In 2020’s Ghost of Tsushima, Jin Sakai showed us what happens when honor is tested by survival. But Ghost of Yotei asks a different question — what happens when you have no honor left to lose?
Set 300 years later, Ghost of Yotei puts you in the bloodstained boots of Atsu, a wandering mercenary whose family was slaughtered by a gang called the Yotei Six. She’s no noble samurai. She’s not burdened by tradition. She’s a ghost by choice — and vengeance is her only code.
A Tale Carved in Blood
Where Jin’s story was about sacrifice, Atsu’s is about rebirth. She doesn’t wrestle with morality — she owns the chaos. Her journey across Ezo (modern-day Hokkaido) feels like a violent fairy tale, each step drawing her deeper into revenge and further away from who she once was.
You can feel Lady Snowblood’s influence everywhere — from Atsu’s blood-soaked duels to the quiet, painterly flashbacks that show her practicing swordsmanship with her brother or painting sumi-e with her father. These moments hit hard because they humanize her vengeance. You’re not just watching a killer; you’re watching a woman rebuild herself through rage.
An Open World That Feels Alive
Ezo might be smaller than Tsushima, but it’s far richer in personality. Villages feel lived in — merchants chat about rumors, travelers hum songs by the fire, and even enemies share stories before dying by your blade. Exploration isn’t marked by endless icons; instead, the world itself guides you.
The Guiding Wind returns, but with subtle tweaks. You’ll also use a spyglass to spot landmarks in the distance — adding them naturally to your map. It’s immersive, rewarding, and never breaks the flow.
From fiery red forests to snow-blanketed plains, Ghost of Yotei is a love letter to Hokkaido’s natural beauty. Every duel looks like a painting in motion. When petals swirl through the air and blood hits the snow, it’s pure cinematic poetry.
Combat — Beautiful, Brutal, and Deep
Combat in Ghost of Yotei feels like a dance between art and fury. Atsu fights dirty, fast, and with purpose. You start with a katana, but soon unlock new weapons — the odachi, kusarigama, yari spear, and dual katanas — each offering unique movesets and counters.
Unlike Jin’s stance-based system, here you swap entire weapons mid-fight. Dual blades carve through yari users; the kusarigama shatters shields. It’s fluid, tactical, and thrilling — especially in tense one-on-one duels where a single mistake means death.
Atsu can even throw dirt, light her weapon on fire, or grab fallen weapons to finish fights brutally. It’s raw, cinematic violence that feels earned — and it perfectly fits her “nothing left to lose” persona.
Stealth returns, but it’s far more aggressive. You’re not just sneaking — you’re hunting. Chaining assassinations, pulling enemies into the dark with the kusarigama… it’s messy and satisfying.
Storytelling and Character Depth
Where Ghost of Tsushima explored the cost of honor, Ghost of Yotei is about the price of revenge. Atsu starts as a ghost fueled only by hate, but her relationships slowly pull her back to humanity. Her shamisen, passed down from her grandmother, isn’t just a musical relic — it’s a bridge to her lost family.
She paints landscapes to remember beauty, even as she destroys it. Small touches like these elevate Yotei’s storytelling beyond the usual “revenge game” template.
The Yotei Six themselves are incredible — each one distinct, memorable, and terrifying. The Oni commands armies from burning castles, while The Kitsune leads shinobi who vanish into the snow. Each boss encounter tells a story, both mechanically and emotionally.
Exploration and Bounty Hunting
Atsu’s Ezo isn’t just a pretty map — it’s full of life and death. You can pick up bounty contracts, tracking killers and outlaws in missions that range from heartfelt to horrifying. Some hunts lead to emotional surprises — like the musician who kills with his songs, or a killer who mimics kappa legends to drown his victims.
These short stories add weight to the world and help you see Atsu’s changing relationship with violence. Even when some tasks repeat familiar patterns, they rarely feel like filler.
Performance and Visuals
Running on PS5, Ghost of Yotei is a technical showpiece. The performance mode holds a near-locked 60 FPS, with gorgeous art direction that makes every moment screenshot-worthy. The cinematography leans into Kurosawa-style framing — and it works beautifully.
Cutscenes are rich with detail, facial animation feels authentic, and the Japanese voice acting is exceptional. It’s clear Sucker Punch poured its heart into this sequel.
Verdict — The Ghost Returns Stronger
Ghost of Yotei doesn’t reinvent the samurai genre — it refines it.
It’s familiar, yes, but it’s also more personal, more brutal, and emotionally richer than Ghost of Tsushima. Atsu isn’t a hero or a martyr — she’s a mirror of what Jin might’ve become if he’d given in to the darkness.
Between its breathtaking open world, evolved combat, and a deeply human story about loss and identity, Ghost of Yotei stands tall as one of the best PlayStation exclusives of 2025 — and one of the most beautifully tragic games in recent memory.
Score: 9/10 — A haunting, heartfelt successor that perfects the Ghost formula.
