Since its reveal and simultaneous confirmation that it wouldn't be a direct sequel to its predecessor, Ghost of Yotei has needed to communicate one thing above all else: that it isn't Ghost of Tsushima. With a new protagonist in a setting three centuries in the future, Ghost of Yotei can't afford to fit within the mold of Tsushima, lest it feel like little more than an enhanced version of the first game rather than the standalone experience it is meant to be. Fortunately, Sucker Punch's highly anticipated follow-up to its 2020 hit just had its very own State of Play that saw the developer taking a deep dive into its gameplay, and it looks to set itself apart from Ghost of Tsushima in the best way.
With Ghost of Yotei's Atsu taking up the mantle of the Ghost as an idea rather than an identity belonging only to Tsushima's Jin Sakai, it's crucial that her journey not be an echo of his as much as it can help it. As it turns out, despite the game's State of Play focusing more on gameplay than the story, it showed Atsu to be starkly different from her predecessor in one major way. Specifically, whereas Jin was more disciplined in his combat approach and did his best to bridge the gap between his samurai roots and the Ghost persona, Atsu is the exact opposite — a ruthless, scrappy, "lone wolf" warrior who will stop at nothing to exact her revenge upon those who murdered her family and razed her homestead to the ground.
Ghost of Yotei Just Made Its Biggest Mystery Even Bigger
Ghost of Yotei’s State of Play tiptoed around a key detail, and in doing so, may have turned the game’s most lingering question into its loudest.
Atsu Is Exactly What Jin Tried to Avoid Becoming
Atsu Isn't Fighting for an Ideal, She's Fighting for Blood
Unlike Jin, whose journey revolved around a constant tension between honor and necessity, Atsu appears to have no moral compass pulling her in different directions. In the State of Play for Ghost of Yotei, Sucker Punch refers to her, not as a samurai or a ninja, but as a mercenary. This distinction effectively puts a wedge between her and Jin, as he struggled to reconcile his roots with the choices he made as the Ghost of Tsushima, and she cares more about killing her offenders than preserving any sort of legacy. Rather than her story being about becoming what is necessary to save a nation, it's about doing what she believes is necessary to settle a score. This difference then manifests in her approach to combat, which is a far cry from Jin's.
Jin Sakai was a samurai bound to a code of honor, but Atsu has no code. Her combat is driven by whatever can benefit her the most on the battlefield, even if that means using weapons that aren't even hers. She's scrappy, in this way, showing that she relies less on tradition as Jin did even in his darkest moments as the Ghost and instead relies on quick-thinking and resourcefulness. In the end, this makes her a more dangerous version of the Ghost than Jin — the inner beast that her predecessor tried to tame.
Jin Showed Restraint, But Atsu's Off the Leash
At the heart of Ghost of Tsushima's story is a samurai who is constantly at war within himself. Much of this conflict comes from external forces, like his uncle, who wishes Jin would stay true to samurai tradition, but it stirs conflict in him nonetheless, making his adoption of the Ghost persona less of a power fantasy and more of a sacrifice of identity. Ghost of Yotei's Atsu, on the other hand, doesn't carry that same burden. She strikes her enemies without hesitation or prejudice, and rather than fearing who she might become, she embraces that fear and uses it to her advantage. Of course, Jin also embraced that same fear, but he was held back by where he came from, while it is Atsu's past that actually makes her the deadly weapon that she is.
Jin Sakai was a samurai bound to a code of honor, but Atsu has no code.
Ghost of Yotei may draw inspiration from its predecessor, but Atsu's presentation in the game's recent State of Play deep dive proves it has no intention of telling Ghost of Tsushima's story all over again. Where Jin walked the line between restraint and rebellion, Atsu, like a bull in a china shop, barrels through it without looking back. Her scrappy, feral edge is what makes her unique, however, and ultimately what sets her apart from Jin in the best way, turning the idea of the Ghost into something less noble, more primal, and far harder to contain.
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
- Genre(s)
- Action, Adventure, Open-World
