draws inspiration, and is worthy of the most poetic of haiku with a soothing shamisen tune in the background. TheSixthAxis - Aran Suddi - 9 / 10 Ghost of Yōtei is an excellent game with an engrossing story, a great lead, deep combat and a land that has so much to discover with a lot of details. This is a truly worthy successor to Ghost of Tsushima. Console Creatures - Matt Sowinski - 9 / 10.0 Ghost of Yōtei is an incredible sequel, filled with moments that will stay with me for a long time. It feels like the first party exclusive we've been waiting for, with Sucker Punch continuing to hit its stride. Push Square - Liam Croft - 9 / 10 Building on its predecessor in all the right ways, Ghost of Yotei is an incredible sequel that makes you the ruler of your experience. Player freedom drives its open world, letting you craft the type of game you want to play. With improved combat, a better story, and outstanding use of PS5 features, Sucker Punch has outdone itself and created a follow-up for the ages. Ghost of Yotei is comfortably its greatest work to date. Gamepressure - Giancarlo Saldana - 9 / 10.0 At its core, Ghost of Yotei is another tale of revenge, but it’s the way it frames that theme—through Atsu’s humanity, the land of Ezo, and the people within it—that makes the experience truly worthwhile. TheGamer - Stacey Henley - 4 / 5 This is an experience that walks, talks, and carries a customisable sword like every other triple-A game, but it looks damn good doing it, and is a lot of fun. Surely with a game like Ghost of Yotei, that's all you're looking for, and Sucker Punch is only too happy to deliver. It's not the best triple-A game of all time, but it might be the most triple-A game of all time. Eurogamer.pt - Adolfo Soares - 4 / 5 Ghost of Yōtei is a beautiful and refined open world with brutal and spectacular combat. The narrative oscillates between powerful moments and others that are more predictable, but overall it is an engaging adventure. Visually, it looks stunning on the PS5 Pro, running smoothly despite some occasional stutters. Dexerto - James Busby - 4 / 5 While Ghost of Yotei’s tale of revenge may not cut as deep as its predecessor, Sucker Punch’s blade is still deadly. The environments of Ezo are begging to be explored, and the melee combat has never been sharper, delivering more weapons, blood, and adrenaline-fueled duels worthy of the Kurosawa films that inspired it. Whether you’re a fan of Ghost of Tsushima or a newcomer to the series, Ghost of Yotei is a must-play. Atsu’s adventure sets a new gold standard for samurai action games and marks an exciting new chapter in the Ghost saga – one that will hopefully shape the series for years to come. IGN - Michael Higham - 8 / 10 A predictable but well-executed story takes you through Ghost of Yotei's gorgeous landscapes and satisfying, fluid action combat. With a strong lead in Atsu as a vigilante who does not care about honor in her quest for revenge, you get a stronger lead character and an expanded weapon-set that elevates the gameplay principles set by Tsushima. Although the novelty has lost a bit of its sheen, the Kurosawa influence is still strong and used to great effect. So while it may not be transforming open world games, Ghost of Yotei is a great refinement of the samurai power fantasy. ZTGD - Ken McKown - 8 / 10.0 Ghost of Yōtei is another outstanding achievement by the team at Sucker Punch. While I didn’t love it as much as its predecessor, it is still one of the best games to launch this year. Sony continues to push the envelope when it comes to single player experiences. I just wish they would step outside of the template more often. This game hits all the notes I expected, for better or worse, and it suffered at times because of it. It rarely disappointed me, but it also rarely blew my socks off. I wanted to love it more, but it just played some parts too safe to make it stand out. CGMagazine - Zubi Khan - 8 / 10.0 On top of its gripping narrative, expanded weapon variety, and redefined approach to open-world game design, Ghost of Yōtei is a must-play and instant classic on PlayStation 5. Gamekult - 7 / 10 Ghost of Yotei has clearly refined its formula on quite a few points, exploration and the construction of its open world being foremost, delivering a far greater sense of discovery than the previous installment. Stealth has been sharpened and combat gets a few small tweaks, but the game also neglects other aspects that should have been addressed. It is still a visually stunning game to wander through, but the story struggles to stand out and to offer us something as strong, narratively speaking, as Ghost of Tsushima. VideoGamer - Tom Bardwell - 7 / 10 Foregoing genre-advancing substance and texture for impeccable style, Ghost of Yotei feels like a cowed shadow of its full potential. Those looking for a departure from checklist-oriented open-world gameplay will be disappointed. The title lands as generic, risk-averse, rigid, and safe. Eurogamer - Chris Tapsell - 3 / 5 Sucker Punch's sequel offers more great swordplay and heartfelt storytelling, but would be better served as a linear action game, freed of its poor sidequests and dated open world. RadioTimes - Rob Leane - 3 / 5 If you’ve seen one Japanese orphan avenging their parent’s death, have you seen them all? That’s the question that I can’t seem to shake after spending the last few weeks sinking all of my spare time into Ghost of Yotei. All in all, there are lots of good ingredients in Ghost of Yōtei (the music is also great!), but with so much familiarity in the mix as well, it just doesn’t gel together for me into something that I’d strongly recommend to anyone but a superfan of this sub-genre. It has its moments, but I did get bored almost every time I picked it up, which is the last thing the developers will want to hear. submitted by /u/ChiefLeef22 to r/gaming [link] [comments]

It’s been a week since I got back from Japan. I spent a month there. Still sitting with the whole thing. Visually? Stunning. Clean streets, serene temples, the kind of aesthetic that burns itself into your brain. But something else came back with me too and it’s not the kind of thing you post on Instagram. Before the trip, I didn’t just pack bags. I packed prep. I read blogs, watched hours of travel vlogs, practiced Japanese phrases on repeat. I learned what not to do, what not to wear, when to bow, how to say thank you with the correct level of humility and many other etiquettes. I read stories online about Japan’s issues with racism from BIPOC travelers, and experiences were mixed. Overall, most of what I found painted Japan as a near-utopia where people are endlessly kind, strangers go out of their way to help you, and the technology feels like something from the future. So I cautiously hoped for the best. Apparently, that was too optimistic. First red flag: small town in Nagano. I got seated at a round-table with some locals. A minute later, they asked to be moved. Awkward, but fine. Then three white tourists came in. Suddenly the server was all smiles, walking them through the menu like it was a Michelin tasting. My food? Plunked on the table like a passive-aggressive post-it. No words. No eye contact. Just the sound of a plate meeting wood. And that wasn’t an outlier. At another nearly empty place, an East Asian group got table service. We got handed a buzzer. In Tokyo, at a sushi restaurant, I watched a South Asian group and a Latin American one both get told “takeout only.” Reservation wasn’t the problem as walk-ins after them were seated immediately. Then there was Osaka. We lined up outside an okonomiyaki spot. Staff made eye contact, scanned our faces, and suddenly announced the line was “closed.” No signs. Two hours before the stated closing time. As we were walking down the stairs, other groups strolled right in. Not a word said. Even asking for directions in general was hit or miss. Some people would look through me. Others walked off mid-sentence. At Namba Station, the info desk was closed, so I asked a ticket agent where to exchange my rail pass. He laughed—literally—and said, “So you know this isn’t the right place, then why are you here?” Very helpful energy. When I asked again, he gave me the wrong location. Said it was downstairs. Turns out, it was 10-minute walk away, in a different building altogether. In Tokyo, I saw a server cheerfully point where the tea dispenser was to a japanese couple. He never mentioned it to us and we overheard it. He spoke English too, so that wasn’t it. After the meal, I said “Gochisosama deshita.” He smirked and looked away. It was almost impressive. The pattern was clear by then. Locals walked in to warm greetings. “Irasshaimase!” with all the energy of a welcome home. Us? A faint nod if we were lucky. Leaving was just as awkward. Staff rarely acknowledged us, so we’d turn back, smile, and say “Arigatou gozaimasu” first hoping for even a glance. Most times, nothing. Just silence. At one udon spot, after we’d finished our meal, we took turns using the restroom. The staff stared at us the entire time. Not curious, but a sharp stare which leaves you uncomfortable. The place wasn’t even busy. You’d think we were shoplifting oxygen. If you’re dark-skinned or Black, these things build up fast. None of it is loud. No one yells. No one confronts you. But they don’t have to. The exclusion is quiet, calculated, and cold. You’re not pushed out but you’re made invisible. Polite on the surface, but distant enough to remind you that you’re not really welcome. The racism is passive, but it’s there. You see it in the subtle ways your presence is either ignored or avoided. It’s almost as if your experience depends on the skintone. By the end, I felt Japan isn’t really even trying if you don’t fit the ‘ideal tourist’ image. The tourist floodgates are open, and if your experience sucks, there are a thousand others behind you ready to take your place. Courtesy becomes selective. Hospitality, conditional. Rules, rigid. I got the sense that Japan is a society deeply rooted in pride, with humility mostly reserved for the brochure and for those who fits the mold. It often felt like it’s their way or no way. That mindset bleeds into the national narrative too—Japan continues to highlight its own wartime suffering, but yet there seems to be a remarkable silence, even denial, when it comes to acknowledging its atrocities in places like Nanjing, Taiwan, or its treatment of prisoners of war. In the end, what stayed with me wasn’t the temples or the technology or the scenic views. It was how easily I was made to feel like I didn’t exist, over and over again. I’ve been carrying that weight for weeks now, and I just needed to say it out loud. This side of Japan isn’t what you usually see online, but it’s real. And it happened to me. – – – – – Edit (Follow Ups): During my prep research, I did observe negative experiences shared by Black and fellow POC. However, I also came across positive experiences, such as street interviews on YouTube, top-rated Reddit posts, or blogs that appeared on the first page of Google Search results. In hindsight, I believe they were PR driven. This mixed outcome from the research and balancing it with other unique cultural experiences (geisha, samurai, edo architecture, temples, tea ceremony, etc) in Japan, I proceeded to approach the trip with an open mind, but I also considered the potential for discrimination, although not at the magnitude, openness, or persistence that I personally experienced. submitted by /u/I-Procastinate-Sleep to r/TrueOffMyChest [link] [comments]

So this happened a few years ago but I still think about it because it made me realise how blind and openly accepting (ig brainwashed) I was to things I was basically fed on the internet as a kid. I was watching TV with my middle-aged father and he was trying to find a decent channel to watch on his cable when he switched to this music channel that had a Kpop girl group performing onstage. I thought nothing of it and was waiting for him to change the channel when I noticed he was perplexed. He asked me, “why are they wearing school uniforms? Aren’t they like 20?” Since I practically spent 1/3 of my life on the internet it didn’t strike me as weird since I know a lot of people like to think of the Japanese school uniforms as an aesthetic and try to mimic it in their outfits, and I’ve seen twitch streamers dress up as one or in a maid outfit for fun. So I said “a lot of people like to dress up in them for fun or because they think it looks cute, and it’s basically a popular trend in Japan where adults think they look cute.” That’s when he replied with “but why do they think it’s cute? It’s just an outfit that children and teenagers have wear to school as discipline. Why are adult women wearing it and why do people like to see them in these children’s clothes? It’s weird and creepy.” I had no words because it never occurred to me until then that school uniforms are so prevalent in Asian media because of the amount of pedophiles that exist and basically inhale this kinda stuff. It really made me rethink about how brainwashed some of us are into blindly accepting things as okay or even righteous because thats what we were fed when we were young and impressionable, and how parents should be more involved in the stuff their children are consuming. Like I shouldn’t be rethinking everything I thought was normal all these years at 20 years old. Yeah I was dumb to not realise this sooner, but I learned about the whole uniform craze when I was like 15 so me being young and naive just blindly accepted it. EDIT: I’ve been reading the replies, and I have to say my heart goes out to everyone who has dealt with traumatic shit related to this by men, especially your own fathers. It really sucks that you can’t even feel safe in your own homes and y’all are incredibly strong for being able to deal with them. I also want to explain that I mentioned “Japan” because that’s the most common example I’ve seen, and because the K-pop idols were wearing Japanese/Korean uniforms. The issue is undoubtedly everywhere as pointed out by several people mentioning issues related to the West such as Britney’s uniform in hit me baby, and isn’t exclusive to Japan or East Asia. On the bright side, I believe my father will be delighted to know that he now has a women fan club on the internet based on a conversation that he won’t even remember. submitted by /u/DynamicFalafels to r/TwoXChromosomes [link] [comments]

I saw a post asking about how you guys feel about hollywood/videogames representation of you guys and was curious about your thoughts on Japans representation of you with anime. I see often in the fantasy genre of anime or even isekais they take inspiration from you guys in culture, building aesthetic or myths. They often give of a very German vibe. Recent examples would obviously be Frieren, but I also see it in Dungeon Meshi a little bit as well. I’m just curious to see how you guys feel about it and your thoughts! submitted by /u/Safe-Storm6464 to r/AskAGerman [link] [comments]

Current Metacritic (2023-08-31 17:55 BST) ​ Metacritic Score Current OpenCritic (2023-08-31 21:54 BST) OpenCritic Score ​ The pros and cons lists is generated by Chat GPT and may not be super accurate, but gives a general sense of what they speak about. ​ Reviewer Score Pros Cons Gamespot 7/10 Intriguing side quests that lead you down some wild paths Solid gunplay and fun arsenal of weapons make for thrilling firefights Impressive breadth of content and interconnected gameplay systems Trekking the galaxy and discovering planets is novel Uninspired main story with weak writing and characterizations Underwhelming vision of space exploration and humanity's spacefaring future Shallow RPG mechanics with regard to dialogue, quest solutions, and influencing outcomes Terrible map system makes key locations tough to navigate IGN 7/10 Detailed lore and backstory Vast universe with hundreds of worlds to explore Engaging main story and side quests Interesting companion characters with deep backgrounds Ship-to-ship battles and boarding mechanics Modular and customizable spaceship designs Challenging lockpicking minigame Slow and rough start Small-feeling galaxy due to fast travel Lack of maps and navigation tools Frustrating inventory management Slow rollout of essential abilities Repetitive mission structure in some quests Some technical issues (model pop-in, crashes, etc.) GamesRadar 5/5 Vast, immersive open-world experience. Engaging ship-building mechanic. Diverse and intricate missions. Impressive visuals and environments. Encumbrance system can be tedious. Some skills locked behind skill tree. Fast-travel reliance can break immersion. Crafting system tracking can be unclear. Game Informer 8.5/10 Expansive exploration Rich storytelling Diverse activities Engaging characters Captivating visuals Complex navigation Repetitive missions Tedious menus Stiff gunplay Uneven combat Destructoid 10/10 Engrossing and immersive open-world experience Freedom to engage in various activities and playstyles Well-designed and fluid combat system Detailed and customizable ship mechanics Lack of planetary vehicles or creatures for easier traversal Limited atmospheric flight capabilities for ships VGC 100/100 Immense scale and sense of wonder. Vast universe for exploration. Refined dialogue and gunplay. Polished with few bugs. Short main quest. Familiar gameplay mechanics. Xbox Series X performance issues. Some unclear dialogue options. VG247 4/5 Intricate exploration: Deep world systems. Compelling quests: Rich variety, narratives. Attention to detail: Thoughtful touches. Outpost-building: Engaging mechanics. Lack of coherence: Unclear themes, messages. Character depth: Shallow dialogue choices. Sparse cultural diversity: Limited perspectives. Disconnected space: Tedious navigation. PC Gamer 75/100 Vast freedom to create personal narratives. Richly designed environments like Neon. Player-driven quests beyond main story. Notably stable gameplay experience. Classic Bethesda bugs and glitches. Cumbersome inventory and map systems. Simplified and luck-based minigames. Lacks depth compared to past titles. Shacknews 9/10 Expansive universe Deep lore and world-building Diverse side stories and missions Engaging characters and companions Improved shooting mechanics Ship customization and combat Detailed graphics and presentation Immersive sound design and music Complex navigation and menus Repetitive dialogue options Binary conversation choices Few performance hitches Some frustrating mechanics (inventory management) Radio Times 4/5 Typical expansive Bethesda world with planetary systems. Intricate side stories that can be more engaging than the main plot. Customizable spaceships catered to player desires. Majestic maps showcasing vastness of space. Attention to detail in game world construction. Combat feels unchallenging; enemies aren't threatening. Main quest may not showcase game's best features. Some side quests are monotonous with dull busywork. Character interactions and dialog feel stiff and artificial. Combat and exploration are easy, lacking tactical depth. Forbes 9.5/10 Engaging companion stories. Rich exploration and world-building. Improved combat system. Stunning in-game visuals. Expansive sandbox gameplay. Dated character models and animation. Frequent loading screens. Oxygen system is cumbersome. Presence of bugs, albeit less than usual. Ambiguous endgame and New Game Plus. TheGamer 4/5 Evolves classic Bethesda gameplay. Stellar writing and memorable characters. Engaging main missions with unexpected twists. Improved RPG elements and base building. Engrossing stories and faction dynamics. Mechanical space battles enhance immersion. Lackluster exploration; many lifeless planets. Repetitive procedural generation diminishes immersion. Unintuitive shipbuilding controls and instructions. Over-reliance on combat in missions. Limited interaction in space travel and landing. Outdated NPC behavior and interactions. Screen Rant 4.5/5 Engaging storytelling and charismatic characters. Deep RPG mechanics with refined Perks system. Comprehensive shipbuilding and outpost creation. Massive, meticulously detailed open-world. Fewer bugs than previous Bethesda titles. Frequent loading screens hamper immersion. Inconsistent graphics and facial animations. Menu-heavy, can cause navigation fatigue. CGMagazine 9.5/10 Epic Space Voyage: Engaging storyline, exploration, and environmental storytelling. Freedom of Choice: Choose main quest or faction paths, abundant content. Vast & Diverse World: Various factions, planets, and quests for immersion. Immersive Exploration: Random encounters, rich environmental storytelling. Repetitive Content: Reused locations and enemies outside major quests. Main Quest's Strength: Main storyline not as deep as previous Bethesda games. Unclear Mechanics: Insufficient tutorials for certain game mechanics. Skill Tree Challenges: Some abilities locked behind skill tree ranking. PrimaGames 9/10 An entire galaxy to explore. Dozens of well-written side quests with multiple ways to complete each one. A game that gets better, and more nuanced, the longer you play. Menus and user interfaces can feel unintuitive. Cities can feel lifeless. The main story doesn't gain traction until act 3. Washington Post 4/4 Ambitious narrative: Explores tech and humanity. Monumental achievement: Vast universe, planets. Open-ended gameplay: Choices, consequences. Rich detail: Diverse quests, stories. Intimacy loss: Sacrifices connection. Spatial disconnection: Loading, menus. Limited character interaction: Detached. Technical hiccups: Occasional issues. Toms Guide 4/5 In-depth side quests: Complex and engaging. Exploration variety: Side quests, activities, landmarks. Attention to history: Detailed world-building. Procedural world design: Potential for diversity. Limited creative problem-solving: Limited options. Navigation limitations: Tedious menus for space travel. Graphical inconsistencies: Mixed quality visuals. Combat mechanics: Competent but not exceptional. IGN Japan 10/10 Vast universe with diverse planets Engaging characters Unique storytelling Minimal bugs Some UI issues Complexity may be overwhelming IGN Spain 10/10 Exceeds expectations. Vast, diverse experiences. Emotional and surprising moments. Deep storytelling. Memorable characters. Enriching exploration. Impressive visuals. Great soundtrack. Moments of tedium. Some artificiality. Sterile environments. Tedious menus. Slower early hours. Missed potential in exploration. Repetitive scenarios. Hindered momentum. Trusted Reviews 4/5 Fantastic side quests to dig into Superb gunplay and variety of weapons Ship customisation is excellent Expansive skill tree for true RPG experience Mostly boring story campaign Space and planet exploration is a chore Overencumbered system is incredibly frustrating Gaming Trend 90/100 Diverse faction quests Engaging side stories Base building options Survival-lite mechanics Polished performance Limited base structure variety Suit protection not imposing 30fps cap on Xbox Some minor bugs Pop-in during landing and loading Hardcore Gamer 4/5 Vast and detailed open-world galaxy to explore Variety of factions and choices that impact the story Engaging side quests and random encounters Diverse cast of characters with unique skills and personalities Lackluster main story missions Some repetitive and uninspired planetary exploration Skill progression system with repetitive unlocking requirements Clunky and underutilized spaceship combat Technical issues and bugs (though improved compared to previous Bethesda games) Inconsistent distribution of interesting content across the galaxy Stevivor 4/5 Strong RPG elements with intricate dialogue and mission structure Exploration of multiple planets and solar systems Impressive visuals, especially in planetary settlements and cities Variety and depth in side quests and branching dialogue Seamless blend of main and side questlines Limited planetary exploration within designated sections NPCs lack expressive animations and body language Some issues with progression and continuity in missions Lackluster ship combat and limited flying mechanics Resource gathering and base building can feel slow and tacked-on Tech Raptor 8/10 Space setting used to its fullest Incredible depth of side quests and content Plenty of player choice and dialogue options New Game Plus shakes things up for multiple playthroughs Solid soundtrack and audio direction Performance woes and various bugs Repetitive main story Stale combat for at least a good chunk of the game Some frustrating design decisions Windows Central 4.5/5 An incredibly rich and fresh take on sci-fi realism Deep lore and consistent backstories make a lifelike universe High-quality, hand-crafted story content for quests Some of Bethesda's best environmental design work Improved gunplay with spectacular ship combat Creation Engine nails zero-G combat, seamless construction systems, and environmental effects The single most polished game launch in Bethesda's history Introductory hours overwhelm with reams of systems, quests, and concepts delivered too quickly Uncanny NPCs are too ugly and stiff in 2023, with close-up shots detracting from great voice acting UI is too minimalistic for its own good, considering the complex systems within GameCrunch 4/5 Ambitious scope Detailed world-building Compelling quests Rich interior design Retro-futuristic aesthetics Satisfying combat Intriguing scenarios Fast-travel system Lack of exploration Overwhelming menus Limited character animations Excessive NPC chatter Character interactions Small universe feel Player2 100/100 Immersive storytelling Detailed environments Rich character interactions Freedom in approaching situations Authentic relationships with companions Meaningful side quests Rewarding exploration Overwhelming ship customization for some Large game may feel overwhelming Ship-building mechanics complex Some aspects may be underutilized Imperfect character animations NPCs' excessive dialogue Minor technical quirks Gaming Nexus 95/100 Enormous and hand-crafted content Dozens of mechanics create an amazing space adventure Mind-boggling amount of stuff to do Quests pop up from casual interactions Faction questlines rival entire AAA game stories Dynamic reactions to player's actions UI can be clunky, especially the star chart Pathfinding for quest markers can be problematic Some minor Bethesda jank present Fast travel heavily emphasized, reducing trekking Not a perfect experience at launch A few minor visual and interaction glitches PCGamesN 70/100 Expansive open-world space RPG. Diverse mechanics and quests. Detailed and densely packed cities. Complex facial animations and interactions. Customizable ships and space exploration. Feature creep and lack of focus. Tedious procedural planets. Lackluster side quests and consequences. Homogenous culture despite diversity. Limited character growth and chemistry. DigitalChumps 95/100 Explores space travel allure effectively. Vast, mysterious, and opportunity-rich universe. Slow burn main quest and character management. Lengthy and complicated tutorial. Takes time to reach outstanding gameplay. Game's mechanics might not be instantly intuitive. GamerNo 7/10 Impressive visuals and realistic lip movements. Shooting mechanics improved, satisfying flight experience. Many side quests and experiences in cities. Character customization leads to unique playthroughs. Concept of Starfield is compelling. Lack of seamless exploration in space. Awkward NPC behaviors and animations. Performance issues and areas feeling repetitive. Big cities lack excitement. Not on par with previous Bethesda titles' "wow" factor. Games.cz 70/100 Incredible characters enhance the story and quests. Unexpected plot twists and meaningful decisions. High-quality writing in main and side quests. Abundance of content, including space station building. Main narrative might raise questions. Some fetch quests and generic activities. Game lacks innovation in terms of gameplay mechanics. Despite issues, the game is enjoyable due to familiar Bethesda gameplay. App Trigger 90/100 Vast exploration Rich storytelling Cohesive gameplay Varied skills Improved mechanics Tedious planets Initial overwhelm Polygon Unscored Vast and expansive universe Diverse gameplay options and choices Interesting and surprising moments of wonder and discovery Some engaging stories and side activities Customization options for character and ship Improved shooting mechanics and combat Moments of personal connection and human interaction Sterile and lifeless environments Tedium and overwhelming menus Repetitive and derivative gameplay loops Lack of momentum and pacing issues Buried moments of wonder beneath layers of artificiality Struggles to balance handcrafted content with procedural generation Underwhelming execution of the game's ambition Attack of the fan boy 5/5 Magnificent size and scope. Diverse array of worlds. Stable, layered experience. Abundance of activities. Game Pass value proposition. Ambitious and successful. Xbox Game Studios' best. Frame rate compromises. VideoGamer 9/10 Vast exploration potential. Engaging combat with weight and consequence. Richly detailed world design. Diverse quest design and player agency. Captivating sense of discovery. Balanced technical performance. Thoughtful attention to space aesthetics. Frame rate drops on consoles. Procedurally generated planets can feel bland. Occasional minor bugs. GameRant 5/5 Freedom to explore and play as desired. Engaging combat mechanics and ship battles. Vast and diverse planets with meaningful content. Well-written characters and companions. Multiple factions and questlines with varied gameplay. Quality-of-life features enhance convenience. High replay value with New Game+ option. Dated mission design in some cases. Repetitive missions in the main quest. Occasional technical issues and jank. GOGConnected 90/100 Visually Stunning A lot to do Fascination with Space Very polished Repetitive Exploration Loading screens Wccftech 9/10 Engaging story filled with space mystery Well-developed companions Excellent ground and space combat Huge amount of meaningful content Extreme freedom to be whoever the player wants to be Some stunning vistas and locations Great performance on PC and minimal amount of bugs Lack of truly seamless exploration hurts immersion The first few hours of the game are a little dull Though refined, the gameplay formula is still the same as in the other games from the developer ZTGD 8/10 Great characters and side quests Most polished Bethesda game to date Exploration can be super fun Combat feels great So many barren planets Clunky menus and navigation Too many ammo and gun types Melee combat feels non-impactful Digital Trends 3.5/5 Strong sidequests Impactful choices Impressive scope Beautiful space landscapes Great ship and outpost customization Flat main story and characters Dull exploration Disappointing flight Stability issues ACG Buy We got this covered 4.5/5 Rewarding aerial combat with skill-based piloting. In-depth crew system and diverse companions. Settlement mechanics offer depth and management simulation. Overwhelming scope and attention to detail. Minor bugs do not significantly impact gameplay. Holds players' attention for extended periods. Bugs and minor glitches present. Settlement mechanics may not appeal to all players. RPG Fans 98% (Website is down currently :'( ) Press Start 9/10 An exciting new setting rich with lore A great twist on new game plus An unprecedented level of polish for a Bethesda Games Studio title The mix of combat styles, both on-planet and off, feels dynamic A few visual bugs There's some of the sense of exploration that's been lost Paste Magazine 5/10 Vast universe to explore Engaging exploration Improved combat mechanics Meaningful player choices Lackluster writing Bland characters Repetitive environments Confusing mechanics Gamersky 9/10 Vast RPG Experience: Richly detailed RPG with extensive exploration and engaging quests. Immersive Dialogue: Meaningful conversations and diverse dialogue options enhance role-playing. Faction Variety: Four distinct factions offer unique missions and branching storylines. Character Depth: Well-developed NPCs and companions contribute to an immersive experience. Skill Integration: Skills and traits impact conversations, combat, and exploration. Loading Interruptions: Frequent loading screens disrupt immersion in the vast universe. Limited Exploration: Procedurally generated planets lack depth and feel disconnected. Repetitive Environments: Scenery can become monotonous due to similar designs. Technical Issues: Encounters crashes and technical glitches that hinder gameplay. Inconsistent Writing: While some quests shine, the main plot can feel mundane. Spaziogames Unscored Stunning design & art. Improved technical launch. Distinctive environments. Strong audio & localization. Occasional bugs. Frame rate drops. Mixed planetary details. Console limitations. Rigid character animations. Gaming Bolt 10/10 Immersive setting with rich lore. Varied locations & impressive art. Engaging faction questlines. Well-developed companions. Strong emphasis on player freedom. Enjoyable combat & progression. Rewarding ship building. Frustrating AI in combat. Minor technical issues. Fexelea 9.4/10 Expansive, rich universe Unique faction dynamics Engaging quests & exploration Deep roleplaying mechanics Mediocre combat Some technical glitches Gameranx Unscored Engaging main quest Fun combat & weapon variety Ship building & customization Rich faction quests & activities Buggy nature & immersion-breaking bugs Mixed visual quality & outdated graphics Tedious space exploration & loading screens Randomly generated planets feel dull MattyPlays Unscored Engaging main story and faction quests. Improved mission variety and choice-driven narrative. Rich and immersive lore and dialogue interactions. Extensive amount of content and gameplay hours. Companions are more involved and interactive. Lack of seamless exploration and freedom. Planets can feel barren and lack diverse content. Missed opportunity with background traits and dialogue choices. Some side quests follow a predictable framework. Overuse of persuasion mini-game instead of skill checks. Digital Foundry (Performance based review) Unscored Consistent and stable experience on consoles with no obvious bugs. Graphics are excellent with high detail and beautiful environmental artwork. Game is smooth and stable with no glaring issues. Significant improvements in graphics quality compared to Bethesda's previous games. Xbox Series X and S both offer sharp and clean image quality. Motion blur helps to smooth out the 30 FPS frame rate target. Combat feels great, and main content of the game is in very good form. World is segmented with frequent loading screens, interrupting the experience. Planetary exploration can be repetitive due to procedurally generated content. Framerate is locked at 30 FPS without higher frame rate options. Some significant compromises in distant detail, shadows, and reflections on Series S. Series S features softer shadow maps and lower resolution cube maps for reflections. Occasionally, performance issues in cities, particularly New Atlantis and Aquila. Procedurally generated content lacks the curated experience of prior Bethesda games. The motion blur effect might be too subtle for some players' preference. JackFrags Unscored Engaging gameplay with different aspects like mining, combat, and space exploration. Detailed character creation and background choices. Intriguing story elements and mysteries. Smooth transition between planetary exploration and space travel. Tutorial system that introduces gameplay mechanics step by step. Varied gameplay mechanics, from combat to scanning creatures and resources. Atmospheric visuals and detailed environments. Ability to customize and upgrade your ship's systems. Multiple options for approaching encounters, including combat and diplomacy. Seamless transition between first-person and third-person perspectives. Interesting characters and interactions. Some players might find the controls and mechanics overwhelming at first. Initial learning curve for managing ship systems and combat tactics. Some players might find the tutorial interruptions disrupt the flow of the game. Scanning and surveying mechanics might become repetitive over time. Initial interactions with some characters could feel a bit rushed or forced. Some players might wish for more ship customization options from the start. The transition between space and planetary exploration is cinematic, not seamless. The UI can feel cluttered and complex, especially for new players. Minor technical issues could arise, such as frame rate drops or bugs. The initial narrative pacing might not suit players looking for immediate action. Not all players might enjoy the blend of first-person shooter and RPG mechanics. GmanLives Unscored Vast Exploration: Expansive galaxy with diverse planets and systems. Engaging Factions: Join various factions, each with unique storylines. Detailed Cities: Well-designed and lively cities with NPCs and activities. Comprehensive Customization: Extensive character and ship customization options. Immersive RPG Elements: Deep role-playing mechanics and meaningful choices. Rewarding Gameplay: Rich missions, exploration, and crafting offer satisfaction. Solid Voice Acting: Voice talent adds depth to characters and narrative. Atmospheric Graphics: Visually appealing environments and space exploration. Occasional Bugs: Some players experience technical glitches and bugs. Limited Planetary Depth: Planets can feel sparse with repetitive content. Stamina Mechanic: Oxygen and stamina limitations during planet exploration. Procedural Planets: Some planets lack unique details due to procedural generation. Combat Mechanics: Ground and space combat could be more refined. Lacking Vehicle Travel: No manual control during planetary entry or exit. Mixed Voice Acting: While solid, voice acting quality can vary. Platform Exclusivity: Limited availability on certain platforms (e.g., PC, Xbox). JuiceHead Unscored Engaging quests Extensive faction content Rich galaxy exploration Impressive shipbuilding Skill-based character growth Repetitive random encounters Limited depth in quests Inconsistent background impact Simplistic space combat Some generic structures ​ I'm trying to add as many as possible, but it takes some time, I may not get all of them! submitted by /u/TheSpaceFace to r/Starfield [link] [comments]

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