Summary
- Maintaining grounded storytelling from Ghost of Tsushima is key for Ghost of Yotei to appeal to fans.
- Vague use of young Atsu gameplay mechanic should not lead to dull child-based puzzles that slow down the pace.
- Adding more traversal options like gliding or climbing can enhance exploration and player experience in an open-world game.
Sucker Punch’s first game was a one-off on the N64 in 1999 called Rocket: Robot on Wheels. They then transitioned into building franchises like Sly Cooper, inFAMOUS, and now the Ghost of games. Ghost of Yotei will succeed Ghost of Tsushima, taking place hundreds of years after the first game’s setting in Japanese history.
9 Most Exciting Things Confirmed About Ghost Of Yotei
From an expanded weapon arsenal and deep customization to unique game modes, here are the most exciting features coming to Ghost of Yotei.
The trailers and gameplay demos for Ghost of Yotei that have been shown so far look promising, but can Sucker Punch make two classic open-world games in a row? Also, can they innovate and go above and beyond where Ghost of Tsushima stuttered? Let’s go through all the trappings that Sucker Punch should try to avoid with Ghost of Yotei. So far, they have already dodged one bullet: the dreaded $80 price tag.
Leaning Too Hard Into Mysticism
Defeats The Point Of The Original
What fans truly dug about the Ghost of Tsushima was the grounded storytelling. Jin takes on the mantle of the titular Ghost as he avenges his people from the shadows. He didn’t actually have any powers supernatural, and every time there was something mystic in the game, it was because of a drug. So far, it doesn’t look like Ghost of Yotei is leaning hard into fantasy or sci-fi.
However, games can always have an unexpected twist, like when a character gets replaced mid-game. The best example is Solid Snake being replaced in Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty. Surprises like this can sometimes be cool, but they could also alienate players, especially in a franchise’s first sequel. Hopefully, Sucker Punch didn’t put too much inFAMOUS DNA into Ghost of Yotei.
Putting Too Much Focus On Young Atsu
This Isn’t A Game For Kids
Sucker Punch has been a bit vague about how the young Atsu mode is going to factor into Ghost of Yotei. In the July showcase, they showed Atsu walking, and then, with the press of a button, she flashed back to her younger self walking the same path. Any game that is able to do this is impressive, which has been highlighted in many PS5 games at this point, with Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart being the most prominent example.
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There must be a gameplay reason for it, though, because players presumably can’t fight enemies as a child, as if Atsu can literally turn herself into a child but retain her samurai abilities. As such, however this mechanic works, hopefully the game doesn’t slow its pace for child-based puzzles. Some action fans enjoy puzzles in their games, including fans of the Zelda series, but it’s not a perfect fit for everyone.
Limiting Players To Horseback Travel
Samurai Games Have Leveled Up
It’s worrying right now that the only traversal options shown in trailer footage has been on foot or horseback. Atsu isn’t climbing huge mountains or, best of all, gliding down them. 2017 was a banner year for the open-world genre thanks to The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild and its Paraglider. Other open-world games have smartly copied this gliding idea, including another samurai game, Rise of the Ronin.
Small exclusions like these can add up and force players to compare games like Rise of the Ronin to Ghost of Yotei. Having no glider is not a deal-breaker, but just imagine how fun it would be to climb up a mountain and then sail down after, or to be able to climb faster. Exploration is just as important in an open-world game as combat is, and traversal variety naturally plays a big part in that.
Lackluster Boss Battles
Taking Down The Yotei Six
A good boss battle can help cement a game in a player’s memory. Death Stranding 2: On the Beach, for example, learned from its predecessor and included bombastic and engaging boss fights. Ghost of Tsushima had challenging boss fights, but not creatively elaborate ones.
It looks like Ghost of Yotei is going to have a lot of boss battles, including all of the bounties players can collect. The main story follows Atsu as she hunts down an organization known as The Yotei Six. If those boss battles are at least creative, then it will be a win. If they all amount to little more than timing dodges and parries, then fans will inevitably feel disappointed.
Level Gating
Let Players Explore At Their Leisure
Assassin’s Creed Shadows is the game that series fans have been seeking for a while: one set in Japan. While it had plenty of controversies leading up to its release, including a last-minute delay, fans mostly enjoyed it, albeit for one key factor: level gating. Players were technically free to roam the world however they wanted, but they couldn’t do anything because zones had levels attached. If players were too weak for a particular area, they’d get smoked. Also, enemies leveled up with players simultaneously, so it was hard to ever feel powerful.
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Hopefully, Sucker Punch won’t use the concepts of level gating or simultaneous leveling in Ghost of Yotei. One of the coolest parts of Ghost of Tsushima was quickly becoming godlike as Jin to really feel like an unstoppable avenging spirit. The sequel shouldn’t rob players of that feeling like Assassin’s Creed Shadows did.
A Weak Ally System
Customize Your Furry Pals
One of the most striking new features in Ghost of Yotei, which was barely elaborated on, is that Atsu can gain furry pals as companions. The one Sucker Punch acknowledged in the July showcase was a wolf, shown fighting alongside Atsu in one battle. When they were demonstrating the Photo Mode, Atsu was next to a bear, so it could be assumed that it was another companion.
It won’t be fun if these animals can just randomly show up in battle. If Sucker Punch wants an ally system, then they need to commit. Skills, customizable colors, a switchable party system in the menu, and the ability to carry unwanted gear, as is the RPG ally tradition. Without these things, fans may not get as attached to their animal companions as they did the foxes that guided players to shrines in Ghost of Tsushima. That's not the end of the world, but if Sucker Punch is taking the animal companion route, and advertising it heavily, they're better off pushing the envelope than playing it safe.
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
