Ghost of Yotei review – Another must-play PlayStation epic

Ghost of Yotei delivers stunning landscapes, a vibrant cast, and combat that’s sleeker, bloodier, and more varied than its predecessor. This is Sucker Punch Productions’ samurai saga at its very best.

Following Ghost of Tsushima’s success was never going to be easy. Jin Sakai’s revenge tale has become a beloved PlayStation epic, but instead of playing it safe and resurrecting the Ghost, Sucker Punch took a risk.

Set over 300 years later, the sequel brings a new protagonist, an unforgiving land to explore, and fresh weapon systems and activities. It’s a gamble, but you can put your katanas down – Ghost of Yotei doesn’t just honor the legacy of Tsushima, it often surpasses it.

Ghost of Yotei screenshots

What is Ghost of Yotei about?

You play as Atsu, a wandering warrior who returns to her homeland of Ezo to seek revenge on the Yotei Six – responsible for murdering her family sixteen years ago. This bloody act was executed by Saito, a man who has secured a foothold in the Ezo region through his ruthless pursuit of power. 

Atsu must find and kill each member of the Yotei Six one by one before she can track down Lord Saito. She assumes the role of an Onryo, a vengeful spirit that will stop at nothing to bring her family’s murderers to justice.

Bloody addictive combat

One of the biggest complaints with Ghost of Tsushima was the limited variety of weapons, and while Jin’s combat stances added depth, using his katana to carve through endless foes made the combat feel blunt, no matter how sharp the blade. 

To avoid this tedium, Sucker Punch has drastically upgraded its ancient arsenal by giving sofa samurai more weapons to master than ever before. And unleashing your inner Akira Kurosawa never felt better. 

There’s real depth to fights as well, thanks to Yotei’s rock-paper-scissors system, which encourages you to switch between all five melee weapons depending on what your enemy is using. 

In the heat of battle, this can be rather tricky, and in the early game, I was guilty of brute forcing my way through with my katana, but once it all clicked, fights became a meditative dance of flying limbs and blood-curdling screams. 

One moment you’re carving through spear-wielding foes with lightning-fast Dual Katana strikes, the next you’re breaking shields with a crushing Kusurigama blow, before finishing off a heavily armored brute with a two-handed Odachi.

The new throwing mechanic adds a scrappy, unpredictable flow to encounters, with Atsu able to hurl empty sake jars, spears, and dropped enemy swords for some lethal takedowns. The addition of a wolf companion also enhances this unpredictability. 

Atsu’s furry friend will occasionally turn up during fights and even assist you in the cowboy-style standoffs, where it will comically pounce on enemies for bloody takedowns and even save you from a killing blow. Realistic? Not at all. Fun? Absolutely.

However, enemies aren’t just meaty punching bags – I often found myself getting disarmed (both literally and figuratively), leaving me scrambling across the battlefield to recover my sword.

Saito’s goons won’t just idly stand around taking turns to attack either (I’m looking at you, Assassin’s Creed: Shadows), they’ll aggressively pursue you, unleashing an onslaught of attacks that make for way more engaging scenarios that had me really thinking how to approach them. Yotei’s combat is bloody, brutal, and better than ever.

Colorful characters, a flatter story

Just like Ghost of Tsushima, Atsu meets many colorful characters on her journey through Ezo. There’s Taro, the young scavenger who has a penchant for turning up after bloody battles. Ina, an explosive-loving woman, and weapon masters who have Atsu acting out her very own Demon Slayer-style training arcs. 

Even minor characters get a chance to shine, with standouts including a former crook turned questionable priest and a cartographer who grumbles his way through mapping Ezo. 

While Atsu’s quest for revenge is gripping in its own right, it struggles to match the emotional weight of Jin’s tale in Ghost of Tsushima. Jin’s journey was fueled by an internal battle between loyalty, honor, and survival, giving his quest for revenge real depth.

By comparison, Atsu’s arc feels like a more straightforward version of that struggle. Her motivation is clear, but her onscreen actions rarely deliver the same satisfying payoff as Tsushima’s story. What saves her tale from feeling hollow is Yotei’s supporting cast, who bring the humor and nuance that Atsu herself sometimes lacks.

Beautiful environments with more freedom

While the mountainous region of Ezo is no bigger than Tsushima Island, Ghost of Yotei feels far more detailed and graphically ambitious. From the golden-flowered fields of the Grasslands to the frozen tundras of Teshio Ridge, every biome looks stunning.

The sheer variety of flora, fauna, and vistas had me constantly snapping photos, like an overly excitable Edo-period David Attenborough — it’s that beautiful.

While Ghost of Tsushima was also a looker when it released on the PS4, Jin’s island home felt empty. Sure, you had Mongol Camps to liberate, Bamboo Strikes to slice, and Fox Shrines to uncover, but it was like stepping into an expensive set where all the A-list actors had gone home. 

To that end, Sucker Punch has drastically honed its environmental blade. The cute fox shrines and bare buttock onsens (Jin can’t have all the fun) still make a return, but there are 

bounties you can accept at local inns, wolf camps that lead to deadly skirmishes, and ink painting locations where you can unleash your inner Hokusai. 

There’s even a coin flicking mini-game that’s just as addictive as The Witcher 3’s Gwent – I lost just as many coins as I won, along with countless hours. 

NPCs also feel more alive than before, especially when venturing into towns or setting up camp, as they will tell you about nearby points of interest and even give you leads on the samurai on your hit list. Some of the best quests I discovered were from overhearing locals discussing a problem, and then venturing out into the wilderness, sword in hand. 

Interestingly, Ghost of Yotei allows you to hunt down specific members of the Yotei Six in any order you prefer, a development choice that adds further freedom. I was initially apprehensive about this, especially given how powerful some abilities can be. However, even after I’d explored Ezo, collecting upgrades and shiny new weapons, showdowns with these minibosses never felt easy, and still delivered the pain when I failed to parry or dodge in time. 

So, with such a strong emphasis on freedom and survival in the harsh lands of Ezo, it’s disappointing that the new cooking system feels half-baked. You can grill fish and mushrooms over an open fire, but you can’t actually hunt game with your bow or rifle.

There are fishing rods dotted around nearby lakes, yet they’re strangely off limits. Sure, Atsu can use her spear to catch fish, but the limited resources and lack of meaningful ways to gather them make this new feature feel shallow.

Verdict

While Ghost of Yotei’s tale of revenge may not cut as deep as its predecessor, Sucker Punch’s blade is still deadly. The environments of Ezo are begging to be explored, and the melee combat has never been sharper, delivering more weapons, blood, and adrenaline-fueled duels worthy of the Kurosawa films that inspired it. 

Whether you’re a fan of Ghost of Tsushima or a newcomer to the series, Ghost of Yotei is a must-play. Atsu’s adventure sets a new gold standard for samurai action games and marks an exciting new chapter in the Ghost saga – one that will hopefully shape the series for years to come.