PlayStation gamers got a heavy dose of action and strong narrative with Ghost of Tsushima on the PlayStation 4 from Sucker Punch Productions. The reception of the game was so positive that the Japanese government made the developers honorary ambassadors for the island of Tsushima, because of their attention to detail and historical accuracy of Tsushima within the game. So there were a lot of expectations for the next game that Sucker Punch Productions would release as their follow-up. And luckily for everyone, they managed to put together a game that was equal parts new and refreshing aspects from their previous hit. But instead of returning to Tsushima for a new tale in the old days of Japan, a new location provides the backdrop for what ends up being a story of family ties and brutal revenge.
It was a very questionable choice at first glance for Ghost of Yotei to take place in a new location with a new hero. Many fans of the original game felt the story of Jin Sakai was very interesting, as was the environment that he got to roam around within that game. But what is done in Ghost of Yotei shows that you don't need to rehash all the same aspects from a previous hit in order to have the essence that made it successful in the first place. And in my time playing through Ghost of Yotei on PlayStation 5, I found myself experiencing the same vibes as I galloped through the radiant plains of my new surroundings towards my next objective in a quest for a deep-rooted revenge. As much as everything looked different from before, it still managed to feel the same in the best of ways.
Ghost of Yotei
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OpenCritic Reviews
- Top Critic Avg: 87/100 Critics Rec: 94%
- Released
- October 2, 2025
- ESRB
- Mature 17+ / Blood and Gore, Drug Reference, Intense Violence, Language, Partial Nudity, Use of Alcohol
- Developer(s)
- Sucker Punch
- Publisher(s)
- Sony Interactive Entertainment
WHERE TO PLAY
- Genre(s)
- Action, Adventure, Open-World
- Beautiful presentation and detailed visuals
- Multiple styles of combat and stealth
- Many options of armor and weapons to equip
- Emotional cinematic story with big moments
- Fast travel between areas is very convenient
- Many activities and side quests to complete
- Some characters are not memorable at all
- Certain dark areas can be very difficult to navigate
- Very minor glitches can happen at times
Ghost of Yotei Pricing and Availability
Ghost of Yotei is available digitally on the PlayStation Network and physically in retail stores. There is a deluxe digital version of the game that comes with multiple bonus armor sets and early access to specific items for the opening hours of gameplay. There is also a collector's edition of Ghost of Yotei that is bundled with a ghost mask, papercraft ginko tree, art cards, a coin, and other physical collectibles that come with a physical copy of the game. The collector's edition also comes with bonus digital items from the digital deluxe edition.
- Standard Physical Price: $69.99
- Standard Digital Price: $69.99
- Digital Deluxe Edition Price: $79.99
- Collector's Edition Price: $249.99
Family ties and harsh grudges
Set within the beautiful landscape of Ezo
Ghost of Yotei follows the story of a woman named Atsu, whose family is brutally killed when she was a very young girl. She escapes her fate after being pinned to a large ginko tree that was set ablaze, and vows revenge against the ones who killed her family, the Yotei Six. The group is led by a renegade samurai named Lord Saito, who tries to take over the island of Ezo by proclaiming himself as Shogun. After years of hardship and fighting in a war, Atsu returns to Ezo and plans to take her revenge against Lord Saito and the Yotei Six. While the premise of the story is very similar to Ghost of Tsushima in many ways, it's setting and context with Atsu and the Yotei Six unfolds very differently. Atsu herself is more of a mercenary, without a crisis of conscience about how she achieves her goal, rather than a warrior struggling to how to defeat their foes. While Ghost of Tsushima plays with the idea of not being an honorable warrior through stealth, Ghost of Yotei instead embraces the brutal nature of how Atsu fights her enemies.
It's because of this that Atsu feels like a refreshing twist on the same character archetype that Jin Sakai was in the previous game. And while there are times when this works against the overall experience, the majority of it is actually very good, because Atsu is a very different type of person. She's driven by revenge by any means necessary, rather than liberating a country from invading forces. Many of the events that tie into the greater conflict happening for Ezo are only a backdrop to Atsu's revenge against the Yotei Six, not so much a springboard for it. Atsu does work together with the Matsumae clan, the group loyal to the true Shogun of Japan, but only when it's convenient. Narratively, this works out great because we get to see a different side of how this kind of revenge affects various characters connected to Atsu, which isn't always positive.
Unfortunately, while Atsu herself and certain allies are strong characters, there are many others she comes across that end up being unmemorable. Many of the side quests that are adjacent to the main story do feel important, like their own little short stories, but most of the characters feel like quick throwaways. I didn't end up remembering many of the people Atsu helps or fights shortly after quests were completed, even if they tied into the larger story about her revenge against the Yotei Six. There are some recurring faces that are part of Atsu's "wolf pack" as the game calls them, but they're more shopkeepers and allies that occasionally pop up now and then with a small quest or additional item I could grab.
But one thing that definitely stands out is the game's presentation, and its beautiful locations within Ezo. Depending on the region of the island that Atsu is riding through on horseback, the area can be filled with a range of color and shades of light. There is a day & night cycle that drastically changes what you see, but both look just as beautiful. At just the right angle with the camera, what I see on screen could look like a very detailed painting. It's something that was very present in Ghost of Tsushima on PlayStation 4, and Sucker Punch continues to provide a lot of eye candy in this new tale.
While the earlier portions of the game feel immensely vast and detailed, it's when you finally are able to venture further out through Ezo that you get a sense of how grand the island can be. Landscapes of horses running in the distance, forest filled with travelers and wildlife roaming around, and even mighty rivers with enemies patrolling nearby provide so much to look at while passing by. Ghost of Yotei is simply a gorgeous-looking game on PlayStation 5, and I couldn't stop taking a few moments to occasionally take my surroundings in while playing.
Combat is vicious when it has to be
Stealth is always an option too
Controlling Atsu in Ghost of Yotei is very similar to how it was with Jin Sakai in Ghost of Tsushima, with little differences in the controls. But the options for fighting styles and equipment are very different for Atsu, especially when engaged in combat. Atsu can wield a katana, dual swords, a chain-sickle, a long yari pole, and even a larger sword called an odachi. Each of these weapons has a variety of pros and cons to fighting certain types of enemies, with even more depth to them as Atsu gains more abilities. Doing so doesn't require combat, but rather finding shrines that are hidden throughout Ezo, which can open up many different kinds of moves and abilities for her. I would spend time riding through Ezo to find shrines on the map, which can be pinpointed by characters and maps that Atsu finds, to open up many of these moves as I gained new weapons. I was quickly able to have an arsenal of attacks and support abilities that let me take on large groups of foes with greater ease, which was always fun.
However, stealth is still a big part of the combat in Ghost of Yotei, even though you never have to engage with it. Unlike the previous game, Ghost of Yotei doesn't put a major emphasis on stealth in most situations. I was always able to call out enemies in the distance to start a fight, even when I was infiltrating camps and fortresses that were important. Being stealthy does have many perks, especially when I was able to dwindle down many enemies before things got out of hand and I had to fight normally. But you're never punished for not staying quiet, which may be an issue for some people who like to keep stealth as a priority. As long as I had the right weapon and quick reflexes against strong enemies, I was able to deal with whatever situation came my way.
The same goes for many of the boss fights and duels that Atsu comes across in the story. The cinematic presentation makes every duel feel super important, even if it's just a side quest, it feels like it matters. This can make most of the side activities feel very rewarding, because it's like you're going on a completely separate story from Atsu's revenge tour. Most of these fights will come down to timing blocks and parries at the right moment and then counterattacking, even when certain enemies have powerful gimmicks that make them stronger. One fight will have Atsu facing foes with burning blades, which can deal big damage, but can be avoided if you're able to parry right and dodge incoming attacks. The fights are challenging, and they're never too easy or way too difficult, but they did test my ability to adapt and pay attention to the enemy's movements. The rewards they yield at the end when defeated are always worth it, especially when it's a new armor set for Atsu to wear.
Roaming Ezo and exploring around
There's so much to come across
Ezo is a very large place to traverse, even on horseback. Within it are so many activities that aren't always missions from key characters. Like in Ghost of Tsushima, Atsu can come across foxes that lead her to shrines, hot spring baths that increase maximum health, bamboo sets to chop down with her katana, and so much more. But instead of an emphasis on foxes like what Ghost of Tsushima did with Jin Sakai, Ghost of Yotei has a wolf that appears frequently to Atsu, which also helps her in combat. There's a whole series of wolf dens that Atsu can find, which leads to a chase sequence to a new location, and end up teaming with the wolf in combat against enemies. It's moments like this that make exploring the landscape of Ezo incredibly worth the effort.
Because of how vast and detailed the area is, there are a few spots where minor glitches can pop up. This might come from Atsu not being able to grab a ledge or structure while moving around, and even during battle against enemies that might get caught up in some of the ground obstacles. These are very minor and don't always affect anything that is happening during gameplay. And they're so infrequent that they're easily missable. When it truly mattered during the game's bigger moments, everything worked well, and I had no technical issues at all. For most of my journey through Ezo, it was a very smooth experience with a Performance Mode that rendered everything at 1080p and 60 fps. There is a quality mode that boosts the visuals to 4K resolution and 30 fps, but I spent more time with the higher frame rate when playing.
Regardless, the game still looks phenomenal in either mode. The colorful areas with many spots of bright hues on trees and obstacles look their absolute best when in Quality Mode, especially when you can marvel at how much detail there is in Ezo. But Ghost of Yotei also has a few filters and options to render the game in a unique way, very similar to what Ghost of Tsushima offered. These modes are called Kurosawa, Mikke, and Watanabe, which emulate the presentation of classic samurai and Japanese cinema that inspired the game. They're more of an homage to those classic directors, rather than a way you need to play through the story with. I explored these modes lightly when I wasn't completing the main story, and they look and sound exactly how fans of those films would like them to. As a fun distraction, they are exactly what they need to be, a nice homage to what came before.
A spiritual connection
Ghost of Yotei on the PlayStation 5 is not a straight-forward sequel to what Ghost of Tsushima was, but it's still connected to that game in many ways. The premise of the story, various gameplay elements, and its fantastic visuals are definitely what connect both games together in a good way. Following Atsu's story in her quest for revenge is a good thread to take players through the absolutely gorgeous environment that Ezo is, even when you have to look away to pay attention to combat that breaks everything up. There's a ton to do in this new location, and plenty of rewards and goodies to discover along the way that make this journey set in the 1600s era of northern Japan totally worth it. While not every aspect of it is perfect, it would be interesting to see if there's another entry in this series and where or when it may take me to next.
Ghost of Yotei
-
OpenCritic Reviews
- Top Critic Avg: 87/100 Critics Rec: 94%
- Released
- October 2, 2025
- ESRB
- Mature 17+ / Blood and Gore, Drug Reference, Intense Violence, Language, Partial Nudity, Use of Alcohol
- Developer(s)
- Sucker Punch
- Publisher(s)
- Sony Interactive Entertainment
WHERE TO PLAY
- Multiplayer
- Online Co-Op
- Prequel(s)
- Ghost of Tsushima
- Number of Players
- Single-player
- PS5 Release Date
- October 2, 2025
- Genre(s)
- Action, Adventure, Open-World
- Platform(s)
- PlayStation 5
- OpenCritic Rating
- Mighty
