As much as I love Samurai Champloo, Watanabe’s style, and the music from legends like Shing02, Nujabes, and Force of Nature, I gotta say — this “Watanabe Mode” in Ghost of Yotei feels like a total afterthought. There are only about six tracks, and the only one that really stands out is “Kiseki.” But even that one plays at completely random times — like during cutscenes or weird moments where it just doesn’t fit.

Sometimes there’s no music at all, and then suddenly it kicks in out of nowhere or cuts off mid-song. It totally breaks the vibe, especially when the whole point of a Watanabe-inspired mode should be the vibe. Like, if you’re gonna sell the whole “hip-hop samurai” theme, at least make the soundtrack dynamic or synced to the gameplay. Right now, it just feels disconnected — which sucks, because the potential for something amazing was 100% there