Ghost of Yōtei, the follow-up to 2020’s Ghost of Tsushima from Sucker Punch Productions, redefines its approach to open-world game design, delivering one of the best sequels of the year that feels fresh and exciting regardless of your affinity with the property.
Ghost of Yōtei transports players forward in time, taking place 300 years after the events of the previous game, in the 1600s, on the northernmost edge of Japan, in the region of the Ezo, which is modern-day Hokkaido. In other words, Ghost of Yōtei is a standalone experience that can be enjoyed even if you’ve never played 2020’s Ghost of Tsushima.
The Ghost of Yōtei tells the tale of Atsu, a woman transformed by the cruel consequences of her past mistakes, which led to her family being taken captive by a ronin warlord, thus setting off her blood-soaked tale of vengeance. Unlike Ghost of Tsushima’s protagonist, Jin Sakai, who slowly becomes a battle-hardened ninja, shedding his preconceived notions of honour and abiding by the mantra of the samurai, Atsu, instead, was left for dead at a young age, making her already a ruthless killer by the start of the game proper.
Pinned to a burning tree in her homestead at the hands of the Yōtei Six, a band of Ronin under the banner of Lord Saitō, the man responsible for the death of Atsu’s family, players begin their trek across Ezo, tasked with hunting down each member, thus fulfilling Atsu’s quest for vengeance. Simply put, Ghost of Yōtei is a dark and violent love letter to classic Japanese cinema.
“Simply put, Ghost of Yōtei is a dark and violent love letter to classic Japanese cinema.”
Ezo, which is similar in size and scope to the sprawling map found in Ghost of Tsushima, changes things up when it comes to its approach to open-world game design. One of the least appealing aspects of some open-world titles is the repetitive nature tied to various activities and content that players can engage with, such as, for example, reclaiming bases from enemies, which tend to reuse assets and animations, to the point of nausea.
Ghost of Yōtei fixes this common issue plaguing open-world titles in a simple but eloquent manner by making each and every activity, be it a shrine climb, Saitō enemy base battle, or random NPC encounter, feel distinct and spread out to the point where they don’t feel stale or derivative of each other. The sheer volume of side content and unique scenarios that divert from the main campaign also helps Ghost of Yōtei feel more engaging as players explore its sprawling world.
An example that comes to mind of how Ghost of Yōtei changes its structure to otherwise repetitive missions is how the game handles its many bounties, which task players with finding and eliminating other rogue samurai or ronins. The vast majority of bounties can be found inside towns or homesteads, plastered on the communal bounty board, while others can just be found by exploring the game world and talking to NPCs. Most bounties themselves also feature unique and fully voiced dialogue and often even lead into multi-step side quests and other areas to explore, making something as simple as taking out a designated target feel fresh and engaging.
New side activities in Ghost of Yōtei include sumi-e, or ink painting spots and learning songs for Atsu’s shamisen, a guitar-like string instrument that plays a vital role in the game. While returning side content includes bamboo cutting challenges and hot springs that increase your health pool, in addition to the aforementioned bounties, shrine climbs and reclaiming bases from the enemy forces.
Both the sumi-e and shamisen side activities take advantage of the PlayStation 5’s DualSense controller, requiring the player to trace their finger across the touchpad, which results in a fun and novel approximation of painterly strokes and finding the correct fingering, in the case of playing a string instrument. I can only hope the forthcoming sequel to Okami takes inspiration from what Sucker Punch has done in Ghost of Yōtei.
Additionally, Ghost of Yōtei features a set of tales tied to the travelling storyteller Ugetsu. These quests lead players into supernatural-adjacent side stories that echo the Legends storyteller mode in Ghost of Tsushima. The missions balance grounded and fantastical elements, creating some of the most exciting yet believable stories in the game. They also avoid undermining the serious, realistic tone Sucker Punch has worked to establish. Beyond their narrative appeal, Ugetsu’s tales are accompanied by songs and often reward players with powerful armour sets, charms and other items, making them well worth pursuing.
Combat has also been overhauled in Ghost of Yōtei, which drops the different stances in favour of more weapon types. This not only makes for a more varied experience but also suits the character of Atsu, who never claims to be a samurai or a high noble. Along with a wide range of katana, Atsu can train under various NPCs and gradually expand her arsenal with dual blades, yari spears, kusarigama (a chained sickle), two types of bows, firearms, and the return of kunai and bombs.
Primary weapon mastery is tied to both training with NPCs and discovering prayer shrines scattered across the game world. There are more than 60 shrines in total, offering players a robust set of skills and abilities that unlock over time. These include special epilogues with NPCs, which are required to master specific weapons.
Another key addition to Ghost of Yōtei that differentiates itself from the first game is the inclusion of a wolf, which the player can gradually gain the trust of, as it becomes an ally in battle, similar to something like D-Dog, ala Metal Gear Solid V. With more expansive battles, featuring more on-screen enemies, the help of your wolf companion is much appreciated, particularly on the harder difficulty settings, which can test your stamina and patience.
On the topic of difficulty, Ghost of Yōtei feels well-balanced. Regular enemies fall quickly once the player adapts to the mechanics, while boss characters, including certain bounties, can test your understanding of Yōtei’s systems. The result is a challenge that feels both fair and rewarding.
Graphically, Ghost of Yōtei may not appear significantly stronger than Ghost of Tsushima at first glance, since that game already looked impressive. However, once you start playing, it becomes clear that Yōtei introduces a wealth of particle effects, volumetric lighting and dynamic weather systems that seem beyond the capabilities of last-generation consoles. Most importantly, the game takes full advantage of the PlayStation 5’s high-speed SSD, delivering an open-world experience with virtually no loading screens. The seamless travel across Ezo makes exploration a joy.
“Ghost of Yōtei is an outstanding and hauntingly beautiful open-world game that manages to stand sword to sword with its already fantastic legacy.”
Ghost of Yōtei also makes a great use case for PlayStation 5 Pro users, offering an exclusive ray-traced and high-framerate mode, which seems to be using PSSR to deliver a high-resolution looking image while maintaining some great lighting effects, with only minimal haloing around objects, which most people will not even notice, making it the best way to experience Atsu’s journey.
Sound design is also much improved in Ghost of Yōtei, specifically, in regards to the Japanese dub, which now feels properly synced with the mouth animations of the character models, making it feel much more natural and something that I appreciated, as I tend to prefer the Japanese dialect over the English dub. Of course, on the topic of sound design, the inclusion of the Shinichiro Watanabe lo-fi beats mode in the options menu is just as good as you may expect, imbuing the game with an appropriately Samurai Champloo-inspired vibe that kicks in when exploring the map, never clashing with the serious tone of the game during story missions or cutscenes.
When it comes down to it, Ghost of Yōtei is an outstanding and hauntingly beautiful open-world game that manages to stand sword to sword with its already fantastic legacy. Regardless of your experience with the series thus far, Ghost of Yōtei is easily the best console exclusive to come out in 2025, bar none. Thanks to a smartly designed open world, a gritty and dark narrative, but one that’s ultimately about family, a fun gameplay loop, and a plethora of side content, Ghost of Yōtei is a must-play for PlayStation 5.
