Game Review – Ghost of Yōtei
Developer: Sucker Punch Productions
Publisher: Sony Interactive Entertainment
Platforms: PS5
Year: 2025
I didn’t expect to love Ghost of Tsushima as much as I did. Another open world game. Another map full of question marks. But then I played it and the wind guided me and the leaves scattered and the katana duels felt like actual duels and somewhere around the third act I realized I was deeply invested in Jin Sakai’s journey.
Ghost of Yōtei is set three hundred years later. Different era. Different protagonist. A woman named Atsu whose story I won’t spoil but whose journey is. Look. It’s as emotionally resonant as Jin’s. Maybe more so.
The setting is Mount Yōtei on Hokkaido. Snow-covered landscapes. Dense forests. Volcanic terrain. If Tsushima was autumn and golden leaves, Yōtei is winter and survival. The visual identity is distinct enough that it doesn’t feel like a retread despite using the same fundamental design language.
Atsu plays differently than Jin. She’s lighter. Faster. The stance system returns but now there’s an emphasis on mobility over power. Combat flows in a way that feels evolved. The duels — which were my favorite part of the first game — are even better here. More mind games. More tension.
The story deals with. Okay without spoilers. It deals with what happens to communities when they’re forgotten. When the systems meant to protect them fail. Atsu’s journey is political in ways the first game wasn’t. Not preachy. Just. Aware of context.
The side content is much improved. The question marks on the map lead to actual stories now instead of copy-paste encounters. There are characters who recur. Narratives that build. It feels less like checklist completion and more like exploring a world with history.
My complaints. The game runs long. 40+ hours for completionists. Some of that is padding. There’s a section in the middle where momentum stalls while the game sets up the back half. And the stealth — which was always the weaker part of Sucker Punch’s design — still isn’t as satisfying as the combat.
But when the sword comes out. When the wind picks up. When Atsu faces down an enemy and you have to read their tells and time your strikes perfectly or die.
That’s when it sings.
Sucker Punch did it again. Open world samurai done right.
My rating: ★★★★★
