Following last year’s announcement, today Sony released a State of Play focusing on the upcoming Ghost of Yōtei. The presentation dives into the gameplay and exploration elements that will feature across this new journey.
Ghost of Yotei will focus on a new protagonist and a time period far from Ghost of Tsushima. The story sees Atsu, portrayed by Erika Ishii, on a quest of vengeance against the “Yōtei Six.” Like Tsushima, players will be able to see flashbacks of a younger Atsu and learn how her path led her to the road of revenge. However, Yōtei introduces a dynamic way to explore Atsu’s past. Now, with the press of a button, players can flash back to a young Atsu and freely roam her childhood home.
Sucker Punch expresses that Yōtei will have a bigger focus on exploration and player freedom. The brand-new clue system promises a more natural way to uncover the secrets of the landscape. By interrogating enemies, players can select what clue they’d like to receive. These can lead to different encounters, such as bandit camps or hidden collectables.
Yōtei also features a bounty system. Atsu’s bounty will rise as her hunt for vengeance continues, although we don’t know if this is a dynamic feature or one directly tied to narrative progression. What we do know is that Atsu can become a bounty hunter herself. The player will be able to hunt powerful, unique enemies and reap the rewards should they slay them.
Many of the collectibles of Tsushima will return. Sucker Punch insists the best way to experience the game is to take it at your own pace. They encourage pulling out your spyglass often and heading to anything on the horizon that catches your eye.
Ghost of Yōtei also seeks to expand gameplay by introducing a variety of new weapons. Atsu’s arsenal includes a katana, spear, kusarigama, ōdachi and dual swords. Each weapon boasts its own moveset and upgrades, and are effective for different encounters. A kusarigana’s range will be helpful for surprise attacks, while the massive weight of an ōdachi is best for larger foes. The player can seamlessly switch between weapons mid-battle.
Replacing Tsushima’s journal menu, the “Wolf Pack” is a new feature for Atsu’s journey. The menu displays a beautiful rendition of Atsu’s allies and informs the player when new quests or upgrades become available. Sucker Punch stated this menu was designed to simply manage player progression, as Tsushima’s menu could become cluttered. One notable new ally is an actual wolf, which can join Atsu in combat.
Like Tsushima, Yōtei promises a variety of customisation options. The player can adorn their weapons and armour with a multitude of patterns or colour palettes. The black and white Kurosawa mode also returns from Tsushima, although now with two additional director modes included.
Miike mode is named for Takashi Miike, director of samurai films such as 13 Assassins. Miike mode will zoom the camera closer to the player during combat, and increase the blood and mud effects. This creates a more intense and raw experience reminiscent of the director’s films.
The other new mode is a bit of a curveball. Watanabe Mode is named for Shinichirō Watanabe, director of legendary anime such as Samurai Champloo and Cowboy Bebop. Watanabe Mode fills the game with lo-fi tracks directed by Watanabe himself. The modern beat is a homage to the hip-hop aesthetic heavily featured in Samurai Champloo.
Ghost of Yōtei will be released exclusively for PlayStation 5 on Thursday, October 2nd 2025.
About the Author
Wil Bain
he/him
Wil plays every type of game (because he cannot sit still), but tends to favour frantic action and epic RPG's. Outside of gaming, you can find him at the local swimming pool, or visiting the exciting sights of suburban Melbourne.
