“The Ghost of Yōtei” is one of the most cinematic games of the year | Video games

Despite Roger’s famous proclamation that video games are not art, the founder of this site was also open to alternative opinions and a changing industry, and we believed that when we began to see how the worlds of gaming and film were increasingly intertwined that he would be interested in how the two would influence each other. “Resident Evil”, “Uncharted”, “The Last of Us”, “Death Stranding” – these are just some of the franchises with deep cinematic roots. Add to that list Loving Franchises Sucker Punch’s “Ghost” series as the new “Ghost of Yōtei,” a follow-up to 2020’s excellent “Ghost of Tsushima,” was built by people who love everyone from Akira Kurosawa to Takashi Miike. The writers of “Yōtei” let their love for the samurai epic bleed through every swing of the katana in a story of family and revenge that contains some of the best video game writing of its era. Add this strong storytelling to beautiful visuals and world-building, and you have one of the best games of 2025.

I admit to being concerned from the first hour that “Yōtei” was just a replacement for “Tsushima”. Those feelings recede as it becomes clear that the familiarity of “Yōtei’s” opening missions is intentional in the same way that a great second season of television often aims to please with what made the first outing a hit before building on that foundation. “Yōtei” has many of the same gameplay mechanics, but they have been employed in a world and story that is more engaging and varied. Perhaps the most impressive thing about “Yōtei” is its immersive environment, one that sees your protagonist moving through fields of flowers, scaling ocean cliffs and taking in snow-capped mountains. It’s a rich, varied, and lovingly rendered world that I was happy to spend over 40 hours exploring.

Set in 1603 in Ezo (a region of Japan that would include Honshu and Hokkaido today), “Ghost of Yōtei” features a traumatized onna-misha named Atsu, who grew up in the shadow of Mount Yōtei. Sixteen years ago, ATSU’s family was murdered by the Vicious Lord Saito and five of his loyal soldiers: the Serpent, the Oni, the Kitsune, the Spider and the Dragon. ATSU has been left to die, but she will rise to defeat all of the “Yōtei Six” in an effort to defeat the demons of her past, although the writers of “Ghost of Yōtei” do not allow the revenge narrative to play out in a predictable, traditional way. Not only can you usually defeat the villains who ruined ATSU’s life in any order (after taking out the snake to really start the game), but each one has their own personalities, back stories, and rich character arcs.

While ATSU’s rise to becoming “Onyro” that eliminates Saito and his team is the main plot of “Yōtei,” there are dozens of subplots that also push the narrative forward. The ATSU meets people along the way who she trains into something called the “Wolf Pack,” allies who could be as simple as kind salesmen or as complex as people who will join her in battle. The writing in “Yōtei” is like the image of the tree that drives much of the narrative with the revenge plot serving as the trunk, but the branches become just as essential.

There are also dozens of things to do around Ezo that aren’t even combat related, including painting, reading your shamisen, finding hot springs to increase health, building fires to cook mushrooms and fish, cutting bamboo, and even befriending wolves which will be part of your combat strategy. Again, it’s so dense with activity, a game that took 40 hours of my life that went by in the blink of an eye.

Combat is a bit different in the sequel and, arguably, where the games become most repetitive. As the story progresses, ATSU gains access to five primary weapons: his katana, his duel katanas, the Odachi (two-handed sword), Yari (spear), and Kusarigama (chain-chain). Enemies will have their own charges that are most easily defeated by one of these five weapons. For example, when an enemy approaches with a shield, use the kusarigama to swing. I wish I could find the Creator on Tiktok who said he gives him credit, but it has a bit of a “rock paper scissors” dynamic in that you have to switch to the right paper to cover your enemy’s rock. I got a little tired of this aspect of the gameplay, but the developers are smart to constantly inject the combat with new toys to keep it fresh. Not only does ATSU have these five sharp tools, she gets arrows, Kunai (throwing knives), a variety of bombs, and ultimately a tanegashima (a rifle). Final battles require the use all of the above in the right order to truly succeed.

As for direct movie connections, “Ghost of Yōtei” returns the Kurosawa mode from the last game, in which you can play the entire experience in widescreen black and white with subtitles for that real “Seven Samurai” flavor. They add two amazing Variations on the aesthetic variety this time with “Watanabe Mode” and “Miike Mode”. The first is based on the anime work of “Cowboy Bebop” director Shinichirō Watanabe and shifts the graphics to anime-inspired visuals with a new soundtrack; The latter is inspired by the prolific “13 Assassins” director and turns up the dial on blood and mud. This is the way I played almost the entire game, a breathtaking counter to the lyrical nature of most of the game which covers the pretty flowers in red stuff.

Ultimately, “Ghost of Yōtei” does so much right, from the big storytelling beats to the impressive landscapes. It can be a little too long and the combat a little too repetitive, but these minor flaws are overwhelmed by the gripping story and truly beautiful environment. Like a great samurai film, I was actually sad to see it end and wondered when it did how Earth Sucker Punch could top it next time.

The publisher has provided a review copy of this title.