Taking place 300 years after Ghost of Tsushima, you don’t need prior knowledge of the first game to grasp the narrative here. It’s packed with well-crafted storytelling, intense battles, and stunning visuals.

In terms of performance, the game runs smoothly for the most part. Loading times are brief, and the autosave feature is a lifesaver for preserving progress. While a few crashes diminished the mood, and some minor bugs, like invisible coins during mini-games, appeared over my 100-hour playthrough, they were infrequent and didn’t majorly impact the overall enjoyment.

The one major issue I came across was a bounty quest and altar locked behind a gate — I’ve submitted a report to PlayStation.

Should you buy Ghost of Yōtei?

Is it the pinnacle of open-world samurai experiences? Not entirely — but it doesn’t need to be. Yōtei stands as one of the most visually striking PS5 games, offering impeccable combat, an engaging storyline, and a highly personal lead character. Although its immersion may not surpass other recent titles, it confidently holds its ground.

If you were captivated by Ghost of Tsushima, this is a straightforward decision. With new weaponry, fresh terrains, refined mechanics, and an emotive narrative arc, Yōtei ranks among my top games of the year.

Ghost of Yōtei launches on PlayStation 5 on October 2nd and retails digitally for $124.95.

Julian Price was supplied with an early copy of the game for the purpose of this review.