‘Ghost Of Yōtei’ review: razor-sharp samurai sequel lives up to ‘Tsushima’s legacy

The original Ghost Of Tsushima, released in 2020, delivered a thoughtful homage to Japanese samurai cinema that was underpinned by familiar open world action-adventure design. It was so carefully researched that even Japanese critics praised it lavishly. In the years since the original was released, the open-world formula has sunk further into cliché but long-awaited sequel Ghost Of Yōtei’s gorgeous art style and a gripping saga paper over any predictable cracks.

Ghost Of Yōtei is set in rural 1600s Japan, 300 years after the events of Tsushima, and follows lone mercenary Atsu on her quest for revenge. In an expected but effective device, her story flits between past and present. The sword-wielding and shamisen-playing badass scrawls down the names of her targets: The Snake, The Oni, the Kitsune, The Spider, The Dragon and their charismatic leader, Lord Saito. In flashbacks, we understand why – Saito and his cronies, the ‘Yōtei Six’ torched her home and butchered her family.

After killing the drunken Snake in a tutorial fight, hunting down the rest of the Six structures your journey through the open-world. To grow stronger, you must traverse Ezo (modern-day Hokkaido), a land packed with sidequests, bounties and ‘Shrines Of Reflection’ which unlock new techniques on branching skill trees. It’s a recognisable but compelling cycle, especially since Ghost Of Yōtei (like Tsushima) provides a beautiful world to explore. Whichever way you turn – the lush fields of whispering flowers, seas of pampas grass, red trees of Ishikari and snow-blanketed Teshio Ridge – every frame is a painting.

Atsu’s story is consistently gripping and, at times, emotional. It’s personal preference, of course, but she proves a deeper character to inhabit than Tsushima’s Jin, while Lord Saito’s promise to upend royal domination situates him as a necessarily charismatic tyrant. Vibe-wise, the narrative lands as a mix of prestige TV and celebrated manga Lady Snowblood, rather than the comparisons to celebrated Japanese director Akira Kurosawa that developers Sucker Punch continue to push. (“The night my family was massacred,” intones Atsu at the opening, sounding unmistakably like a Wu-Tang Clan intro.) Happily, that vibe is complemented by the new Takashi Miike and Shinichirō Watanabe modes, which were created alongside the iconic directors. They’re both an absolute delight.

This ripping story sits atop a robust gameplay experience. Combat is the standout and remains a a fluid dance, building on the template popularised 16 years ago by Arkham Asylum. Atsu springs between foes while a traffic light system suggests her best response to enemy attacks: if it’s red you need to dodge, gold should make you sheathe your weapon and white means it’s time to parry. There’s the usual array of weapons to complement your katana: spears, bows, guns, as well as more unusual fare, like a pair of stringed kama called kusarigama that drag enemies in for a swift execution.

Other aspects are more obviously formulaic. Anyone who’s played an open-world game in the past decade will recognise the handholding and UI creep – weapon upgrade pings that call you back to base, contrived climbing walls built into the landscape, spyglasses that highlight points of interest rather than letting you scout camps organically, stealth sections where enemies obligingly look away or stare at walls. Then there are systems that feel entirely superfluous such as lighting tinder to cook a meal or hammering out swords at a forge. Rather than adding to Ghost Of Yōtei’s rich landscape, these moments of bloat just get in the way of Atsu’s thrilling journey.

‘Ghost Of Yōtei’ is out October 2 for PC and PlayStation 5