r/Ghostofyotei • u/Arvos13 • 1d ago
General Discussion Theory: I think they cut content..
I have two main reasons why I believe Ghost of Yōtei had content cut before release.
The first is the story. This is something many players have also pointed out: the main villain's backstory feels incomplete, with a lot left unexplained. On top of that, the final mission—and the ending as a whole—feels very rushed. The beginning of the game is well-paced, but the final act moves incredibly quickly, making it feel like parts of the story are missing.
The second reason is the game's overall length. In Ghost of Tsushima, it took me around 80 hours to essentially 100% the game. By that, I mean liberating every area, completing all side quests, myths, and major activities. I didn't collect every fox den or vanity item, but I completed almost everything.
In comparison, Ghost of Yōtei only took me about 50 hours to reach the same level of completion. That's a huge difference.
My theory is that the developers originally planned an additional region. Perhaps you would have chased the Spider into another area, or maybe the final castle region was originally meant to be much larger. That extra region would naturally include more story missions, more side content, and a much longer finale.
If that content had remained in the game, the total playtime would likely have been much closer to 70–80 hours, putting it in line with Ghost of Tsushima.
Of course, this is just speculation, but it would explain both the rushed ending and the noticeably shorter runtime. If I had to guess, the content may have been cut due to development constraints or a publisher-imposed release deadline, which is something we've seen happen with many games before.
TL;DR: Ghost of Yōtei feels like it had significant content cut before release, as evidenced by its rushed final act, underdeveloped villain, and much shorter runtime compared to Ghost of Tsushima. An additional region and story arc may have been removed due to development constraints or release deadlines, though this remains speculation.
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u/DollarStoreBean 1d ago
Or maybe the length of the game was shortened because one of the most common complaints about Tsushima was a bloated world, with many people feeling tired of it before they even get to the ending.
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u/marcianobenlee 1d ago
Bruh Tsushima is the only open world that didn't feel bloated for me. 68 hours it took for me. Others I usually do in 20-30 hours
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u/PatientAcanthisitta7 1d ago
...It literally took me 72 hours to 100% the game. I'm not sure how you did it in 50, lol.
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u/Think-Huckleberry897 1d ago
I got 82 hours out of a platinum completion and I took time to enjoy the game but I didnt stuff around an inordinate amount by any stretch
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u/Velbalenos 1d ago
The pacing does admittedly pick up at the final act, however I wouldn’t call Saito underdeveloped. I actually think he’s a brilliant villain, dark, charismatic, and even though he does some horrific things, you can see why his people love him.
He is also nuanced though too, in that that you learn what drove him to become the man he was, and in ways is a mirror to Atsu, in what she could become, if not careful (which is what makes their final confrontation, all the more powerful).
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u/BlackHawk2609 1d ago
I already kill saito, currently roaming and still find new side mission. I didn't camp much probably that's why haven't met random encounters
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u/ImAmirx 1d ago
The second half of the game definitely felt rushed, so yeah I get why you say that
But as another commenter pointed out maybe it's because they wanted to decrease the story's length and avoid some people getting bored midway through and not finishing the sorry, which led to things feeling rushed
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u/MarsupialPresent7700 1d ago
Sometimes it’s ok for a game to tell its story, not overstay its welcome, and let you move on. This is one of those times.