Ghost of Yotei review: The "ghost" we need

Five years after the release of Ghost of Tsushima, the developers from Sucker Punch Productions have released the long-awaited sequel. The brand new Ghost of Yotei takes players 329 years ahead and hundreds of kilometers north to the snowy lands of Hokkaido. The game promises to be not just a sequel to a successful project but a complete rethinking of the formula that made the first part so special.

You know that feeling when you’re waiting for your favorite dish in a cafe and they serve you something completely different, but it tastes even better? Ghost of Yotei gave me about the same reaction. A long time ago I wrote a review for Ghost of Tsushima, and I liked the game, but I didn’t feel anything special. A few years later, I decided to play it again and stuck with it for a long time. But with Ghost of Yotei, it was different — the game grabbed me literally from the first minutes and kept me playing until the end. I spent dozens of hours in the pre-release version, so I’m sharing my impressions in this review.

Storyline Ghost of Yotei

Instead of returning to the familiar Tsushima and continuing the story of Jin Sakai, the developers threw gamers into a completely different period in Japanese history. Here we have 1603, the island of Ezo (modern Hokkaido), the era of the Tokugawa shogunate.

We will be managing a mercenary named Atsu. She is a girl from the Ainu people, whom the locals consider to be an Onryo, or vengeful spirit. And while the samurai Jin was tormented by the choice between honor and bloody revenge against the Mongols, Atsu will not hesitate to use any dirty tricks to achieve her goal. It is important to understand that she is not a samurai who loses her way, but a victim of crime who has found it through pain and loss.

Sixteen years ago, the Yotei Six gang brutally murdered Atsu’s family. The girl survived, and now she’s back as a bounty hunter to take down all six killers whose names are effectively inscribed on her belt.

The former home of Atsu’s family has a memory mechanic. It allows you to instantly travel back in time to the girl’s past, showing the warm moments of her childhood before the tragedy. And the crime itself is often shown in detail, so there are plenty of violent scenes. It’s also not just a plot device, but a way to show that behind the face of the ruthless Onryo there is a person who is looking not only for revenge but also for peace.

The main task of Atsu-Onryo is to destroy all six villains who killed her family. But you can pursue them in any order except for the last one. Snake, Oni, Kitsune, the Spider and Dragon brothers, and Lord Saito — each of them has their story, their own methods of fighting, and their supporters. The girl will have to deal with all of this as the game progresses.

The world of Ghost of Yotei

Moving the action to Hokkaido was a game changer. It’s a completely different world with its culture, climate, and challenges.If Tsushima was an island of eternal autumn with golden leaves and warm colors, Hokkaido — is the harsh north where nature can be both incredibly beautiful and deadly. Snow-capped ridges, wildflower fields, dense forests, and volcanic valleys create picturesque but unpredictable landscapes. Here you can not only enjoy nature but also literally freeze to death.

The Sucker Punch team also consulted representatives of the Ainu people in modern Japan to ensure that the artwork was authentic and respectful of their culture.

The historical context of 1603 also adds depth. This was the time of the Tokugawa shogunate’s formation, when the old feudal system was being replaced by new orders. Europeans had already reached Japan, bringing not only new technologies (firearms, which are in the game) but also new ideas. Atsu finds himself at the intersection of worlds — ancient and new, eastern and western.

Furthermore, It is interesting that Hokkaido at that time did not yet have the strict samurai control that prevailed on the main islands. It is a land of survival laws, where strength is more important than titles. For Atsu, who grew up outside traditional Japanese society, this is the perfect environment for revenge.

Ghost of Yotei gameplay guide

Exploring the world of Ghost of Yotei is quite different from Ghost of Tsushima. Instead of traditional quest markers, which to some extent turned the game into a run-and-gun affair, Ghost of Yotei uses a system of hint cards. By interrogating enemies, finding clues in abandoned houses, or eavesdropping on conversations, Atsu receives cards that lead to interesting places, new abilities, or story tasks.

Now, instead of getting a red dot on a map full of question marks, you get a card with a picture of the right place. But you don’t know exactly where it is; there are only approximate lines of the coast, river, or mountain. So you have to think, look at the map, and find the right place on it. If you choose the right place, the marker will “stick” to the map.

To explore the environment, you can use a spyglass (an innovation for the series), buy maps of new places or caches from merchants, or simply follow the wind, as in the best traditions of Ghost of Tsushima. But the coolest part is the ability to just wander around and stumble upon something unexpected.

For example, see a bird calling you to follow it. Be sure to follow it, because at the end you will get a nice bonus. Similar events happened in Ghost of Tsushima, only there the player chased a fox.

The camp can be accessed by NPCs that Atsu meets during his journey. Each has a different story, skills and can help in different situations. One knows how to trade, another knows how to repair weapons, another knows secret paths, and so on. Traveling merchants with a variety of goods also visit the camp.

They also added elements of survival and realism that vaguely resemble what we saw in Kingdom Come: Deliverance II. In the camp, you can make a fire in a complex way through interaction with the gamepad. You can also cook food in a “realistic” way by sticking it on sticks and turning it over the fire with the gamepad. The same can be done when upgrading weapons by becoming a blacksmith, hitting weapons, and cooling them. But all this can be skipped with a single button. So the gamer always has a choice of how to do it.

Atsu is accompanied by a mysterious wolf companion that can help in combat and finding caches. The wolf doesn’t just fight alongside her but actually interacts with the heroine and the world. Relationships with him can be improved with the help of skills, and they are unlocked by completing small tasks where you need to free other wolves.

Ghost of Yotei also retains some cool elements from Ghost of Tsushima, but in an updated form. Bathing in onsen (hot springs) not only increases the maximum health, but also allows Atsu to reflect on the journey he has taken and plan the next steps. Chopping bamboo to increase spiritual power now has more variations, etc.

Among the new activities, sumi-e drawing looks interesting. Atsu can create ink paintings depicting landscapes or moments from her journey. This mini-game reveals the inner world of the heroine to a certain extent, and it is also part of the activities in story quests.

The hunt for the heads of criminals in Ghost of Yotei has become a more complex process. Instead of just “find and kill”, which is also available, you often need to collect information, track traces, and sometimes question witnesses. Each criminal has their own story and motivation, which makes them more fleshed-out characters.

We also brought in a mini-game with Zenihajiki coins — a Japanese board game. You can play it with NPCs for money, or just for fun, or sometimes in story quests.

Ghost of Yotei combat system

The most dramatic changes affected the combat system. While in Ghost of Tsushima we had combat stances, each of which corresponded to a certain type of enemy, now Sucker Punch has gone the route of expanding the arsenal to the level of a real museum of Japanese weapons.

Double katanas allow for quick attacks, especially effective against enemies with spears. The massive odachi, also known as a huge two-handed katana, easily pierces heavy armor, but requires precision and patience, and slows you down. The yari (spear) allows you to keep your distance and counterattack, and the kusarigama is ideal for crowd control and fighting shielded warriors.

An interesting innovation was the ability to disarm enemies and lose weapons in battle. During the battle, enemy weapons start glowing yellow, which means that they will soon attack with a blow that will knock your weapon out of your hands. This can be countered with another move or simply dodged. This mechanic adds incredible dynamics and forces the player to be always on the alert. From the first part, there are still red lights on weapons when the attack cannot be repelled, and blue — special attacks that can be repelled by blocking at the last moment.

Enemies also don’t stand still, and they can change weapons during the battle, which requires constant attention. If you see an enemy switching swords to spears, you should immediately switch to double katanas or kusarigama. And so on.

Because of this, Ghost of Yotei is never too easy, even at the end. It seems that you have already pumped up your health and weapons and armor, but still the enemies make you constantly be on the lookout, change weapons, hit from a distance, come close, or attack in a group.

The ranged combat system has also expanded. In addition to traditional bows, the tanegashima — Japanese musket appeared. This is a powerful one-shot weapon that can stop even the most armored enemy, but requires a long reload. And then there is the pistol. The proper use of firearms can dramatically change the course of a battle, but only in experienced hands.

And we’ve left the fast weapons from the first part: kunai, smoke bombs, blinding powder, and so on. The hero can also fight on horseback, climb mountains, and use a cat hook.

Such fights often take place in picturesque locations and in compliance with Japanese traditions familiar from movies: static cutscenes against the backdrop of conventional fallen leaves, slowly pulling a katana out of its sheath, and other spectacular cinematic details.

The complexity of the fights is quite noticeable, although it may seem simplistic to fans of Souls games. However, the atmosphere and spectacle of these battles are incredible.

The customization system in the game is serious. You can change the color of your armor (this requires certain resources), as well as the look of your sword, scabbard, costumes, masks, hats, capes, bandages, and even horse harness and saddle. It doesn’t look like something out of the ordinary, but it allows you to make your character unique without excessive grind — all the necessary resources are quietly collected while completing quests and traveling around the map. That is, this element of the game was left almost unchanged from Ghost of Tsushima.

Skills are also available, but now they need to be invested not in a specific stance, but in many different elements of the character’s development. You can improve Onryo’s path, the heroine’s survival, melee or ranged combat, the wolf’s attack, each of the available weapons, and so on.

The points for leveling up are obtained at special altars that you need to look for on the map. They are also available sometimes in the story and at enemy bases.

It only sounds complicated, but in fact, you can pump up almost all areas of the heroine’s development well, making her a universal soldier. The available clothing slots are designed for this purpose. One set of armor is best used for melee combat, another is designed for those who like to shoot bows and muskets, and the third will appeal to stealth fans.

The latter, by the way, is present here and is made more or less normally. Enemies are often not “blind,” they react to sounds, see you from the side, and so on. You can quietly kill half the base and avoid the fight, but I still can’t call it a full-fledged high-quality stealth. It’s just one of many mechanics that should be used in conjunction with others.

Atsu’s power is also affected by amulets. They are given out for quests, bought from merchants, or knocked out of enemies. Amulets give various bonuses and significantly affect the gameplay. Amulets are not inserted into weapons, like the stones from the first part, but into special slots. Amulets can be large and small, and they are also pumped through the actions of the heroine and become stronger.

Ghost of Yotei technical features and graphics

Ghost of Yotei was developed exclusively for the PlayStation 5, but with the company’s current policy, it could be released on PC in six months or a year.

And the nature of Japan is just beautifully rendered. Everything here seems to be alive: forests, the giant Mount Yotei, against which the events take place, fields, fallen leaves, rain, snow and blizzards. It’s like you’re not playing a game but walking around those places. It’s very atmospheric and realistic.

PlayStation 5 allows you to instantly pull up huge locations without any loading screens, creating a sense of a complete world. But of course, the conventional “bottlenecks” that the hero crawls through while the rest of the location is quietly loading have not disappeared.

However, I didn’t notice any difference. I didn’t notice it between Quality and Performance modes either. From a distance of 2.5 meters, you can only notice some very minor changes on a 4K TV, but I play in Quality mode most of the time and don’t feel any discomfort.

There were no crashes, lags, freezes, or anything like that during the several weeks of playthrough. Two times, NPCs seemed to freeze and didn’t notice me fighting with their partners. And then they suddenly came to their senses and started to fight me. These are all the “problems” I found in the game.

I would also like to note the work of composer Tom Ottowy, who created an incredible soundtrack. It’s a combination of traditional Japanese instruments and modern orchestral arrangements. During the battle, the music becomes more aggressive, and in moments of contemplation of nature it becomes meditative and fabulous.

I’d also like to mention the special appearance modes. In addition to the classic Kurosawa Mode (black and white image with film grain effect), there are Miyake Mode, created in collaboration with legendary director Takashi Miyake (13 Assassins, Oju) and Watanabe Mode, inspired by the anime Samurai Champloo by
by Shinichiro Watanabe.

These modes are not just filters, but full-fledged alternative ways of experiencing the game, each of which reveals new facets of the atmosphere. I tried both of them, but somehow it’s not my thing. But I’m sure the Japanese will appreciate it, and fans of their culture or cinema will also enjoy it.

Ghost of Yotei prices and localization

Sucker Punch and Sony Interactive Entertainment have prepared two options for Ukrainian players
to purchase Ghost of Yotei.

There is a Standard Edition for 2199 UAH — this is the basic version of the game without additional content. For most players, this will be more than enough, as the main game has dozens of hours of quality content. The price is a bit steep, but this is the standard cost of AAA exclusives on PlayStation 5. In any case, it is significantly cheaper than the price tag of Borderlands 4.

We also have the Digital Deluxe Edition for 2399 UAH, which includes several interesting bonuses: snake armor and exclusive Deluxe coloring, a unique horse with a saddle, a sword set, a talisman, and traveler’s maps with early unlocking locations. Essentially, you pay 200 UAH extra for cosmetic content and small amenities. If character personalization is important to you, it is definitely worth considering.

There is also a physical gift edition, but it doesn’t seem to be officially sold here.

At the same time, there is a russian version with full voice acting. In my opinion, doing this in 2025 is not crass or unacceptable, but simply unacceptable. Battlefield 6 has no Russian at all, and somehow everything is fine. Many smaller studios add Ukrainian, but the big Sony does not. It wouldn’t be so offensive if it weren’t for the fact that there’s a very extensive language package for subtitles plus menus. Usually, Sony projects are translated into up to ten languages, but here it’s much more.