As mentioned above, Sucker Punch surprised everyone by revealding that Jin Sakai was not gonna return as the protagonist and instead we get a new heroine in the face of Atsu. Chronologically wise, the game takes place during
the Edo period. The game introduces us to a Japan that is under the fear of Lord Saito. A powerfull Samurai who rose to power and wants to rule Japan. Our protagonist, Atsu, has crossed paths with Saito when she was
just a young girl. Saito and Atsu's dad, Kengo, seemed to have had a common past where they collaborated and worked together. Given how Kengo is an expert swordsmith, it is left to believed that at some point Kengo did not want to support
Saito's goals and means of achieving them and thus he abandoned them. Kengo and his wife kept their distance from the "Saito Clan" and tried to live a peacefull life away from them. However, destiny had different plans. One day a couple of years later, Atsu and her brother Jubei were out hunting
and got themselves in trouble with a wolf. A wondering Samurai, Saito, rescued them and as a thank you Atsu lead him to her dad to fix his equipment. Kengo was shocked to see Saito infront of him to kill him but spare his family.
Not so long after, Saito reveals his group of five ruthless, renegade samurai known as the Yotei Six, who were slowly approaching Atsu's house in order to make a statement. The statement was simple, Noone betrays the Saito clan and
gets away with it. The Samurai killed Atsu's family, burned down their house and pinned Atsu on a burning Tree leaving her to die with the corpses of her family. This tragic event is known as the "Night of the Burning Tree". The event also
lead to Saito and the Yotei Six rose to power and also the beginning of Atsu's quest for revenge. Before she was burned Atsu removed the blade, buried her family's corspes, took her dad's blade and mom's Shamisen and fled to South. Years later, Atsu
returns and promises to kill the Yotei Six and avenge her family. She believes that Atsu died on the tree that night, and that now she is an Onryo, a vengeful ghost who is seeking revenge.
This is where the game starts. Atsu is back and seeks revenge on the Yotei Six who re no longer grouped together but are scattered around the island of Ezo, the area around Mount Yotei. Each member became a leader of a territory, setting their camps and kingdoms,
but they re all under to command of Lord Saito. The oppening Act sees the encounter between Atsu and the Snake, with the protagonist successfully eliminating the enemy, sending a message about a Ghost/Onryo which is out there, searching and killing Saito's men.
Once the Snake is dealt with, the decision on which target to procced to(Oni, Kitsune, Spider and Dragon) its up to the players decisions.
I personally found the very beginning of the sotry less interesting than Ghost of Tsushima's however, it really grew on me as the story progressed more and more. Atsu is mercenary not bound by any rules and any honorable titles, instead she makes her own decisions
based on what she wants, and that reflects on the gameplay as you get to choose if you want to help people or not. Atsu goes through alot and struggles with herself as her hatred for the Yotei Six is blinding her vision and rushes her decisions. The narrative does a good job showing this struggle
of Atsu especcially in Chapter II. Atsu's past hunts her till this day, this can be seen with various memory spaces where the player can shift between now and then, furthermore, if the player camps and wishes to sleep(to skip the day), Atsu is being hunted by the nightmare of the Night of the
burning tree, forcing her to always wake up further showing how her mind is trapped in the past.
Ghost of Yotei is an open world action role playing game that places the player in the shoes of Atsu, a mercenary whose past huntes her and returns to Ezo seeking revenge on the Yotei Six who scarred her childhood. In the oppening scene, Atsu kills the Snake and who recognised her and spread the rumors or an
Onryo comming to Enzo to slaughter the Yotei Six. An Onryo is a vengeful ghost in Japanese folklore and within the context of the game it used to be a story Atsu's mom used to tell her and her brother. Similar to Ghost of Tsushima, Atsu is being guided by the Guiding Wind. The player can choose an area on the map,
or during a mission(side or main) the wind will lead her to her destination. Atsu can walk there or she can ride her horse there.
During compat the game follows the same logic as its predecessor but with a new spin. In Ghost of Tsushima, Jin used his katana and certain stances in order to take down certain enemies. Every stance will deal damage but some were made to give the player an advantage. The same thing implies here with the difference being that Atsu
doesnt follow the way/code of the samurai. Throughout her adventure she masters new weapons with the help of senseis around the land who will test her and share their knowledge. The weapons Atsu gains can be swapped in the fly during combat and once again, all of them can be used with certain one giving the advantage to her.
For Example:
I personally loved the Ghost of Tsushimas gameplay and i never thought it could be further improved until i play the Ghost of Yotei. The main difference and the reason the gameplay feels different yet familiar is because of the main protagonists Jin and Atsu. Jin was an honorable samurai who 'turned into the ghost' to free Tsushima. However his combat style was relying on his katana mostly and his stances to counter the enemies. Atsu on the other hand is a survivor first and a mercenary second. All she cares is surviving the enemies with any means necessary. She is wielding 5 different types of close range weapons(which act similar to the stances), she has 4 long range weapons, and 5 weapons that she can use to fight dirty eg smokebombs, pistols, smokecloud etc. Additionally Atsu is not afraid to pick the weapons of her victims and throw them to the others. Atsu doesnt usually team up with any humans unless the story prompts it, however, she is usually joined by a lone wolf which she can team up to kill her enemies faster. The guiding wind helps Atsu find her way to her destination similar to Jin's story. I found myself enjoying the game so much that by the end of the story i was also 5 trophies away from the Platinum from which most of them were 90%-80% done. For example i had 30/31 bounties, 10/11 fox boxes etc. Everytime whilst freelancing or going to the next story point, i would side step and do a shrine/camp or anything that i would discover. I usually focus on the story but Atsu's journey was definetely not speedrunned, so i believe i was much more invested the more i got to know her.
As i briefly mentioned, theres alot of things to do in Ghost of Yotei during or after the main plot. Like i said, i did most of the side content during my main walkthrough cause i was enjoying my time. First things firstm the player can always visit the Hot Springs and the Bamboo shrines. Hot springs allows the player to get to know Atsu better whilst
she reflects on her story all whilst the player receive a permanent HP boost. Bamboo cutting, allows the player to play a small quick time event which will increase the spirit. The player can always visit the Shrines parkour all the way to the top in order to collect an item or to pay their respects and earn a skill point to place on the Skill tree. Once again there re
hidden Altairs which upon paynig respect the player gets skill points. Additionally the player will find Fox Shrines and Wolves Den. In both cases the player has to follow the animal to the designated target. If you followed a fox it will lead you to a shrine where as a wolf will lead you to the enemies who attacked them. Helping a fox rewards the player with a charm
and helping a wolf will give you skill points that can only be spent on the wolf's skill tree. Each area of the map has a member of the Yotei Six ruling over it. Each member has its own set of Enemy Camps that Atsu will set free. Moreover, Atsu's love for art can be seen by findnig Shamisen songs and places where Atsu can show her Sumi-e painting skills. In addition,
Atsu likes puzzles and thus she solves Yotei's Mountain Reliquary puzzle and also collects and solves the Nine Tails’ puzzle boxes.
As a mercenary, Atsu needs to make some money in order to purchase items or upgrades. One way to do so is Zeni Hajiki a minigame where the player bets money and proceeds to play a game where they flick a coin to hit other coins that re scattered on a table. Hitting two coins, miss or dropping it of the table is a foul. NPCs usually bet coins but upon defeat some will wager a good charm
whilst Atsu bets 1000. The other way to make money is by completing Bounties and Favors. Through the story some NPCs will ask for a small favor which will reward you with coins. Bounties re found on the boounty wall or on leaflefts around the world. they re straightforward for most of the time. You take the mission, you track the area where the hunted was last seen and upon encountered,
you usually have a 1vs1 duel. Keep in mind the Onryo also has a bounty on its head and thus many will come for yours. Whilst freelancing, you may spot pillars of fallen warriors and Atsu can pick the warriors weapon. Last but not least, Legends & myths return where Atsu will hear tales of legendary warriors and by tracking them down, you will have an epic encounter which will reward you with legendary armors or sword kits. These legends are carefully crafted and lead to some amazing and memorable
locations.
A Free online DLC mode is said to be released early 2026 known as the Ghost of Yotei Legends.
Being a Sequel to Tsushima on an upgraded hardware means that the graphics are as amazing as you would expect. Atsu's adventure is near mount Yotei which is away from Jin's. This allowed the developers to create new breathtaking locations with amazing views. I cannot count how many times i stopped just to admire the view or try to take a good screenshot. Whether its the view off from a Shrine or simply an area
where fauna and flora bloom with life. Gameplay wise, using thw wind to guyde you to the objective is a smart way to reduce minimaps and compasses off from the UI. During combat the significant attacks(red/white/gold) are easy to spot and to react. The game has some nice visuals effects during stand offs and ofcourse during the ghost release/awakening.
Audio wise i simply enjoyed it. Each area has a nice unique background melody and every chapter has an amazing Song that starts off the chapter. The sound effects for every weapon slice, or weapon clash also feels satisfying. Especially when you land a parry and you hear that "cling sound" whilst the camera gives you a slow motion effect.
Voice acting wise i really love the japanese dub and although its not bad, the english dub felt a bit weird. The shamisen is an instrument you can play at any time and its nice that can be used for exploration. Similar to the prequel, during an encounter with long range enemies, there are sound warnings that warn the player of an upcomming projectile.
Overall, Ghost of Yotei is an amazing game that is worthy of being the sequel to Ghost of Tsushima. The plot at first is less interesting than Jin's quest to liberate Tsushima but the more time you spent with Atsu the more invested you become with her story. To sum it up, the Yotei Six slaughter Atsu's family when she was a kid and left her stabbed/pinned on a burning tree left for dead. Atsu survived and escaped to the South. There she learned to
handle the blade and years later she return seeking revenge. Atsu who was supposed to die that day, returns, slaying one of the Six sending the message that a vengeful ghost(Onryo) is out there killing Saito's men. Gameplay wise, the game improved uppon the formula of Tsushima. The "rock-paper-scissor" mechanic with the stances returns dressed up as different weapons. Atsu's weaponry is vast and differs based on the ocasion, close or range combat. Additionally,
charms and armors exists in order to increase passive attacks and grand buffs on Atsu. Each weapon has unique combos, specials and Skill Trees that can upgrade these abilities. The game is smooth and the combat allows the player to feel like a hungry beast. Slicing opponents, scaring them with your aura, picking their weapons and throwing them towards them and parying their attacks.
Upon defeating the game, or during the main campaign there are plenty of activities to be done. The player can visit different locations that will boost the player's stats, HP and spirit. Gambling and visiting Fox shrines will reward the players with various chamrs. On the other hand, visiting Shrines, Wolves Den and Altairs, the players get skill points which they can spent on a skill tree to enchance their abilities.
Last but not least, combat challenges can be found on enemy camps and 1vs1 duels disguised as myths. Visually and Graphically the game looks stunning. There will be plenty of screenshots taken during the run. A free DLC is scheduled to be release in 2026 which will include a free online mode similar to Ghost of Tsushima Legends.