In our industry, we usually expect sequels to games that made their mark, whether through units sold or raving reviews. I originally expected a remake of one of Sucker Punch’s older intellectual properties, like Sly Cooper, or perhaps a reboot of inFAMOUS. Instead, the studio announced a standalone samurai game set in the same universe as Ghost of Tsushima.
Ghost of Tsushima captured the essence of what players wanted from an Assassin’s Creed–style game set in Japan. When it launched in 2020, it received generally positive reviews, with some calling it one of the best samurai games released in decades. Five years later, just months after the long-awaited Assassin’s Creed Shadows — also set in feudal Japan — was released, Ghost of Yotei arrives as the latest take on the open-world samurai action-adventure formula.
Set 400 years after the events of Ghost of Tsushima, Ghost of Yotei shifts the focus to the northern region of feudal Japan — Ezo, now known as Hokkaido. This time, you’re not fighting against invaders as in Tsushima. Instead, Yotei tells the tale of Atsu, a warrior on a vengeful quest to hunt down the six outlaws known as the Yotei Six, who murdered her family. Sounds familiar, right? If you’ve played Assassin’s Creed Shadows, you’ll notice that Naoe’s story bears a striking similarity to Atsu’s in Ghost of Yotei.
Narratively, Ghost of Yotei isn’t groundbreaking. A family is murdered, a surviving member seeks revenge, and the story ends with a lesson. The plot is predictable at best, with character fates relatively easy to guess. However, it didn’t disappoint me. I found myself enjoying the emotional angles, solid writing, and moments of self-reflection — things I felt The Last of Us Part II lacked.
In games like these, characters matter to tell a really great story, even if it’s predictable. Atsu is a cold, dedicated, and ruthless character. Her only goal is to strike down all the members of the Yotei Six to avenge her family. She’s strong-willed, consumed by anger. While she’s mostly stoic, the performance of Erika Ishii is undeniably strong. You can feel how soulless her character can be when Atsu confronts her targets, but you also feel the pain behind the voice. I also wanted to praise the actor behind Lord Saito — Feodor Chin, who also voiced Zenyatta from Overwatch. While Saito is not as brutal and unforgiving as Khotun Khan, he’s driven by the goal of ruling Ezo and preventing the Shogun’s rule from spreading in the northern part of feudal Japan.
While I can’t provide deeper story details due to embargo restrictions, what makes Ghost of Yotei stand out is its refined, exemplary combat system. It feels more satisfying when fighting enemies and perfectly parrying an incoming strike before countering with a deadly blow. It’s the same exhilaration I get from Batman Arkham and Star Wars Jedi. That same adrenaline runs strong in Yotei, especially since enemies are deadlier on Medium difficulty. Even after studying their attack patterns, the unpredictable follow-up strikes from different angles kept combat challenging and fun.
In Ghost of Tsushima, Jin Sakai relied on different stances to counter enemy types. In Ghost of Yotei, Atsu instead gains access to a variety of weapons — from the traditional Katana to the Kusarigama. Sound familiar again? Yes, because many of these weapons also appear in Assassin’s Creed: Shadows. But what sets Yotei apart is how they’re implemented. These weapons essentially replace the stance system from Tsushima. The Katana is versatile and balanced, particularly when upgraded. The Dual Katana excels against enemies wielding Naginatas or Yaris. The Kusarigama can break shields, while the Yari is effective against Kusarigama and Dual Katana users. Finally, the Odachi, a massive longsword, is ideal for brutes. In your hunt for the Yotei Six, you’ll carry all five melee weapons. In addition, you also have your standard bow, heavy bow, and the new tanegashima matchlock rifles, which unlock later in progression.
Atsu isn’t a Mary Sue. She begins skilled only with the Katana, and unlocking new weapons requires completing side quests that showcase her undergoing proper training. It’s not as simple as talking to the weapon master and instantly gaining the skill. Each quest reveals an interesting subplot — the weapon master’s history, why they stopped teaching, and their personal struggles. This aspect of Yotei is one of my favorites, as it adds weight and depth to every new piece of gear you acquire.
Beyond weapons, Atsu also has a trusted protector lurking in plain sight — the wolf introduced at the start of the game. The wolf acts as a unique companion but doesn’t appear regularly until you unlock a perk that allows you to summon it. Before that, it occasionally saves Atsu from death, serving almost like an instant revive when you’re on the brink.
Stealth, however, still leaves much to be desired. While there are new tools to help you escape when spotted, stealth overall feels underwhelming. There are no stealth-only missions, and even if your companion suggests taking a quiet approach, getting caught won’t restart the quest. That said, sometimes not opting for stealth can be punishing, as alerting enemies will bring an entire camp down on you. Some perks help — like faster, quieter assassinations or chaining kills against multiple nearby enemies — but the system still feels lacking. Don’t get me wrong, stealth works, just not as effectively as I wanted it to.
At its core, Ghost of Yotei’s combat is still Ghost of Tsushima. Quick light attacks and slower, heavy strikes return, along with unblockable-but-parryable blue glints and unavoidable red glints. New to Yotei is the yellow glint, which disarms Atsu on contact. Once disarmed, you can’t block attacks and must dodge until reclaiming your weapon. On top of that, you can now grab and throw enemy weapons. These additions make combat more engaging, forcing you to stay reactive and sharp during encounters.
The progression system has also been reworked. Instead of grinding quests to gradually fill a progress meter, Atsu now instantly earns Technique Points (TP) by discovering Altars of Reflection. These TPs can also be used to upgrade your individual weapon skills. This encourages exploration and cuts down on the grind-heavy progression of Tsushima. Sucker Punch went further here, streamlining ability progression and rewarding players who explore the nooks and crannies of Ezo with meaningful upgrades, all while letting them appreciate the beauty of the world.
As expected from an open-world Sucker Punch game, Ghost of Yotei is breathtakingly beautiful. Ezo’s landscapes are stunning, capped by the imposing Mount Yotei. Trees, flowers, and grass sway naturally in the wind, delivering a visual feast on par with Tsushima. If you were blown away by the beauty of Ghost of Tsushima, Yotei delivers the same awe.
Ezo isn’t just scenic — it’s full of activities. Returning side content includes Tales and Myths. While they don’t directly impact the main story, they reward players with new gear, weapon kits, or coins. They also flesh out the world’s lore, from cursed masks to heartfelt memories of Atsu’s father. Tales and Myths in Yotei is every bit as engaging as those from Tsushima.
There was one that stood out the most — the side quest to face Takezo the Unrivaled. It took me 3 hours to beat such a formidable samurai on top of Mount Yotei. The fight was so intense that I had to turn off the in-game music, open Spotify, and play “The Way of the Sword” by Hans Zimmer from the film, The Last Samurai. The music felt fitting, giving me the focus and determination to beat Takezo. Luckily, I beat him after 36 retries. It was all worth it.
New to the series are bounties. Instead of targeting clan leaders, you now hunt wanted criminals. Reporting back to Kojiro, the bounty broker, lets you claim rewards, and each bounty comes with its own short backstory. There are also Wolf’s Den missions, where you help your wolf companion rescue her pack. Completing these missions strengthens your bond with the wolf, unlocking perks like assisting in chained assassinations or even playing the Song of the Wolf on your shamisen to summon her.
Altar of Reflection sites for Technique Points, hot spring locations to increase maximum life, and most of the collectibles, can easily be found by either buying a map that pinpoints these areas from Isaburo the Cartographer or with the help of the Golden Bird, which appears if you’re close to a point of interest. You can even use your shamisen to play a song that will enable the wind to guide you to find hidden gears when you’re close. The Altars of Reflection and Hot Springs are worth looking for, especially when you’re still in the first few hours in the game.
The amount of content on the island of Ezo is well within expectations. There are a great deal of activities to do, an abundance of areas to explore, and a ton of random encounters when you set up camp anywhere, as long as they’re not close to any enemy encampment, to replenish your Spirit gauge, previously known as Resolve in Ghost of Tsushima.
I’ve been playing Ghost of Yotei on the PS5 Pro. The added Ray Tracing Pro mode is exclusive to the Pro, but the difference between it and Performance mode is minimal. On the PS5 Pro, Performance mode runs at a steady 60 frames per second, while Quality and Ray Tracing modes run at 30, with only occasional slowdowns during intense battles. Overall, performance has been stable.
That said, some long-standing issues persist. One major complaint players had in Tsushima still hasn’t been addressed in Yotei. Enemies often stand around shouting or throwing kunai without climbing up to reach you, making them easy targets. Even if enemies are equipped with tanegashima rifles, they pose little threat once you unlock the armor that blocks bullets. It’s disappointing that such a significant flaw went unresolved.
Ghost of Yotei isn’t without its flaws, but its refined and exciting combat, added weapons, great cast of characters, and the beautiful island of Ezo make this game a great successor to Ghost of Tsushima. I still have a few more Tales and Myths to finish, but I would rather play it again from the start in Lethal Mode with a Japanese dub to fully immerse myself in this amazing world that Ghost of Yotei offers.
This review is based on a PS5 review code provided by the developer/publisher, played on a PS5 Pro.
Ghost of Yotei (PS5)
Despite its flaws and unaddressed issues of its predecessor, Ghost of Yotei is still a great successor. It's simply gorgeous, exciting, and unrelentlessly fun.
The Good
- A beautifully crafted Ezo
- Expanded Combat Gameplay with New Weapons
- Engaging Open-World Activities
- Added Depth in Getting New Weapons
- Runs remarkably well on the PS5 Pro
The Bad
- Unaddressed issues with enemy AI
- Predictable Narrative and Character Fates
