I haven't been this curious for a long time: Ghost of Yotei review

Ghost of Yōtei is an open-world action game by Sucker Punch that takes us to the beautiful and dangerous Hokkaido Prefecture in Japan. In 2020, Sucker Punch effectively ended the era of PlayStation 4 exclusives with Ghost of Tsushima, so gg 's editorial team couldn't pass up the studio's new adventure. Although these two games are not actually related to each other (the difference in events is hundreds of years), the common features are immediately noticeable: the hero's motive of revenge, the search for self, intense gameplay, and locations where you want to take hundreds of screenshots.

5 reasons to buy Ghost of Yōtei

• One of the best open worlds in recent memory
• You've played dozens of hours of Ghost of Tsushima
• You love the Blue-Eyed Samurai anime and are looking for a game with a similar vibe
• You want to slash hundreds of enemies with your katana and let off steam
• You need picturesque games to please your eyes and take lots of pictures

1 reason not to buy Ghost of Yōtei

• Words like "kusarigami", "katana", or "wakizashi" make you sick to your stomach

Fast forward:

• What I learned after reviewing Ghost of Yōtei
• Plot: revenge with a katana and a ghost spirit
• Gameplay: I haven't had this much fun in a long time
• The technical side of Mount Yōtei
• How Ghost of Yōtei will be remembered
• Five things you need to know about Ghost of Yōtei

What I learned after reviewing Ghost of Yōtei

Sony has once again proved that its studios can create fantastic games. I was expecting a good adventure from Yōtei, but I got an incredible action game that should compete for the main award of the year. What stands out the most in Yōtei is the open world, which is so immersive and elaborate that it draws parallels with the cult Red Dead Redemption 2. My favourite games are always corridor games, but Sucker Punch managed to achieve the effect of immersing you so much that I didn't even notice how I had completed absolutely all the activities that were available. You get only one pleasure from such games throughout the entire playthrough, and the industry needs more of this.

The plot: revenge with a katana and a ghost spirit

A small Japanese family lives a quiet life, raising their children and knows no grief. But one day, a dangerous gang, known as The Yōtei Six, appears in their backyard. Only a little girl, Atsu, survives. However, the Yōtei Six believe that they killed her too, as they harshly nailed her to a tree with a sword and set it on fire.

For 16 years, the girl has been training, travelling and preparing for the most important event of her life - to return to her home region, find all 6 killers and avenge her family.

Along the way, she will find new friends (and you will be surprised at the number of them), dangerous adventures, and even some room for humour and good moments. However, the most important thing Atsu has to find is not the killers, but herself. Almost no one knows her or has seen her, but everyone in Ezo has heard of the onryo, a vengeful spirit that harms the living after death.

Is Atsu ready to remain a ghost forever, or is she much more than a fable about an evil spirit? Or maybe she needs to learn how to balance between these two worlds inside?

Overall, the story of Ghost of Yōtei is good and memorable. The characters are well written, it is interesting to communicate with them and worry about them. The plot itself constantly throws up a different range of emotions from drama to action, so that you constantly want to move on and find out how it all ends for Atsu and the people around him. So if the theme of revenge is one of your favourite motifs, and you're also a fan of the Blue-Eyed Samurai anime, then you should definitely play this.

Gameplay: I haven't had this much fun in a long time

I have to admit that I haven't been interested in playing anything in recent months. But, fortunately, Ghost of Yōtei came along and changed the rules, and I spent an incredible 40 hours playing it. And first of all, this result is due to the open world.

You don't get "?" all over the map, as is often the case in other games. You have to explore absolutely everything yourself. If you see black smoke on the horizon, you ride there on a horse, and there are bandits holding villagers hostage, and this can even start a whole branch to save the farms, and at the end they will give you new weapons.

Do you hear wolves? You go there and it turns out that they are often kidnapped in this region, and if you rescue them, one of the wolves will be able to come to your aid in battles, which will help you significantly.

There are many similar examples in the game. I don't want to reveal even a part of it, because the player has to experience it all himself. The only thing I can add is that the world feels very immersive because all the elements and characters are intertwined, which creates integrity and faith in the situation around you. For example, a character you met at the beginning of the story may appear at the end in a secondary task and you have to rescue his fifth point again. So the game does not feel "decorative" but works like a living organism. And this is exactly what I want to see in games as much as possible.

Dozens of ways to save Ezo

But no less important aspect of Ghost of Yōtei is the combat system, which, spoiler alert, is also top-notch. Our arsenal has increased significantly compared to Tsushima. Now we don't change the fighting style for different enemies, but choose different weapons. For some, a katana is suitable, for others a spear is needed, and someone will die quickly only with kusarigama. And there are usually a lot of enemies and they are all different, so sometimes the gamepad turns into a piano when you quickly change weapons several times in 30 seconds in an epic battle on a high difficulty level to win.

Weapons with long-range capabilities were not forgotten either. In addition to bows, which are ideal for stealth, we now have firearms. After all, 300 years of progress have made their mark. So Atsu also carries a rifle and a pistol, which are suitable for different situations, but will definitely come in handy in battle, especially at the end of the game.

But of course, it doesn't end there. Various "gadgets", such as explosive or smoke bombs with kunai, also decorate the combat system, which, thanks to all the action and variety, does not get boring until the credits roll.

Gameplay-wise, I have nothing to criticise Ghost of Yōtei for. The open world is beautifully done. It's not gigantic in the Ubisoft style, but the concentration of content in it is such that you want to do more and more. I didn't even notice how I had cleared the entire map by 100%. That's how interesting it is implemented in the game.

And the battles are not far behind. Enemy limbs fly off, everything around you is on fire, explodes, a whole crowd is running at you, you quickly change weapons, throw weapons at them, use a pistol, a wolf can come running to help, and in the end you get such a charge of emotions that it is extremely difficult not to love Yōtei.

The technical side of Mount Yōtei

Even in the press version, Ghost of Yōtei worked almost flawlessly. I didn't encounter any critical bugs or other similar moments that would cause discomfort. The only thing is that the game crashed only once in 40 hours of play. And against the backdrop of recent events in the industry, seeing a project that works perfectly well even before release and players don't have to worry about the technical condition inspires nothing but respect for the developers.

Graphical paradise

Ghost of Tsushima was once loved most of all almost for its visuals. And Yōtei successfully inherits this moment. Forests, lakes, fields of flowers, beaches, mountains, and Japanese architecture create a variety of landscapes and give the gaming industry one of the most beautiful games of this year. It is impossible to pass by a field with red flowers or ride a horse through a forest with golden trees and not say "wow". And when you climb to a high point, you just stop, hold your breath and enjoy the moment.

On the PlayStation 5 Pro, where I played the game, the picture is so bombastic that sometimes I just rode around the world to see all the possible locations and took pictures of everything.

Even people who aren't very familiar with or interested in Japan will have their jaw dropping at the game's Ezo landscapes. Here are the screenshots: Gagadget

Japanese audio sounds just right

The audio in Ghost of Yotei makes you feel as if the cold of the mountain wind is penetrating your bones. The soundtrack combines quiet, long notes of Japanese strings with dull drum beats that resemble distant footsteps in the fog. All of this works to create the atmosphere of an epic Japanese adventure. In moments of danger, the music abruptly changes to intense, pulsating rhythms, making your heart beat faster. Thanks to this, the audio does not just accompany the events but becomes a full-fledged tool for immersion in the game world.

How Ghost of Yōtei will be remembered

Ghost of Yōtei will be remembered as a great game where every hour spent felt like a real adventure that I would like to experience again. The story, gameplay, and open world with incredible visuals create a mix that captures the player's attention from the first seconds and does not let go until the credits roll. I would like to recommend such games, they make you want to stay up late at night and they are definitely worth the money spent. For me, Ghost of Yōtei is definitely one of the best games of 2025!

Five things you need to know about Ghost of Yōtei

• Ghost of Yōtei is a PlayStation 5 exclusive by Sucker Punch
• The main character is a vengeful onryo spirit looking for her parents' killers
• The game has an atmosphere reminiscent of the Blue-Eyed Samurai anime
• A huge arsenal of weapons will help you to effectively cut down hundreds of enemies
• Visuals and an immersive world will make you stick in the game for tens of hours

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