PlayStation has been surprisingly quiet when it comes to its next AAA release, Ghost of Yotei. Outside of the initial reveal trailer and a handful of story tidbits, fans don't really know much about the next entry into the Ghost series. It has felt for a long time that PlayStation should start ramping up Ghost of Yotei's marketing, but perhaps it felt it was better to wait for the dust to settle on its direct competition, the surprisingly critically acclaimed Assassin's Creed Shadows.

Fortunately, that time has come, and PlayStation has suddenly revealed a lot of Ghost of Yotei story information. Unfortunately, this may have come to the detriment of the game, as already it is beginning to look like Assassin's Creed Shadows has it beat. That isn't because Ghost of Yotei looks bad, as its first trailer in quite some time has absolutely sold players on how beautiful and fun it looks. Rather, Ghost of Yotei could lose to Assassin's Creed Shadows because of one unforeseen major story issue.

Ghost Of Yotei's Plot Details Have Been Revealed

The Latest Trailer Revealed All

In a brand-new Ghost of Yotei trailer called "The Onryo's List", PlayStation has largely revealed the primary purpose of the game's protagonist, as well as the antagonists she'll be coming up against. The trailer is just as flashy as the last, featuring a lot of quick cuts and stylish sequences, all of which culminate in a lightning-fast gameplay montage largely consisting of combat. Everything we've seen here looks incredible, a huge step up from Ghost of Tsushima while still retaining the style and substance that made it such a critical and commercial success.

The trailer also revealed Ghost of Yotei's release date, which isn't far away at all. Unfortunately, that may be a bit of a problem for it, as, while it does undeniably look incredible, it has already begun drawing unfavorable comparisons to AC Shadows. However, it is perhaps not in the way one would expect, as while many largely anticipated that the two games would share a similar gameplay loop, few expected their stories to be almost identical in almost every single way.

Ghost Of Yotei And Shadows Share The Same Plot

Both Are Tales Of Revenge

Ghost of Yotei's story revolves around its female protagonist, Atsu, seeking revenge for the death of her family, who were brutally murdered by a group of masked assassins who go by the name of Onryo. She seemingly hunts them down one by one, learning new information about their leader, who was the one to deliver the final blow, along the way. It is a familiar revenge story, one seen in a lot of other samurai media, including, unfortunately, 2025's Assassin's Creed Shadows, a game that launched just a few months before it.

Assassin's Creed Shadow's story revolves around its female protagonist, Naoe, as she tracks down the masked assassins who killed her father and stole her people's sacred artifact. These assassins happen to go by the name of Onryo and must be hunted down one by one, with each kill revealing more information about the group's leader. Of course, this is discounting Yasuke's role in the game, who has a different story, as well as the overarching narrative of Nobunaga's control over Japan at the time. However, it is nevertheless a core part of the game's central narrative.

Onryo are spirits that appear throughout Japanese folklore and history. The term means wrathful or vengeful spirits, and has since been adopted in a lot of popular media, especially Japanese horror anime, games, and films, such as The Ring. It has also appeared in Western media, including the games Phasmophobia, Dead by Daylight, and, of course, Assassin's Creed Shadows.

Ghost of Yotei needed to borrow AC Shadows' best features, but this may be going a tad too far. Of course, this type of story is very common, and there is no way that either team stole from the other. It is merely parallel thinking. However, that doesn't mean it isn't an unfortunate coincidence, one that could hurt either entry, but especially Ghost of Yotei, considering it is releasing months after everyone has already experienced this story in Assassin's Creed Shadows.

Ghost Of Yotei Could Suffer Thanks To Its Late Release Date

Comparisons To Shadows Will Be Made

Ghost of Yotei will likely do very well, especially considering it is the follow-up to Ghost of Tsushima. However, releasing after Assassin's Creed Shadows could hurt it in the long run, even if that fate wasn't avoidable. Not only have players already experienced the same story, but they'll have also trekked through a large open-world stealth sandbox set in Feudal Japan. Ghost of Yotei is offering the exact same experience, albeit with a handful of twists of its own, and that may not be enough for those fatigued of the genre or setting.

Had Yotei released before Assassin's Creed Shadows, then there is a very good chance it would be in a more favorable position.

Had Yotei been released before Assassin's Creed Shadows, then there is a very good chance it would be in a more favorable position. Obviously, that wasn't a possibility, otherwise, we'd already be playing it. Of course, it is impossible to judge it this early, as while the two games share the same plot, largely the same setting - Ghost of Yotei is set in the north of Japan, whereas Shadows is set in the Kansai region towards the south - and similar gameplay conventions, Yotei could absolutely do a better job than Shadows.

People Could Sour On Shadows If Yotei Is Amazing

Yotei's Story Could Be Better

So long as players aren't too exhausted by the setting and open-world formula by the time Ghost of Yotei launches, there's a good chance they could quickly turn on Assassin's Creed Shadows. While everyone loves it now, it wouldn't take much to sur Assassin's Creed Shadows as, despite forgoing a lot of the annoying conventions that have plagued Ubisoft games in the past, it nevertheless is still lagging behind a lot of other modern open-world games. Its success, while partly due to compelling storytelling and gameplay design, is propped up by its setting.

Ghost of Yotei, if it follows a similar structure to Tsushima, would offer a more concise, focused, and linear narrative, something that a lot of players may prefer to Assassin's Creed Shadows' free-form approach to storytelling. All Yotei needs to do is improve upon the formula established in Ghost of Tsushima, offer a stronger narrative, and a more dynamic setting. Should it manage that, then Ghost of Yotei will easily triumph over Assassin's Creed Shadows, even despite the baffling similarities between the two games.