It's not exactly controversial to compare the upcoming Ghost of Yotei to Assassin's Creed. Although the IP are distinct in several ways—they arguably have more differences than similarities—Ghost of Tsushima is nevertheless very Assassin's Creed-like, as it follows a blockbuster action-adventure story based around real-world history, presenting players with a massive open-world filled with collectibles, side activities, and enemy bases to clear out. Tsushima's particular blend of melee combat and parkour-augmented stealth further strengthens the Assassin's Creed comparisons.
Unsurprisingly, Ghost of Yotei is being compared to Assassin's Creed to an even greater degree. It's releasing in the same year as Assassin's Creed Shadows, Ubisoft's long-awaited depiction of feudal Japan, and it stars a woman warrior, similar to Shadows' Naoe. Despite the two games taking place during different eras in Japan's history, it's easy to see how audiences would draw parallels between the two, especially considering the obvious similarities between Ghost of Tsushima and previous Assassin's Creed titles. For better or worse, it looks like those comparisons might only grow stronger in the wake of a recent Ghost of Yotei trailer.
The aforementioned Ghost of Yotei trailer revealed that the hotly anticipated title will launch on October 2, 2025.
Ghost of Tsushima Didn’t Have a Gwent-Like Minigame, But Ghost of Yotei Will
Ghost of Yotei's release date and Collector's Edition, which includes a real-life edition of a playable minigame, Zeni Hajiki, have been announced.
Ghost of Yotei's Recent Trailer Makes It Seem Even More Like Assassin's Creed
Ghost of Yotei's Plot May Seem Familiar to Contemporary Assassin's Creed Players
Ghost of Yotei's most recent trailer, entitled The Onryo's List, pulls back the curtain on its story of revenge. Atsu, the game's protagonist, appears to have suffered a major loss at the hands of a group of ronin, who all correspond to various animals and mythological beings. The game appears to focus on Atsu's search for vengeance, with at least one playable flashback sequence shedding light on her past. For those who have played Assassin's Creed Shadows, this premise should sound remarkably familiar.
AC Shadows follows Yasuke and Naoe, the latter of whom is seeking revenge on a group of ronin who killed her father. As players proceed through Naoe's journey, they will dispatch this group of ne're-do-wells one at a time, thereby progressing the plot. Each of these killers is established as a unique and formidable threat, which is what gives the story its structure. Just like Ghost of Yotei, Assassin's Creed Shadows presents players with an assortment of flashbacks that flesh out Naoe's past, before the catastrophic event that set her on her journey of revenge.
It's not just Shadows that adopts this broad-strokes narrative structure: every modern Assassin's Creed game is about the player-character hunting down individual members of a villainous group, checking them off like items on a bloody chore list. There is often a revenge slant to these killings as well. For instance, Assassin's Creed Origins is as much about seeking justice for the death of Basim's son as it is about fighting the Order of the Ancients, who would eventually be known as the Knights Templar.
Why Ghost of Yotei's Story Will Still Be Different from Assassin's Creed's
Despite their ostensible similarities, it's safe to say that Ghost of Yotei's narrative will stand apart from those of the recent Assassin's Creed games in key ways, the most important of which being Atsu's more personal motivation. While there could very well be certain social incentives or justifications for her blood-strewn calling, the game will almost certainly lack the grand, millenia-spanning conflict of the Assassin's Creed franchise. In other words, Atsu's journey of vengeance may be more intimate and personal, as her enemies aren't members of some shadowy, magical organization like the Order of Ancients. This will hopefully make Ghost of Yotei a more focused, self-contained narrative, relative to Assassin's Creed's anthology.
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
- Prequel(s)
- Ghost of Tsushima
- Number of Players
- Single-player
- PS5 Release Date
- October 2, 2025
- Genre(s)
- Action, Adventure, Open-World
- Platform(s)
- PlayStation 5
