Verdict
Buy itA confident, occasionally boundary-pushing sequel that takes everything that worked in Ghost of Tsushima and executes it with sharper combat, a stronger protagonist, and a beautiful, unusual setting.
Ghost of Tsushima was a genuine surprise hit for Sucker Punch, and expectations for a follow-up were correspondingly high. Rather than chase a radical reinvention, Ghost of Yotei mostly doubles down on what worked — a beautifully art-directed open world, satisfying samurai combat, and a story about vengeance — while pushing the character writing and combat toolkit further than the original ever did. The result is one of the strongest PS5 exclusives of its generation so far.
The essentials: a new hero, a new mountain
Set generations after the Mongol invasion of Tsushima, Ghost of Yotei follows Atsu, a lone wanderer hunting down the five members of a gang responsible for the massacre of her family, across the volcanic region surrounding Mount Yotei in Ezo (modern Hokkaido). The revenge-quest structure is deliberately non-linear: players can pursue the five targets in whatever order they choose, each with distinct arcs, henchmen, and boss encounters, which gives the campaign a shape that feels more personal than Tsushima's more traditional chapter progression.
Combat is the clearest area of growth. Atsu can swap between multiple weapon stances and tools on the fly, encouraging more improvisational, aggressive engagements than Jin Sakai's more rigid stance system allowed. Reviewers have consistently called out the combat variety and animation quality as a meaningful step up, and after spending real time with it, that assessment holds — duels feel weightier, and the added tool variety (firearms, throwables, new mobility options) keeps late-game fights from ever feeling repetitive.
The experience: Ezo is unlike anything Sucker Punch has built before
Visually, Mount Yotei's volcanic slopes, hot springs, and changing seasons give Sucker Punch a genuinely different canvas than Tsushima's autumnal islands, and the studio makes the most of it. Game Informer's review called the game "action and vengeance unbounded," while GamesRadar praised it as "one of the first PS5 games to feel truly boundary-pushing" — strong claims for a sequel, but ones that reflect how confidently the game leans into its hyper-violent, atmospheric tone without losing the quieter, more reflective moments (haiku composition, hot spring meditation) that gave the original its texture.
Image credit: Sucker Punch Productions / Sony Interactive Entertainment (official screenshot, via Wikipedia)
Atsu herself is the game's biggest character-writing success — a protagonist whose grief and rage feel earned rather than generically motivated, carried by a strong central performance that gives the revenge structure genuine emotional stakes rather than just an excuse to string together boss fights.
The limits: refinement, not revolution
For all its polish, Ghost of Yotei doesn't stray far from the open-world template Tsushima established: guiding wind mechanics, collectible-driven exploration, and liberate-the-outpost side activities are all present in familiar form, occasionally leaning on padding that the genre has been trying to shake for years. The midgame, between the first couple of revenge targets and the story's climactic stretch, also sags slightly compared to the tightly paced opening and finale.
Image credit: Sucker Punch Productions / Sony Interactive Entertainment (official PlayStation press image)
None of this is a serious knock against the game's quality — it's more a sign that Sucker Punch chose evolution over reinvention, a defensible choice given how well the underlying formula already worked, but one that keeps Ghost of Yotei from feeling like a total leap forward structurally.
Who is this for?
Fans of Ghost of Tsushima will find exactly the sequel they wanted: sharper combat, a stronger lead character, and a gorgeous new region to explore. Newcomers to the series looking for a well-crafted, story-driven open-world action game — with or without prior Tsushima experience — will find one of the best examples of the genre currently available on PS5.
Verdict
Ghost of Yotei doesn't reinvent Sucker Punch's open-world formula, but it executes it with enough craft, emotional weight, and combat depth to stand as one of 2025's genuine highlights. It's a sequel that knows exactly what it is and delivers on it with real confidence. 9.0/10.
Pros
- Atsu is a compelling, sharply written protagonist with real emotional stakes
- Combat variety (multiple weapon styles, tools) is the deepest the studio has offered
- Mount Yotei's volcanic, seasonal landscape is a gorgeous change of scenery
- Non-linear revenge structure lets players tackle targets in their own order
Cons
- Structurally very close to Ghost of Tsushima's open-world formula
- Some side content still leans on familiar collect-and-clear tower design
- Pacing sags slightly in the midgame between major revenge targets
Elena has reviewed AAA releases for close to a decade, with a rule she never breaks: no score until the credits roll. She has covered everything from sprawling open-world epics to tight roguelike runs, and she is known for pros/cons lists that actually help you decide whether to buy. Off the clock she is replaying old JRPGs on hard mode and arguing about ending twists.
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