Ever since it was first announced, Ghost of Yōtei has had my interest. I couldn’t wait to finally see gameplay and learn how the team at Sucker Punch Productions aims to elevate Ghost of Yōtei above the heights reached by Ghost of Tsushima. Tonight, during PlayStation’s latest State Of Play, we got our first gameplay deep dive for Ghost of Yōtei, and it looks great, but questions remain.
You can watch the State of Play yourself below:
We got a huge amount of information crammed into this 21-minute showing. So what exactly stood out to me, and how do I feel about it?
Atsu’s Quest For Revenge
Firstly, we got some initial story details, although these details have been mentioned previously in blog posts and interviews. What was made clear is that you play as Atsu, whose family is murdered, and Ghost of Yōtei will focus on tracking down and getting revenge against the Yōtei Six.
This story setup struck me immediately as somewhat of a trope, and for those who have played Assassin’s Creed: Shadows, there are definite parallels in that regard. So. I’m keen to see how Ghost of Yōtei will set itself apart in the storytelling department, which brings me on to the first aspect of Ghost of Yōtei gameplay that caught my eye.
At the press of a button, it looks like you can effectively live out Atsu’s memories and backstory, therefore making her quest for revenge all the more meaningful. It wasn’t clear if you can do this at any time, anywhere in the world, or just in set locations. However, given that switching to this younger Atsu seems to be story-related, I would expect the switching mechanic to be reserved for specific locations or moments throughout the game.
Player Freedom Is Key In Ghost of Yōtei
One thing that Sucker Punch Productions have made clear is that player freedom and the ability for the way you play to impact your experience is a key focus. The game has an underlying clue system, where as you explore and interrogate enemies, you’ll find new adventures to go on.
Exactly how impactful this clue system is and how it works remains to be seen, but it does seem like the developers are aiming to make the Ghost of Yōtei world even more dynamic to explore. They even highlight that they believe the best way to play is to find something on the horizon and enjoy the ride.
Once again, this is something that seems oddly similar to other recent open-world games. So, here’s hoping that Ghost of Yōtei is hiding secrets that truly set its world apart from the competition.
I will say that I appreciated the developers saying, “it’s not about checking it all off, it’s about engaging in the content that gets you excited”. Too many open worlds these days turn into checklist fests after a while, and there is nothing wrong with that. However, if this quote is an indication that Ghost of Yōtei really is trying to do something different, that gets me even more excited.
Combat Offers Choices
Another aspect that stood out to me during the State of Play was combat, and more specifically, the weapon choices. Atsu seems to have a much bigger arsenal to choose from than Jin Sakai did in Ghost of Tsushima.
That’s because in Ghost of Yōtei, Atsu can wield anything from a katana, spear, odachi, kusarigama, or dual swords. Each weapon has its benefits, being extra effective against particular foes, and they each have unique upgrades as well.
It wasn’t made clear, but the additional weapon variety here could be to make up for Atsu seemingly not having the ability to change stances in the way that Jin Sakai could. Interestingly, the developers call out that Atsu is not a Samurai or Ninja; she is a lone wolf willing to do whatever it takes to win. At one point in the gameplay, we see her kick a spear up off the ground before catching it and throwing it straight into an enemy. It was very cool. Atsu isn’t invulnerable; if you get hit too hard in combat, she might drop her weapon and be momentarily disarmed. Of course, Atsu can also disarm enemies in the same fashion.
Ghost of Yōtei combat looks like it’s full of options and dynamic gameplay, building upon the rock, paper, scissors approach to combat found in Ghost of Tsushima while keeping the movie-like presentation.
New Ways To Play
Speaking of presentation, players of Ghost of Tsushima will remember the Akira Kurosawa-inspired black and white mode. If you were a fan of this mode, don’t worry, it’s returning in Ghost of Yōtei, but there are some new ways to play the game as well.
Samurai Cinema offers a full Japanese voice track with correct lip-syncing and English subtitles from the beginning of the game. I’m more interested in the Miike Mode, which takes inspiration from Takashi Miike, director of 13 Assassins. This mode will offer a closer camera combined with more blood and mud splatter for a visceral presentation style befitting of Takashi Miike himself. Additionally, there will be another mode inspired by Samurai Champloo director Shinichirō Watanabe. In this Watanabe mode, players will be treated to original lo-fi tracks during exploration and combat that were directed by Shinichirō Watanabe himself.
These were just the things that jumped out at me about Ghost of Yōtei from this PlayStation State Play, but it’s not everything that was shown. So, I highly recommend you go and watch the show for yourself, where you’ll learn more about companions and maybe even some new PlayStation hardware.
Ghost of Yōtei will release exclusively for PS5 on October 2nd, 2025.
