Ghost of Yōtei’s State of Play is out, and players are given a glimpse into the world of Yōtei alongside Astu’s revenge story with a taste of the combat options and gameplay modes.
The Protagonist Atsu – Ghost of Yōtei
Atsu spent 16 years in the south before returning to her home to avenge her family. The main antagonist this time around is a ruthless gang that goes by the name of the Yōtei six. They are the driving force of Atsu’s tale in Ghost of Yōtei, and defeating each one adds to Atsu’s legend of becoming the onryō.
Open World Exploration
This time around, the emphasis is on player freedom. This is evident through tackling the Yōtei six in any order, allowing for a more open-ended narrative structure. This is also present in being able to switch between Atsu’s cherished childhood memories, to her modern-day reality with a push of a button. This gives us players a deeper connection to her past.
Player-driven Freedom
Everything is player-driven in Ghost of Yōtei. This is evident in the addition of the clue system. These gradually build up over time, but they come across Atsu organically as you explore the world. These clues can bring players to new areas or new adventures in the game. Players can also unravel new clues by interrogating enemies.
In the example from the gameplay deep dive, interrogating the enemy can lead us to uncover the clue about the Oni, which would lead us to obtain the spear weapon named Yari and discover a new region named Ishikari Plain. Or we ask about the Kitsune, which would give us a different weapon titled Kusarigama, and lead us to a region named Teshio Ridge. And to keep track of these clues, Atsu draws cards for all of the ones she has uncovered.
Breath of Activities
Players can take on bounties now. By taking on these bounties, Atsu fights unique enemies all around the land of Yōtei. And of course, defeating the bounties is a great way to earn some cash. Other smaller activities shown off are the return of the bamboo strike mini game, hot springs, and playing a new coin mini game.
One notable collectible hidden around the world is the altar of reflection. Finding these will unlock new abilities for Atsu. Players will be able to purchase maps from cartographers that can help find these altars as well.
There are new additions to the traversal: using slides to descend cliffs or mountains, and following flower streams will give Atsu a speed boost. The example in the video is while on horseback; however, I’m curious if following the flora while on foot will also make Atsu run faster.
The wind is guiding Atsu just like it did for Jin, but this time around, Atsu uses a Spyglass to ping points of interest by surveying the land. And doing so will seemingly mark that as the next location that the wind will guide players to. The director notes that using the spyglass and organically finding the world is the best way to play Ghost of Yōtei.
The Many Weapons in Ghost of Yōtei
Atsu, unlike Jin, is not a Samurai at heart. She is a mercenary who is willing to kill using any tactic as she pleases. And this is the biggest difference from Ghost of Tsushima. In Ghost, Jin has one main weapon but four different stances to play with. In Yōtei, it seems like Sucker Punch replaces the stances with unique weapon types.
The weapons shown in the video were the Katana, Spear, Kusarigama, Odachi, or the Dual Swords. Each is effective against different enemies and has its own set of upgrades. Another new wrinkle in the combat is that players can disarm enemies; however, Atsu can also lose her weapon mid-combat.
Along with the melee weapons, Atsu has an arsenal of ranged weapons. She has the short and long bows, but also rifles, kunai, bombs, and blinding powder. In the trailer, we have a glimpse of one of the companions who fights alongside Atsu. And in this instance, it is a Wolf companion. This is also where I believe we see the return of the standoff mechanic from Tsushima.
Under the Stars of Ezo
A big new change to Yōtei is that the players can now set up camp and rest under the stars of Ezo. Camping not only allows players to rest for the journey, but also allows Atsu to play the shamisen and cook for herself for upcoming battles.
Setting up camp is also meant for the characters of the world to catch up with Atsu. Instead of finding important characters or vendors, they come to the player while resting at the camps. This is evident in the new Wolf Pack submenu. In this Menu, players keep track of important NPCs coming to Atsu, along with whether they have any new abilities to teach or new wares to sell.
Customize the Playstyle and Outfits
Players can outfit Atsu to their liking. In the video, the three different play types that are shown are Ranged, Stealth, and Melee-focused builds with the ability to mix and match playstyles. There are still the charms from Tsushima, adding different modifiers to the combat, helping further tailor the experience. And just like Jin, Atsu has a ton of armor and weapon customizations as well.
Music and Visual Modes
The Ghost of Yōtei composer is Toma Otowa, and in the direct, they state
“Toma Otowa has created a mashup of eastern instrumentation, with western flavors, brought to life by an exciting collaboration with many talented artists”.
Photo mode is a great way to implement free marketing for any game. The digital photography scene was important in setting up Ghost of Tsushima’s success. It is something the team at Sucker Punch Highlights in Yōtei as well. Photo mode returns, with a similar breadth of options to tailor any photo to the player’s liking.
There are a few special ways to experience Ghost of Yōtei. Firstly, players can experience the regular dubbed version, or they can play in the Samurai Cinema mode where it is fully localized in Japanese with proper lip synching.
Secondly, with the blessing of the Kurosawa Estate, the team at Sucker Punch is proud to include the Kurosawa mode in Yōtei as well. This mode emulates the classic Kurosawa black and white Samurai films.
Two New Directors honored through Ghost of Yōtei
There are two other modes present in Yōtei, inspired by famous directors. The first takes inspiration from Takashi Miike. This mode is dubbed Miike Mode: here, the FOV is pulled in, and there is more mud and blood splatter.
The second comes from Shinichiro Watanabe, titled Watanabe Mode. Turning this mode on adds original Lo-Fi Nujabes-inspired beats during exploration and combat. And these tracks come directly from Watanabe himself.
New Special Edition Console and Controllers for Ghost of Yōtei
The final announcement coming from this State of Play is that PlayStation will sell new limited edition Ghost of Yōtei PS5 console bundles, controllers, and face plates. There will be a white and gold variant and a black and gold variant for all of these new peripherals and hardware.
Final Thoughts on the Gameplay Deep Dive
Something I noticed after watching the gameplay deep dive for Ghost of Yōtei is that Sucker Punch is not changing the formula, but enhancing and adding to the foundation that was built with Ghost of Tsushima.
There is an elegant conviction of gameplay mechanics and world-building that I am loving, and the camera is pulled further back, allowing us to see the vastness of the world. We are meant to take in the game as it comes, and go at our own pace. Building out Atsu to fit our playstyle while focusing on what drives us.
These make for a meaningful sequel to the already brilliant Ghost of Tsushima. Ghost of Yōtei launches on October 2nd, 2025, and will launch exclusively on the PS5 and PS5 Pro.
