Ghost of Yotei review: Yet another Game of the Year contender

When I hear a game has a story that's focuses on a quest for revenge, my heart usually sinks.

We've seen it done so many times before - the main character has been wronged and goes on an epic journey to take down those who dare to have crossed them.

So when I initially heard Ghost of Yotei is about a revenge quest, even though it's in a rural 1600s Japan setting and its predecessor Ghost of Tsushima had a compelling revenge plot itself, my primary feeling was still one of uncertainty.

But Ghost of Yotei goes far, far beyond just being a revenge quest - the personal story it tells, the world to explore and the stories and connections of characters you meet along the way offer so much depth to it. As well as superb gameplay, of course.

And it does it all so well it's yet another Game of the Year contender in what's already been an excellent 2025 for gaming.

Mount Yotei and Ezo are dramatic settings in Ghost of Yotei / Sucker Punch, PlayStation Studios

What happens in Ghost of Yotei? (Spoiler-free)

Ghost of Yotei is set 300 years after Ghost of Tsushima and is a standalone experience set in 1600s Japan, it does not carry on the story from the first game.

This time it follows a haunted, lone mercenary called Atsu. As a child, she saw her family killed by gang the Yotei Six. She managed to survive and fled. 16 years later, she came home to the wilds of Ezo in the shadow of Mount Yotei to get her revenge.

You're not given any more context than that to begin with before you're immediately thrust into Atsu's thirst for blood. She quickly becomes known as an onryo, a mythological ghost that returns to the world of the living to seek revenge.

Finding out what happened along the way is incredibly riveting and is elevated by the quieter moments you explore when finding out about Atsu and her family dynamics through flashbacks.

She finds unlikely allies, strong bonds and recalls hauntingly beautiful and grounded memories that add so much depth to Atsu and the world of Ezo. This is what elevates it far beyond 'just' being a quest for revenge - you really connect with Atsu, her story and even some of the supporting characters as the hours go on.

As well as the revenge quest, it deals with coming to terms with familial loss, sorrow and finding beauty in bleak situations. Developers wanted a sense of a 'wandering' samurai and they've executed it very well.

Ghost of Yotei is one of the best looking games I've ever played / Sucker Punch, PlayStation Studios

How does Ghost of Yotei look and perform?

Simply put, Ghost of Yotei is one of the most stunning games I've ever played.

From the contrast of white wildflowers against the dark clouds and rain, the cherry blossom beautifully complimented by sunrises and snow-capped mountains, it's simply remarkable.

The game looks that good I found myself pausing what I was doing frequently and just taking in the scenery, which is something I don't usually do at all.

The same goes for Photo Mode, this is something I don't usually spend much time with, but Ghost of Yotei's is one of the best I've seen and is similar to Ghost of Tsushima.

There are so many different options to play around with photo mode to get the exact shot you're after and in such a picturesque game, my capture gallery started to fill fast.

There's lots to play around with such as animated backgrounds, different facial expressions, time of day, glint of sword in the light, particles, wind speed and more. The level of detail is so granular.

Travelling on horseback or on foot is so immersive as there's no hud when travelling. Even during fighting sequences, the hud is minimal, showing only what you need to know and nothing more.

It's so refreshing in a world where open worlds can be plagued by markers, controls and text that's on screen constantly. It seems so simple but it's executed so confidently in Ghost of Yotei.

There are also different experiences including English with or without subtitles, samurai cinema which is Japanese dialogue with English subtitles and Kuroasawa mode which is a black and white filter with Japanese dialogue and English subtitles.

Unlike Ghost of Tsushima, the Japanese language version is lip synced well here.

There's also a Miike mode, developed with director Takashi Miike, where mud and blood and more prominent with the camera closer in, Watanabe mode, which features original lo-fi music, and the returning Lethal mode.

In terms of performance, there are quality, performance and ray-tracing settings. I went with performance mode throughout and I still found the visuals themselves to be stunning while running at a smooth 60 fps. I did not encounter any noticeable dips.

Duels in Ghost of Yotei are absolutely thrilling / Sucker Punch, PlayStation Studios

What's the gameplay in Ghost of Yotei like?

Those who played Ghost of Tsushima will know what to expect here with a few tweaks and enhancements. Ghost of Yotei doesn't reinvent itself but refines on the Ghost of Tsushima formula.

You start with a katana and are taught the basics of combat with more weapons and skills being unlocked through progression and exploration. Dual katanas are the big new addition and they're brilliant. There are no stances this time around.

Atsu will train with master warriors to perfect weapons and techniques and can unlock more skills at Altars of Reflection that are scattered across the land. Each different weapon serves different purposes for different situations.

Core abilities can be learned too, from disarming enemies to turning their own weapons against them and calling in allies.

Mastering both melee and ranged combat is incredibly satisfying. There's always a lot going on and you have to be razor sharp at all times, reacting to your opponent's every move, but this really dials in the sense of immersion.

With melee, there are openings to attack, incoming attacks than can be parried for devastating counters, attacks than can only be avoided, chained attack you have to block, dodge and parry against and so much more. It's bloody, brutal and brilliant.

Hunting down the Yotei Six, each foe has a different strength and learning and mastering when to attack and defend to beat them is addictive.

Combat in Ghost of Yotei is fantastic / Sucker Punch, PlayStation Studios

Away from combat, a huge part of this game is organically exploring a big open world. You start with nothing but your noble steed, a spyglass which you have to look through yourself to find places of interest and a vast world waiting to be explored before you.

That's how the game starts after the prologue. This is a true open world and there is no real set order in which you take down your targets. The world is there for you to explore and this is a game you can complete in the way you want to. There's so much freedom here. You can fast travel between places you've already found too.

It's a very dynamic and lived in world - you'll encounter unexpected events from what you had originally planned. The game cycles between day and night too.

You travel on horseback or by foot. Usually there is no hud here but you can toggle the winds to guide you to a marker you've found yourself on the in-game map - but there are no icons showing you where to go when you come out of it.

There are so many different and unique things to find and do and finding them yourself offers a much bigger sense of reward instead of feeling like you're just ticking off items on a checklist. You can buy small sections of map which you then have to piece yourself to find areas of interest and occasionally, NPCs you meet will give you these too.

There are highlighted objects when you get close to them, along with undiscovered areas of interest, but you have to be in the vicinity.

Without giving away too much surrounding the context of this, one of my favourite set of side quests involved duelling highly skilled foes. These battles were addictive and kept driving me to beat them even if they did absolutely serve me a few times.

Along the way, there are slower moments too where you can set up camp to rest, reflect and prepare. This is vital to restore spirit which can be used to perform powerful attacks and abilities. You can also meet with allies you make at your campsite who can offer unique upgrades or items and cook to give perks.

You also encounter travellers while out on the road who can share a meal with you, trade items, learn new songs to play on your shamisen and even find out crucial information about your next target's location.

Ghost of Yotei uses the DualSense to its full potential too.

In terms of difficulty, there are five options as well as a custom mode where enemy aggression, timing windows, enemy damage, stealth and hero bonus perks can all be adjusted individually.

I played through the middle setting of the five and found this to be a good challenge - I died on a few occasions when working out enemy attack patterns and movements but I never felt frustrated.

In a year filled with great games, Ghost of Yotei takes its place among the very best 2025 has to offer / Sucker Punch, PlayStation Studios

What's the verdict on Ghost of Yotei?

Ghost of Yotei is a brilliant sequel to Ghost of Tsushima. It doesn't try to reinvent itself and instead refines what made Ghost of Tsushima so good.

Its story goes far beyond being just about a quest for revenge and offers a rich and powerful narrative, it's one of the best looking games I've ever played and the gameplay is thoroughly addictive, whether that's through its superb combat or exploration.

Ghost of Yotei focuses on exploring and finding things out your own way as a wandering samurai and there are so many different interesting things to find and do organically that it feels like one of the most engaging open worlds I've played.

In a year where we've already been so spoiled for truly great games, this is one that's right up there among the Game of the Year contenders.

9.5/10

A review code was provided by the publisher and I played through Ghost of Yotei on a base PS5. Ghost of Yotei releases on PS5 on 2 October.

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