Ghost of Yotei’s bamboo strikes feature an audience of baby foxes

Ghost of Yōtei‘s open world is full of genuinely riveting optional activities. Bandit camps give you a chance to practice your stealth and combat away from higher-stakes story missions. Shrines offer Uncharted-style platforming challenges that lead to helpful rewards. Tracking down and bathing in elusive hot springs increases your health. I’ve spent much of my time seeking out the samurai game’s bamboo strikes, not because they give you a pretty helpful stat boost, but because of a far more important reason: Look at those little guys!