Ghost of Yotei, the sequel to PlayStation’s hit samurai game Ghost of Tsushima, is set to release on PS5 on October 2, 2025. While the original was well-regarded, there is room for improvement. Here’s what I’m hoping to see.
5
More Cohesive Storytelling
Firstly, I don’t want a story that feels at odds with the premise, like Ghost of Tsushima sometimes did. In that game, the dilemma about embracing being a ghost and using stealth attacks was at the heart of the story for almost the entire game, but it conflicts with the gameplay.
Almost immediately in the journey, you can start using stealth tactics and sneak attacks to great success, and by the time you reach the middle of the game, your tool belt is massive. It felt strange for Jin to spend so much time feeling conflicted about the tactics, when, from a gameplay perspective, he seemed all in.
We know that Atsu’s story in the sequel is a revenge arc, which makes it less likely that she will have any moral dilemmas with stealth killing enemies, sot this should hopefully will make way for more cohesive storytelling.
4
A Better Mix of Side Activities
Ghost of Tsushima feels like a halfway mark between the Far Cry 3 style of open world and the more modern open world games. It still has a large amount of checklist completion, but there are some fun activities in the game, like writing haikus, chopping bamboo, and dueling enemies.
Unfortunately, most of the side activities struggle from the checklist nature of the game, losing their luster as you do them repeatedly. This is especially true for the more simple activities, like following a fox to a shrine or cutting bamboo.
There are also a few areas where the more traditional activities could be smoothed out in a positive way. When rescuing an occupied village, untying a civilian almost always leads to a short conversation about the village being occupied. These conversations have little substance and just waste your time, so a bit of streamlining could help out.
3
More Weapon Variety
Ghost of Yōtei presents an opportunity to bring more main weapon variety. While Ghost of Tsushima has many tools and arrow types, it doesn’t have much in terms of main weapons. You had a katana, tanto, half bow, and longbow, with various throwables, arrows, and darts to choose from.
Assassin’s Creed Shadows feels like a strong comparison point, as it features several melee and ranged weapons options for both protagonists. I don’t want endless recolored loot and constant inventory managemen, but instead multiple weapon options. This would help combat evolve over the course of the game, instead of becoming stale due to being limited weapons.
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2
Horse Customization
In Ghost of Tsushima, you choose from a limited selection of horses, with predetermined names and colors. While not getting to pick a name isn’t that big of a deal—and it allows the characters to say the horses’ name—the option to customize the horses’ appearance and colors could create a more personal connection.
Ghost of Yōtei seems a bit too serious for you to be able to make your horse any color, but a variety of real horse patterns and colors seems like a no-brainer. The first game did feature horse equipment to allow some customization, so adding more depth to that system for Ghost of Yōtei seems like a possibility.
1
More Fluid Combat
One of the main complaints about Ghost of Tsushima was that the camera was a bit difficult to manage in combat. There is no lock-on in the game, leading to the camera getting caught on buildings and other parts of the environment during fights.
While Ghost of Yōtei doesn’t necessarily need a lock-on, as that might make the combat feel more generic, better camera controls seem like a must. A field of view slider of sorts, changing how close you are to your character model in third-person, which could lessen how often the camera gets hung up.
Whatever the case, I’m excited to play Ghost of Yōtei in November. If the original game is anything to go by, we’re in for a treat!
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