Ghost of Yōtei is an action-adventure game set in Ezo, Japan, following the story of the onryō Atsu, who is seeking vengeance against the Yōtei Six for slaughtering her family when she was a child. Developed by Sucker Punch Productions and published by Sony Interactive Entertainment, this game is set 300 years after the events of Ghost of Tsushima, referencing the story a few times and directly contrasting its progression.
The story works in the opposite way Tsushima, with Atsu already having a ghost reputation and having to earn others’ trust and develop relationships. Atsu is driven by a thirst for revenge and has no qualms about killing, regardless of how it’s done. She is a strong warrior and a powerful character.
In my review, I’m going to go into the details of the story, the gameplay, and discuss other aspects of the game. This is NOT a spoiler-free review!
The Story
Atsu, the daughter of a well-known swordsmith, is now an orphaned, wandering mercenary with a vengeful quest to hunt down and kill the Yōtei Six who are responsible for killing her family when she was young. The six, led by Lord Saito, are known as the Snake, the Oni, the Kitsune, and the Spider and Dragon, who are Saito’s sons. They left her for dead against a burning tree at her family home, after murdering her father and mother in front of her and throwing her brother off a cliff. She spends the next 16 years training and preparing to kill them, and the game jumps right in with the murder of the Snake.
Atsu is a strong, independent character who is bent on finishing her quest no matter the cost. She helps people if it helps her quest, and learns new forms of combat that can help her kill the Six. She wears a sash on her belt with their names, marking each one off in blood as she succeeds. As the story progresses, though, she starts to form bonds with others and falter in her quest, befriending Oyuki (the former Kitsune), finding her brother Jubei (who she thought was dead), and learning she has a niece, Kiku.
Though she does technically succeed in the ending, killing most of the Six and avenging her family, her progression from vengeful spirit fades as she has found her family and a new purpose for living. Some people didn’t like the falter in her character, but after she slaughtered so many in a blinding rage and was the reason for so much destruction, she saw herself through others’ eyes and grew as a character. I enjoyed her progression in the end and her finding the peace she thought her quest would bring.
The Gameplay
Played in a third-person perspective, the game features various Japanese forms of combat, some stealth, and open-world exploration with a horse and fast-travel locations. Since it’s open-world, you’re able to go after the Yōtei Six at your own pace, though some locations are locked until you progress past certain key story points. As you progress, you meet weapon masters who train you in various forms of combat, utilizing weapons such as the katana, yari, kusarigama, ōdachi, yumi bow, tanegashima, and tanzutsu. Different weapons counter different enemies, and it benefits Atsu because she is more of a combat-first character, not being designed for full stealth missions, though she does learn some of the strategies.
Alongside utilizing different weapons for different types of enemies, enemies have different forms of attack that you either can parry with a combination attack or have to dodge to avoid damage. Atsu can pick up dropped weapons and throw them at enemies, and can summon a wolf to aid in certain missions, including stand-offs.
Some weapons masters prove tougher than regular enemies, so it’s important to train with them, complete their quests, and complete other side quests to strengthen Atsu’s skills and weapons for the story progression. There are several outfits available that are beneficial as well, so be sure you complete the special stories to unlock these sets of armor.
The Story Continues
Just as Ghost of Tsushima had a Legends mode, which was a co-op multiplayer mode, Ghost of Yōtei will have one as well sometime in 2026. Legends will feature two-player story missions and four-player survival matches against enemies inspired by Japanese mythology and the Six. It’ll be a free update for everyone who has the game.
Ghost of Yōtei has two editions currently available on the PS5: the Standard Edition and the Digital Deluxe Edition. I played the Digital Deluze Edition, which came with some extra armor and items, but ended up using the ones I got in-game as the story progressed.
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Sources:
Writing Until Ragnarok 
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