The 2025 game “Ghost of Yotei” is the highly-anticipated sequel to “Ghost of Tsushima,” which was released in 2018. Both games were released as exclusive games for the PS4 and PS5 consoles, with “Ghost of Tsushima” receiving a port on to personal computers. While the first game was almost unanimously well-received, “Ghost of Yotei” has been met with mixed response following its initial release.
One of the criticisms of the game is the story, which some said is inferior compared to the first one. This is extremely subjective as both games have incredible stories that have their similarities and differences.
I personally enjoyed the story of “Ghost of Yotei” as it follows a grizzled, standoffish protagonist, Atsu, on her path to take revenge against six warriors who wronged her. The story is simplistic, however that is to the game’s benefit as it allows the storytelling to stay more focused and allocates more depth to the story in a quality over quantity way.
While the comparison of stories between the two games is debateable, I without a doubt think that the gameplay and exploration in “Ghost of Yotei” is much more engaging and entertaining than that of its predecessor.
Firstly, the sequel has expanded on the core combat system of the first game. In “Ghost of Tsushima,” the player character uses his katana to engage with different enemies and uses different combat stances or styles to match the different enemies. These combat styles vary the katana’s moveset slightly and also are effective when correctly matched to its corresponding enemy type.
In “Ghost of Yotei,” however, the player’s character swaps to different weapons completely. Each also has their very own moveset, but these movesets feel much more varied and are executed by completely different weapons than the katana. I thoroughly enjoyed switching through weapons much more than simply switching stances, as it makes the different movesets feel much more impactful and engaging.
“Ghost of Yotei” also adds more to the ranged combat with the inclusion of firearms. In the first game, the player has access to two three main ranged weapons, a bow, longbow and a blowdart gun. However, “Ghost of Yotei” adds a bit more style and ferocity with its inclusion of early firearms. The two featured in the game being a matchlock pistol and a rifle. While they do not play a huge role in combat, they still add to the game noticeably and lead to some interesting and engaging combat encounters.
The sequel’s inclusion of a wolf ally also elevates its combat from that of its predecessor. The wolf helps the player during combat encounters and can be upgraded as the player progresses through the in-game world. Once close to or fully upgraded, the wolf will appear very often and help the player distract, stun and even take out enemies.
In my opinion, the exploration in “Ghost of Yotei” is much better than it is in the first game. While both games boast a beautiful open world that is densely populated with content for players to discover and engage with, the content in “Ghost of Yotei” feels much more varied and entertaining. Combat encounters feel more unpredictable, bosses stand out from each other and are more memorable than those in the first game, and feel larger and more complex.
The side content is also much more rewarding than in the first game. For example, most of the armor sets, which offer cosmetic and gameplay differences, are mostly earned through doing side quests rather than the main story quests. This encourages players to take more time to explore and engage with the world as they will be rewarded with meaningful gear and upgrades, which elicits a feeling of progress and growth within the game.
While not as well received as its predecessor, “Ghost of Yotei” is, in my opinion, overall a superior game. The remarkable quality of this game gives my hope and excitement for whatever its developer, Sucker Punch Productions, is working to release next.