In 2020, Sucker Punch introduced us to Ghost of Tsushima, demonstrating how to combine the aesthetics of Japanese cinema, particularly Akira Kurosawa’s legacy, with modern game mechanics. However, instead of continuing with the same protagonist, the team chose to sail toward an entirely different era and spirit.
Set approximately 300 years after the events of Ghost of Tsushima, in 1603, Ghost of Yōtei takes us to Japan’s far north, the difficult, snowy Ezo region, known today as Hokkaidō and beyond the harsh rules of the shogunate. This time, we experience not Jin Sakai’s struggle for honor, samurai codes, and the freedom of his people, but the bloody revenge story of a young woman whose family was murdered, Atsu.
"Onryō" – The Birth of a Spirit of Revenge
At the heart of the game are no national ideals such as preventing a large-scale invasion. Yōtei is, in every sense, a personal, dark revenge story with a Kill Bill flavor.
Sixteen years ago, Atsu witnessed her family being murdered before her eyes at the foothills of Mount Yōtei. Those responsible for this tragedy are a ruthless group of bandits and samurai known as the "Yōtei Six." After spending years learning martial arts and sharpening her katana with blood, Atsu returns to the Ezo region. Her goal is simple: hunt down the six people on the list one by one.
One of the game’s most interesting aspects is that, in the eyes of the people of Ezo, Atsu is known not as a person, but as an "Onryō," a vengeful ghost that died and returned to life. As your reputation grows, the silhouette on the wanted posters becomes clearer and more terrifying, while bounty hunters pursue you, creating a perfect sense of vitality in the open world.
The Dance of Five Different Weapons
While Ghost of Tsushima featured only the katana and different combat stances, Ghost of Yōtei enriches this formula by switching to a weapon-based system. As you pursue each target on your revenge list, you meet new weapons masters and unlock different weapons:
- Katana: Fast, classic, with precise parry mechanics.
- Kusarigama (Chain Sickle): Distance management against large groups of enemies.
- Ōdachi (Giant Samurai Sword): Slow but devastating strikes that break the shields of heavily armored enemies.
- Yari (Spear): Long-range attacks and rapid counterattacks.
- Fists and hidden blades: Silent takedowns and close-quarters combat.
Replacing the katana with a spear or a heavy ōdachi completely changes the rhythm of combat. The weight of the weapons, the feel of each strike, and the movement and resistance feedback provided by the DualSense controller make the action incredibly enjoyable. The limited supply of bullets and arrows inevitably turns you into part of this bloody dance of slaughter.
Open World and Atmosphere: The Traces of the Wind and Wilderness
Sucker Punch has once again abandoned mini-maps and arrows filling the screen. The only guide leading you to your destination is the Natural Wind, along with snowstorms, birds gliding across the sky, and drifting smoke.
- Freedom to choose your targets: The game leaves it entirely up to you in which order you pursue the story targets on your list. You can travel to any region you want and unlock the appropriate weapon and ability sooner.
- Wolf companion: The bond you form with a female wolf you encounter while traveling through the world becomes a living mechanic that helps you in combat and changes your strategy while infiltrating enemy camps.
- Life simulation: Outside combat, "quiet moments" such as setting up camp, warming yourself by the fire, playing the shamisen (a musical instrument), and painting nature scenes balance the game’s pace.
Technical Performance and Visual Spectacle
The snowy mountains, red-leaf forests, and mystical atmosphere of the Ezo region make full use of the power of the PlayStation 5.
- Performance mode: A precise 60 FPS experience. There are no frame drops even during the most intense action.
- Quality and Ray-Tracing mode: The lighting, shadows, and especially the reflections in indoor environments look like a shot from a film (30 FPS).
- Music and sound: The soundtrack, created with traditional Japanese instruments, maintains such a powerful atmosphere that activating Kurosawa mode (the black-and-white filter) makes you feel as though you are in a classic samurai film from the 1960s.
Weakness: Repetitive Artificial Intelligence
Some of the criticisms aimed at Ghost of Tsushima also appear here. In the open world, enemy artificial intelligence sometimes behaves as if it is completely blind and deaf. NPCs that fail to notice a nearby guard being shot with an arrow, or that are slow to realize their companion has been silently hunted down during stealth sequences, occasionally reduce the tension.
Final Verdict
Ghost of Yotei manages to build on the successful foundations laid by Tsushima without dismantling them, adding deeper combat systems, a more personal and impactful story, and stunning visuals. With Atsu’s bloody yet aesthetic path of revenge, it stands as one of the strongest action-adventure experiences of the PlayStation 5 generation.
Pros:
- An extremely fluid combat system diversified by five different weapon types
- A captivating, mini-map-free open-world design set in the Ezo (Hokkaidō) region
- The pace of Atsu’s revenge story and her rise to fame as an "Onryō"
- Excellent DualSense support and PS5 visual quality
- Wolf companion mechanics and wilderness details
Cons:
- Weaknesses in enemy artificial intelligence during stealth sequences
- Some side quests outside the central story repeat one another
7.5
Author’s rating