| Ghost of Yōtei | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Release Date | Gameplay & Story | Pre-Order & DLC | Review |
Ghost of Yotei Review Overview
What is Ghost of Yotei?
Developed by Sucker Punch Productions and published by Sony Interactive Entertainment, Ghost of Yōtei is the stand-alone sequel to the 2020 action-adventure game, Ghost of Tsushima. Ghost of Yōtei was officially announced during the Sony State of Play in September 2024 and was revealed to be set 300 years after the events that take place in Ghost of Tsushima. The game, like its predecessor, is an action-adventure title. It follows the journey of a new protagonist, Atsu, a female warrior who adopts the persona of the Ghost.
Ghost of Yotei features:
⚫︎ Open World Action Adventure
⚫︎ Satisfying Combat
⚫︎ Variety of Weaponry
⚫︎ Antihero Protagonist
⚫︎ Stunning Presentation
⚫︎ Tons of Minigames
⚫︎ Various Cinematic Modes
For more gameplay details, read everything we know about Ghost of Yotei’s gameplay and story.
| Digital Storefronts | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Playstation |
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| $69.99 | |||||
Ghost of Yotei Pros & Cons
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
 Top-Notch Presentation Engaging Open World Perfect Map Size Open-Ended Progression |
Combat Loop Becomes Tiring Difficult to Connect Protagonist |
Ghost of Yotei Story - 8/10
The Ghost of Yotei’s story is a well-crafted narrative that frames a revenge tale through the lens of a traumatized survivor. The storytelling revolves around Atsu piecing together the events of what happened during the night the ginkgo tree burned, which makes the plot a lot more interesting than your typical revenge story. Whether it’s intention or not, Atsu is a hard character to empathize with as an anti-hero that’s ultimately self-serving with the consequences of the right result.
Ghost of Yotei Gameplay - 9/10
The gameplay remains as rock-solid as it was before, which was already satisfying to its core. The open world aspect has been immensely improved, as the map is much more compact compared to the previous game, while having more interactions after a short ride. Although not much has changed with its combat systems, the removal of stances in favor of different weapons is a double-edged sword to its combat loop.
Ghost of Yotei Visuals - 10/10
Sucker Punch set the bar high with their previous release in terms of visuals, so it’s hard to believe that they somehow were able to outdo themselves with Ghost of Yotei. The use of vibrancy and contrast in various regions of the game is so stunning that most places are photogenic. One nitpick that I have concerns its robotic animation in cutscenes, but it’s mostly negligible.
Ghost of Yotei Audio - 9/10
The overall audio design of the game is superb. The use of different themes for its music score was well-executed and dynamically changes the tone of the game’s many scenes. The sound effects are also great, most notably the return of the satisfying clang of the perfect parry. For the most part, the voice acting is great, but there are times when the delivery feels like it lacks emotion.
Ghost of Yotei Value for Money - 9/10
For $69.99, it’s a well-packaged AAA game that finds the perfect balance between exploration and gameplay. The more compact map size leads to more interactions and less downtime. In addition, the many unique interactions in its random encounters add to the game’s exploration, which enhances the getting lost
part of the game.
Ghost of Yotei Overall - 90/100
Ghost of Yotei is a remarkable improvement to the previous game that refines most of its aspects to perfect sharpness. The use of open-ended progression and the more compact map size, without suffering from the lack of things to do, makes exploration rewarding. Not to mention that the presentation is breathtaking; it’s hard to believe that the game runs perfectly.
Ghost of Yotei Review: Sharper in Almost Every Way
It’s no secret that Ghost of Tsushima is one of PlayStation’s best titles. The combination of cinema-level visuals, Jin’s compelling inner turmoil, and a satisfying gameplay experience captured many players.
Including myself, who actually got the Platinum trophy for the game twice after the release of the Director’s Cut. That being said, it was obvious that I was excited about the release of Ghost of Yotei, since I wanted to know just how Sucker Punch could top the high bar that they set for themselves.
Ghost of Yotei is an action-adventure game that takes place 300 years after the events of the previous game, Ghost of Tsushima. This time, a new protagonist by the name of Atsu takes on the role of the Ghost as she’s out for vengeance against the ones who killed her family. Given how good the previous game was, how does it hold up as a sequel and as a game?
Ezo, the Island of Opportunists
The game takes place in Ezo, which is Hokkaido in modern-day Japan. A war between two armies is brewing, as both factions are vying to take control of the island. On one side, Clan Matsumae, to civilize the north under the shogun’s command, and on the other, Lord Saito’s own army, to make the island their home.
The island is home to many different regions, namely the Yotei Grasslands, Ishikari Plain, Tokachi Range, Nayoro Wilds, Teshio Ridge, and the Oshima Coast. Additionally, you can also hike up Mount Yotei itself, making it a small area to explore on its own.
Let me briefly talk about how good the visuals are. Ghost of Yotei doubles down on the art direction that the previous game had. The vibrant colors are paired with the contrasting visuals that are evident in almost every area in the game. They’ve somehow increased the number of photogenic spots that are in the game, where the first game already looked amazing to begin with.
For specific examples, the first area, the Yotei Grasslands, is already littered with tons of different combinations of color contrasts, as it has multiple fields of different colored flowers. When you progress a bit more and enter the Ishikawa Plains, you see that it’s a stark contrast from the grasslands, as the color is mostly a hue of red.
The Onryo Personified
At the center of the conflict in Ezo is Atsu, a female mercenary who returns from her mercenary stint in the south with the goal of vengeance against the Yotei Six, which comprises Saito and five of his compatriots. The motive for her revenge is due to Saito slaughtering her family sixteen years ago.
Early on, it’s established that Atsu is nothing like Jin Sakai, whose inner turmoil was the main highlight of the narrative. She is, by all accounts, an antihero who’s solely motivated by her hatred towards the Yotei Six and nothing else. To the point where she is labeled as an Onryo, or a ghost of vengeance.
But that isn’t to say that she’s a one-sided character. As you start to interact with the different side content the game has to offer, you start to see a complexity in how she reacts and engages with certain people. For instance, one of the Bounty Hunting missions has you take on a musician who owns a cursed flute, requiring him to sacrifice people to keep his musical prowess. The musician pleads to Atsu to let him play one last song with her before he dies, and after doing so, Atsu was so moved by the performance that she even buried him despite being a target.
Like I said before, Atsu isn’t Jin. The complexity of her character is unique in the way that she isn’t a person bound by a code. She is a scarred individual in almost every way imaginable, which then affects her demeanor toward others as well. Throughout the game, you see little bits and pieces of her emotion coming through, as well as the reason why she’s so hell-bent on killing Saito and his cronies.
Smaller Map Size, Bigger Impact
One of the main complaints that I had with Ghost of Tsushima was the sheer map size of the game. Sure, the island is huge, and that allows for Sucker Punch to flex the visuals a bit more, but it led to the game becoming repetitive after trying to finish everything there is to offer in the first act. The pacing of the game suffered due to how spread out it was and how much side content there was that was immediately accessible.
In Ghost of Yotei, this is alleviated by two key things: a smaller map size divvied up by smaller regions
and an open-ended progression for the main campaign.
While a smaller map size might seem counterintuitive to the open-world design, this might actually be the best thing the sequel did. The map is currently at that perfect point where it’s small enough to lessen the downtime between points of interest while being big enough to still have that visual wow factor in exploration.
Additionally, the open-ended story progression also meant that the player isn’t boxed into a linear progression where they stay in that area till completion. You’re free to explore the areas that the chapter allows, which means that you have access to vastly different areas immediately.
While this can potentially mean that you’d just endlessly do all the side content before setting foot in the next chapter, the smaller map size helps the pacing of doing the different content and keeps it engaging. It’s very easy to get lost in the side content of Ghost of Yotei, but I never found it boring, be it a parkour challenge, an enemy camp, or even just a simple altar to reflect on.
Different Weapons, Same Stances
In favor of stances in the previous game, Atsu has access to various weaponry to fight against her enemies. To put it simply, the different weapons are a form of rock-paper-scissors that you have to match against certain weapons that enemies use. Where katana beats dual katanas, dual katanas beat spears, spears beat kusarigama or kamas, and kamas beat shields. Odachis are a special case since they’re mostly used against the Brute enemies because of their huge stature.
In essence, it’s the stance system in the first game, but in a different flavor. While the variety of having different melee weapons is cool, the problem lies in the latter half of the game, where you have to juggle weapons to stay effective.
Enemies in Ghost of Yotei tend to surround you and overwhelm you, especially in the higher difficulties, so having to switch to a favorable weapon and time your defense makes for a combat loop that ends up being more of a chore.
Don’t get me wrong, the combat is still enjoyable for the most part, especially when you get to use all of the tools that you have in your arsenal. But frequently switching weapons doesn’t let you master the weapon as much as I’d like. It even came to a point where I didn’t even use most of the skills I’ve learned with said weapons.
Is Ghost of Yotei Worth It?
Absolutely. A Sequel You Don’t Want to Miss!
Ghost of Yotei might seem like more of the same things that the previous release had, and you’d be half-right. It refines what already works and even addresses the biggest issues that it had back when the game was released.
For $69.99, you’re getting a complete package of breathtaking visuals, mostly satisfying combat, and an amazing open world, all while it runs perfectly on either PS5 or PS5 Pro. The game isn’t perfect by any means, as the late-game combat can feel like a chore with the constant weapon switching, and Atsu can be hard to empathize with due to her cold demeanor.
However, the presentation, open-world design, and side content are so well-executed that they overshadow the nitpicks that I had for the game, making it a sequel you should play. In all honesty, I would even go so far as to say that Ghost of Yotei is an improvement in almost everything that the first game had. If you enjoyed the first game, you’ll most definitely enjoy this game.
| Digital Storefronts | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Playstation |
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| $69.99 | |||||
Ghost of Yotei FAQ
Does Ghost of Yotei have an option for other languages aside from English and Japanese?
Yes. Ghost of Yotei has voice acting for French, German, Italian, Polish, Portuguese (Brazil), Portuguese (Portugal), Russian, Spanish, and Mexican Spanish.
Does Ghost of Yotei have multiplayer?
Not at the moment. Ghost of Yotei Legends, a free multiplayer DLC for owners of the game, will be released in 2026, as announced by Sucker Punch.
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Ghost of Yotei Product Information
 |
|
| Title | GHOST OF YOTEI |
|---|---|
| Release Date | October 2, 2025 |
| Developer | Sucker Punch Productions |
| Publisher | Sony Interactive Entertainment |
| Supported Platforms | PlayStation 5 |
| Genre | Action, Adventure |
| Number of Players | 1 |
| ESRB Rating | M |
| Official Website | Ghost of Yotei Official Website |
