Summary
- Ghost of Yotei aims to improve on Ghost of Tsushima's boss fights by introducing unique phases for more challenge.
- Bosses in Ghost of Yotei could be based on distinct personalities, adding depth to the encounters.
- The game could enhance boss fights with environmental changes and new mechanics, making them more memorable.
Ghost of Tsushima's successor, Ghost of Yotei, appears to be taking the franchise in a brand-new direction with more than just a new protagonist at the helm. While it will be sad to see Jin Sakai left behind (as far as what is currently known about the game, anyway), Ghost of Yotei's Atsu offers a unique opportunity for the next entry to challenge what made the first game so successful and take bold risks to reinvent its gameplay and storytelling. While Ghost of Tsushima has been massively successful and widely praised for many of its features, however, there is one thing about its gameplay that Ghost of Yotei could still improve significantly.
One of Ghost of Tsushima's greatest strengths was its combat, but its boss fights ultimately fell flat for being too predictable and repetitive all the way around. Visually, they were stunning, and thematically, they were memorable, but mechanically, they left a lot to be desired. Ghost of Yotei can improve on this by having boss fights that aren't just memorable for the way they look and feel but also for their distinct mechanics and resulting challenge. Furthermore, Ghost of Yotei could feature bosses that are based on distinct personalities, thereby making each fight distinct from the last.
Ghost of Yotei's Stealth System May Need to Look to Assassin's Creed Shadows for Enlightenment
Ghost of Yotei could make its stealth even more immersive and challenging by utilizing one of the best things about Assassin's Creed Shadows' stealth.
Ghost of Yotei's Boss Fights Need to Be Better Than Tsushima's
Ghost of Yotei's Major Bosses Should Have Multiple Unique Phases
One way that Ghost of Yotei could considerably shake up its boss fights in comparison to its predecessor is by featuring bosses that have multiple unique phases. Some Ghost of Tsushima boss fights have phases, but they are far too subtle and hardly change anything about the fight in order to be deemed actual boss phases. While Ghost of Tsushima isn't a soulslike, in games like Dark Souls or Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice, bosses generally have phases where more than their health threshold and aggression are affected and entirely new movesets are often introduced instead.
Ghost of Yotei taking place 300 years after Ghost of Tsushima would be the perfect setting for boss fights with such distinct phases, as martial arts began and samurai would experiment with unconventional fighting styles during the time period.
This is something Ghost of Yotei could afford to do with its own bosses, as Ghost of Tsushima's boss phases are not characterized by notable differences. If Ghost of Yotei truly wanted to make its boss fights more memorable, these encounters could progress through a series of phases that see the boss changing their stance in each one, for instance. Environmental changes and terrain could also be added to the mix, where each phase of a boss fight takes players to a new area where fresh environmental hazards are introduced. This would not only add depth and immersion to Ghost of Yotei's boss fights, but also to the world itself.
Ghost of Yotei's Bosses Could Be Based on Distinct Personalities
If Ghost of Yotei wanted to dive even deeper into featuring memorable boss fights, it could consider basing each boss on a distinct personality rather than each one merely being a traditional samurai duel. Perhaps Ghost of Yotei's Atsu could face a dishonorable assassin who specializes in more deceptive practices and tools, like smoke bombs, poison darts, and other tricks. Additionally, a fight with a massive brute in Ghost of Yotei might see Atsu dodging giant hammer strikes in between attacks. Making its boss fights based on personalities rather than being bosses for the sake of being bosses, Ghost of Yotei could make these encounters more memorable for the individuals themselves rather than just the mechanics and challenge they pose.
One of Ghost of Tsushima's greatest strengths was its combat, but its boss fights ultimately fell flat for being too predictable and repetitive all the way around.
Ghost of Yotei has the potential to take its boss fights to a level that Ghost of Tsushima has only scratched the surface of, not only by expanding their mechanics but also by making them more impactful from a thematic and narrative standpoint. By introducing distinct multi-phase boss encounters and designing them around unique personalities rather than just strength and health, Ghost of Yotei could offer a more engaging challenge that keeps players on their toes.
Ghost of Yotei
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OpenCritic Reviews
- Top Critic Avg: 87 /100 Critics Rec: 94%
- Released
- October 2, 2025
- ESRB
- Mature 17+ / Blood and Gore, Drug Reference, Intense Violence, Language, Partial Nudity, Use of Alcohol
- Developer(s)
- Sucker Punch
- Publisher(s)
- Sony Interactive Entertainment
WHERE TO PLAY
- Genre(s)
- Action, Adventure, Open-World
