A review of Ghost of Yotei

Ghost of Yotei is a beautiful and emotional open-world game set in Japan. You play as Atsu, a skilled warrior on a mission of revenge. With exciting combat, amazing scenery, and strong storytelling, it’s one of 2025’s best games

Ghost of Tsushima was my pandemic game. A game I turned to almost every evening in 2020 when the world made no sense, and we were all limited to the confines of our homes.

It was oddly relatable and therapeutic to help Jin Sakai douse the flames of war in his homeland after a long day of teaching on Zoom. I felt great joy in the game’s simple things like composing haiku, finding hot springs, offering respects at fox statues, and most of the time just racing through the open fields being guided by the wind behind my back. 2025’s Yotei is all of that and more as Sucker Punch’s near-flawless masterpiece refines the experience of its predecessor in a variety of ways.

You play as Atsu, a fierce woman warrior, and her family’s lone survivor who is out for vengeance and is hunting the Yotei Six. The game begins with her return to Ezo, her homeland and as part of an explosive opening, you hunt down the Snake, one of the dreaded Yotei Six.

Once the Snake is killed, the game’s world opens up as it takes you on a poignant journey through Atsu’s home. The game makers have crafted a wonderful experience of time travel in the now-abandoned site as you shuttle between moments of family happiness and the current despair. The first few hours are both emotional and engrossing as you learn from your father to forge swords, to play the Shamisan from your mother, and playfully squabble with your brother Jubei.

Atsu’s familial connection to the land resurfaces in the game’s early hours as you find a stable (or a new horse, depending on the choice you make) or in your quest for a master to teach you how to dual-wield your katana.

The game’s world is magnificent and not just compared to this year’s Japan-based Assassin’s Creed: Shadows, but at times even outdoes it. The game encourages exploration both through a looking-glass mechanism and with the use of golden birds and fireflies that guide you to meaningful locations.

In terms of combat, they are more authentic as you don’t just kill a target but also fight waves of reinforcements after. For example, at both the Inn at the beginning and during bounty missions, I fought multiple waves of reinforcements.

With improved combat, a more gorgeous and dynamic world, the magnificence of Mount Yotei, and the search for picturesque hot springs, this is a truly wonderful experience. A late contender for Game of the Year and a fitting successor to Tsushima.

Sneak Peek:

Title: Ghost of Yotei

Developer: Sucker Punch Productions

Game Type: Single Player Hack ‘n’ Slash RPG with exploratory elements

Platforms: PlayStation 5 exclusive

Price: Rs 4,999 on the PlayStation store

Verdict (all scores out of 10):

Innovative Gameplay: 8.5

Game Handling and Quality: 9

Value for Time: 9.5

Value for Money: 8.5

Overall: 8.75

What Stands Out

Edo Island is a joy to behold; this is one of the most pristine game settings ever. Add to this the joy of riding in the open fields and there are few experiences in gaming that match the high.

The combat is fast and flowy, and there is enough weapon variety here, unlike Tsushima. Some of the newer weapons include the Kusarigama, dual-wielding Katana, Odachi (similar to a curved long Katana), and the Yari (spear).

Fails to impress

Weapon switching while fighting a horde of enemies can be a bit clumsy. It would have been useful if the implementation could have evolved beyond the “stance” like style from Tsushima.