Sony’s Ghost of Yōtei Deep Dive Showcases Player Freedom, Special Modes, and More

By Wallace Truesdale | July 11, 2025 | 2:27pm

Video Games News ghost of yotei

Sony’s Ghost of Yōtei Deep Dive Showcases Player Freedom, Special Modes, and More

On Thursday, July 10, PlayStation held a gameplay deep dive for their upcoming title Ghost of Yōtei, the follow-up to Sucker Punch’s 2020 Ghost of Tsushima. In addition to reiterating the story, i.e. protagonist Astu’s quest for vengeance against the six outlaws who slaughtered her family 16 years before the game’s start, the just under 20 minute video shared a lot of what players can expect in early October. You can watch the video below, and read on for a full recap.

A consistent theme throughout the deep dive was creating space for players to follow their curiosity. Presented by Sucker Punch Productions’ Jason Connel and Nate Fox, the narration claims this game “focuses on player freedom more than any game Sucker Punch has ever made.” Ghost of Yōtei seems to be aiming for an open-world experience with an emphasis on self-guided exploration and room for multiple playstyles. This isn’t to say that story has been forgotten, as the showcase starts with the ability to revisit Astu’s childhood memories when visiting her old home, but it’s clear a lot of attention has been given to how players will traverse the studio’s idea of 1600s rural Japan.

A couple of elements highlighted this, including a clue system where Astu can interrogate defeated enemies for information that leads to new areas. There is also a spyglass feature that players can whip out not only to spot enemies at hideouts, but also sites of interest sitting on distant horizons. Players will once again travel these lands by foot or on horse, as well as a grapple hook shown off.

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Sucker Punch has created quite a few incentives for traversing the island of Ezo. Outside of taking in gorgeous visuals while hunting down family killers, there are altars of reflection sprinkled throughout the map that will inspire Astu and unlock new abilities. Players can stumble upon these on their own, but maps pinpointing their location will be purchasable. There is also the return of Photo Mode, so players may want to visit specific sites or areas to put on their photographer lens. Additionally, players can do a lot of traveling fulfilling bounty contracts to collect money.

Speaking of bounties, Astu will have one on her own head that increases in price as she becomes more infamous across the land. This will attract the attention of deadlier foes, which the deep dive showcases you can dispatch in various ways. The video showed that Astu can slice down entire hideouts as loudly or quietly as the player likes, with stealth takedowns and face-to-face sword fights both put on display. Astu has an arsenal of close combat tools, including a katana, a spear, an odachi, a kusarigama, and dual swords, as well as ranged weapons such as and a gun. Each weapon comes with its own set of upgrades and can be changed on the fly during combat. There is an incentive to familiarize yourself with each one, as weapons can vary in efficacy depending on which enemy Astu is facing off.

When players decide they need a break from slicing enemies down, an interesting approach to resting waits for them. Once Astu sets up camp, she can rest, play her shamisen (which one can find a sick performance of during the deep dive’s Music portion), and cook a meal. Additionally, the camp has been designed so important characters and upgrades come to you, rather than you to them. The video also makes a point of saying Sucker Punch diverged from Ghost of Tsushima’s journal mode in favor of a more character-driven way of managing allies (one of which is a literal wolf), showcased as a menu where players scroll through visualized characters that keeps track of objectives and new gear.

Lastly, and possibly most interestingly, the deep dive showcases multiple special modes, including ones created in partnership with acclaimed Japanese film and TV directors. The first shown was Kurosawa Mode, made in partnership with Seven Samurai director Akira Kurosawa’s estate and previously seen in Ghost of Tsushima, where the game emulates his black and white films by adopting the color palette, as well as adding film grain, an audio filter, and more in-game wind. New to Yōtei is Miike Mode, made in partnership with Audition and 13 Assassins director Takashi Miike, which puts the camera closer in combat, alongside increased blood and mud splatter, to achieve a more intense experience. The last mode announced was Watanabe Mode, made in partnership with Cowboy Bebop and Samurai Champloo director Shinchirō Watanabe, that adds original, Watanabe-directed lo-fi tracks to the game. All of this is in addition to an option where players can play with a full Japanese voice track, lip synched with subtitles.

Overall, the deep dive showed much promise for Ghost of Yōtei. Players will not have to wait long before seeing if Sucker Punch executes well on everything shown. The game comes out on October 2, 2025, alongside limited edition PS5 console bundles and accessories that were announced at the end of the deep dive.