The Besties – Ghost of Yotei Slashes Through Open-World Filler

Episode Date: October 3, 2025
Hosts: Chris Plante, Griffin McElroy, Justin McElroy, Russ Frushtick

Episode Overview

This episode of The Besties is anchored by two deep-dives: a full review and group discussion of Ghost of Yotei, the highly anticipated open-world sequel to Ghost of Tsushima, and impressions of the Final Fantasy Tactics: Ivalice Chronicles remake. The crew breaks down what works and what doesn’t in modern open-world design, narrative integration, and the shifting tone of genre-defining RPGs. As always, the conversation is punctuated with tangents, favorite moments, and playful banter.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Banter and Set-Up (00:01–03:00)

• Opening with Justin’s porch-sweeping/power washing misadventures quickly spirals into a humorous riff about cleanliness, woodworking, and “sweeping with power.”
  • “When you know how to work your wood, it’s just an opportunity for a craft.” – Justin (00:55)
• The cast links these tangents to Ghost of Yotei’s gameplay loops and environmental details. Bird droppings, believe it or not, serve as both a joke and a segue into game navigation mechanics.
  • “Thank you, birds.” – Griffin (01:35)

2. Ghost of Yotei – Initial Impressions & Improvements (04:46–07:55)

• How does Yotei compare to Ghost of Tsushima?
  • Justin: “I thought it was really cool and I liked it a lot...but then I kinda lost interest in it. It got kind of samey for me and I bailed on it halfway through.” (04:49)
  • Griffin: Loss of taste for big open worlds, but praised polish and combat. (05:13)
  • Plante: “Did not like that game whatsoever... dull, slow, not even that pretty. But this game—mmm, yummy, yummy.” (05:29)
  • Russ: “Very slow-guided start in the first game. This definitely remedied that.” (05:45)
• Yotei’s Pacing & Premise
  • Immediate action: The revenge plot starts by killing one of the Yotei Six in the opening minutes (06:05).
  • The opening interactive sequence: painting a list of vengeance targets using the DualSense touchpad to form kanji. Griffin calls this a “really, really, really, very strong start.” (06:38–07:28)
  • Plante notes the familiar “revenge on masked enemies” setup but says the difference is Yotei’s speed: “You are zipping through it. That’s the hook here, right?” (07:55)

3. Technical Impressions & Quality of Life (08:35–10:39)

• Discussion of PS5 Pro and negligible but appreciated loading improvements (“I feel it not being there” – Justin, 08:54).
• “They’re finally using that technology from when they announced the PS5, where...you just zip. There’s no more loads. You just zip everywhere.” – Plante (08:35)
• The use of flashbacks for storytelling and tutorials (10:07), enabling you to learn skills as a child and immediately apply them as an adult.

4. Combat Evolution & Narrative Tone (10:41–13:06)

• Shift away from forced stealth and duality:
  • Justin: “This feels very heavily into combat... Why are you giving me both the assassinate prompt and the sword fight prompt?” (10:42)
  • Griffin: “This game does not fucking care... she just wants to fucking kill these guys.” (12:04)
• The main character, Atsu, is driven, blood-soaked, but sometimes casually conversational:
  • “She is fucking drenched in blood, head to toe, and she’s like, ‘Hey, do you have any hats?’” – Russ (12:55)
• Introduction of Miike Mode (Takashi Miike-inspired) and other visual filters for variety/customization:
  • “Such a great idea... it gives you these different options to change the vibe for whatever you’re feeling in that moment... And they actually work.” – Plante (13:26)
  • Kurosawa mode mentioned: black & white visuals, film grain, and crunched audio. (14:12)

5. Accessibility and Combat Mechanics (14:23–16:10)

• Colorblind issues: Yellow/red/orange attack cues; some accessibility options (“every single time on yellow” – Russ, 14:27).
• Combat described as stylish, dynamic, and reminiscent of Arkham Asylum, with context-based improvisation (picking up and throwing swords, using sand, etc.) (15:44).
  • “Closest yet to Bushido Blade as an open world combat system.” – Plante (15:59)

6. Weapon Progression and Immersion (16:18–18:28)

• Progress is tied to hunting down the six, each with signature weapons and unique “training montages”; weapon mastery is earned, not given.
  • “It’s some Indigo Prophecy shit... it’s Quantic Dream as hell. But it’s the good dream shit.” – Justin and Griffin, on two-sword QTEs (18:20–18:28)

7. Streamlined Open World Structure (18:33–21:19)

• Griffin lauds how clear and pared-back the world is: obvious visual indicators (shrines, hot springs, smoke), streamlined upgrades and quick skill progression.
• Still, some bemoan long traversal gaps (“bit long in the tooth” – Griffin, 19:56), but Justin and Russ point out the instant fast travel after initial exploration (20:03), and note that narrative missions are where pacing can bog down (20:10–21:19).
  • “This game wears a little bit two hats at points... the open world side mission stuff goes incredibly quickly... but mission missions, story missions... that’s where the bulk of time was spent in narrative and cutscenes, and none of which are skippable...” – Russ (20:10)

8. Narrative vs. Open World Experience (21:22–25:45)

• Unskippable cutscenes a recurring pet peeve—“44... why can't I skip?” – Justin (22:28)
• The game feels open, but at key moments, players are pushed into “levels” via transitions: “There are a lot of times where you are shimmying between rocks and you’re entering a level, or especially when you chase on the Yotei 6, it’s like, oh, I’m gonna climb the mountain...suddenly you’re in the mountain and you’re in the mountain level.” – Plante (23:13)
• Griffin wants more organic open-world surprises, like Zelda: Totally organic emergent moments are less frequent; more often, encounters are player-initiated via conscious choices (talking to NPCs triggers missions). (25:21–26:10)
  • “Do you not like video games?” (26:26) — playful ribbing of Griffin’s picky tastes

9. UI, Exploration, and Final Ghost of Yotei Thoughts (26:53–27:12)

• Universal applause for minimal, immersive UI and a “fast start” design philosophy: “Fast start makes people have fun in the first hour of the game. Don't start your game in a mine. Come on.” – Russ (27:12)

[SECOND HALF] Final Fantasy Tactics: Ivalice Chronicles Review (29:26–42:18)

Game History, Remake Features, and Story (29:26–32:51)

• “Final Fantasy Tactics, Ivalice Chronicles” is a remake of the classic PS1 tactical RPG—features new memos, charts, easier-to-follow worldbuilding and retrained localization.
  • “It is a very, very dense story about a sort of war of succession... and I actually think that that stuff is pretty valuable.” – Griffin (31:08)

Story Themes and Writing (32:51–35:30)

• The game frames class conflict and the aftermath of war with unusually direct relevance to current events.
  • Quote from scenario writer Yasumi Matsuno:
    “And now, in 2025, a time when inequality and division are still deeply rooted in our society, I offer the story once again. The will to resist is in your hands.” (35:40–36:24)
  • “It is an effective thing to play a game that has a story that resonates with the current situation so clearly and so well.” – Griffin (36:29)

Difficulty, Accessibility, and Playability (36:46–38:00)

• “Opening difficulty curve is quite steep,” but for the first time, there are difficulty settings and automation to minimize grind (37:08).
• “I’ve had a lot of issues with the game’s opening difficulty curve...this game offers you difficulty settings for the first time...you can minimize some of the grinding and farming that you might need to do.” – Griffin (37:08–37:46)

Visual Upgrades, Features, and Camera Options (38:00–39:50)

• New softened sprites, optional CRT filter, bird’s-eye camera; not as luxurious as the new “2D-3D” RPG makeovers, but effective, accessible, and preserves the classic tactical flow.
  • “There’s a fast forward button...just hold to toggle during fights you don’t want to take forever.” – Griffin (39:54)

Missing Extras (final thoughts, 40:04–41:32)

• Some bonus content from earlier remakes cut, such as guest characters, but core story and gameplay “timeless” and “the most approachable version yet.”

Fire Emblem Comparison and Permadeath (41:01–42:00)

• Battles are more about elemental strengths and unit customization than rigid weapon-class triangles.
• Emphasis on small-party tactics (4–6 units); permadeath raises stakes, adds risk/reward. (41:32–42:00)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “For more woodwork. Yeah, more woodwork. I mean, they sound clean. Mission accomplished. No bird shit on these for sure.”
  – Griffin (01:00)
• “It is the guiding light.”
  – Plante, on bird droppings marking navigation points (01:36)
• “She just wants to fucking kill these guys.”
  – Russ, on the protagonist’s singular drive (12:04)
• “I can’t tell you how many dialogue sequences I’ve had where she is fucking drenched in blood, head to toe, drenched in the viscera of others, and she’s like, ‘Hey, do you have any hats?’”
  – Russ (12:55)
• “Use your senses. You’re cooking fish, flipping the controller up and down...for the two swords, it is giving you QTEs that are basically impossible...turns how miserable using the L3 button is into an idea inside of the game.”
  – Plant (17:12)
• “If I feel like my time is being wasted in an open world game, I feel it more intensely.”
  – Griffin (19:56)
• “Do you not like video games?”
  – Playful group ribbing at Griffin’s open-world fatigue (26:26)
• “And now in 2025...I offer the story once again. The will to resist is in your hands.”
  – Matsuno’s letter, read by Plante, on the relevance of Tactics (35:40)
• “It is an effective thing to play a game that has a story that resonates with the current situation so clearly and so well.”
  – Griffin (36:29)
• “I do kind of wish it had that level of polish that, like, Octopath and those more recent 2D-3D games have had. But I’ve gotten the furthest in it in this version of it than I ever have because...a lot of the things that have scared me off...have been smoothed out.”
  – Griffin (39:22)
• “There's permadeath in the game... you have three rounds to revive them, and if you don't, they're fucking gone.”
  – Griffin (41:32)

Timestamps for Key Segments

| Time | Segment | |:---------:|:------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 00:01 | Opening banter: porch, power washing, woodworking | | 01:23 | Bird droppings, navigation, transition to Ghost of Yotei | | 04:46 | Ghost of Yotei impressions: how the sequel compares | | 06:38 | Opening sequence: hit list, DualSense kanji writing | | 07:55 | Speedy storytelling contrasted with other open worlds | | 10:07 | Flashbacks as tutorials, minimal downtime, instant “zipping” | | 12:04 | Protagonist’s drive and blood-soaked tonal shifts | | 13:06 | Miike mode, Kurosawa mode, stylistic and accessibility options | | 14:23 | Colorblindness and attack cue issues | | 15:44 | Combat: improvisation and Arkham influence | | 17:12 | Weapon progression, QTEs, immersive tactile play | | 18:33 | Map, skill points, open world flow | | 19:56 | Traversal gripes and fast travel | | 20:10 | Narrative missions, pacing, and unskippable cutscenes | | 22:28 | Linear “level” moments in the “open” world | | 23:13 | Seamless transitions, but sometimes claustrophobic story progression | | 25:21 | Open world organic moments versus structured content | | 26:53 | UI/UX minimalism, streamlined exploration | | 27:12 | “Fast start” design philosophy | | 29:26 | Final Fantasy Tactics: Ivalice Chronicles—remake begins | | 31:08 | Worldbuilding—memos, charts, better narrative tracking | | 32:51 | Class struggle, mature storytelling | | 35:40 | Designer letter, resonance with contemporary inequality | | 37:08 | Difficulty options, playability, automation | | 38:00 | Visual update, camera, and fast-forward features | | 41:32 | Permadeath, unit management |

Additional Segments & Honorable Mentions

• Mailbag & Upcoming Games:
  • Hype for Pokémon/Minecraft fusion “Pocopia,” roguelike “Clover Pit”, and reactions to the “Baby Steps” demo (42:34–44:25).
• “Six Thumbs, One Heart” group play insight: The challenge and fun of splitting game controls between multiple players (44:25–45:41).
• Other Recommendations:
  • Hades II, Megabonk (3D Vampire Survivors), Only Murders in the Building (TV series), and a range of retro and DIY YouTube channels highlighted by Justin (48:22–52:00).
  • Justin details favorite YouTube channels for non-commercial, process-based gaming content: Sayaka's Digital Attic, Tech Dweeb, Cultured Vultures.
• Community and patron support reminders (56:17), plus tease for next episode: Silent Hill F.

Memorable Moments of Levity

• Extended riff on whether to buy a power washer and the logistics of using one in an apartment. (50:16–50:42)
• Debate on whether the new “Q Up” game (by Frank Lantz) is “the future of esports” or an elaborate game-as-joke:
  • “It’s about coin flipping...what do you mean, is it a joke?” – Plante (54:36)
  • “Is it frog fractions three? Like, is that what’s going on?” – Russ (55:05)

Podcast Character and Tone

The episode is marked by irreverence, friendly ribbing (especially at Griffin’s open-world fatigue), a passion for the interplay between game mechanics and narrative, and a real curiosity about how contemporary games can streamline genre conventions without losing personality. Their deep-dive reviews strike a balance between rigorous critique and heartfelt recommendation, always mindful of how design changes impact play.

In Summary

Ghost of Yotei emerges as a sequel that learns from its predecessor’s pacing and polish flaws, centering player agency and RPG immediacy in both mechanics and narrative. The team praises its responsive combat, streamlined open world, dynamic side content, and commitment to player-fueled progression, with only minor gripes about traversal downtime and unskippable narrative sequences.

The Final Fantasy Tactics remake gets high marks for accessibility, modernized visuals, and narrative depth that feels timely and potent in 2025. The conversation is generous with context, always aware that long-time fans and newcomers alike have much to rediscover.

Throughout, the Besties maintain their signature mix of insightful critique and earnest delight—confirming, once more, that “the world’s best friends [should] pick the world’s best games.”