Look, Ghost of Tsushima was already the samurai fantasy we all wanted since the first time we unsheathed a katana and whispered “honor” into the wind. But as amazing as Jin Sakai’s journey was, it still had an opportunity to improve its exploration factor without everything sprinkled all over the map: icons, collectibles, question marks that somehow survived the Mongol invasion. You knew where everything was. You just didn’t know why it was there.
Now, the sequel Ghost of Yotei is here to tell you to close your map, toss your to-do list into a campfire, and pay attention for once.
Gone are the days when the map looked like someone dropped a bag of Skittles across feudal Japan. Ghost of Yotei goes full Elden Ring with its open world. There are no markers for fox dens, shrines, or collectible haikus anymore. Instead, you’re left with one big beautiful map and your own two feet (and a horse) to figure out where to go. If you see something interesting? Ride toward it. If a peasant mentions a ghostly scream in the forest? Maybe investigate. Or maybe it’s just the wind being dramatic again.
Remember when villagers would mutter things like “There’s trouble by the coast” and you’d ignore them because the UI already told you where to go? Yeah, not anymore. Now, that random guy by the rice paddies might actually be your next lead. Sucker Punch is finally rewarding you for being nosy. Gossip has turned into the lifeblood of exploration. If a character says something suspicious or intriguing, don’t just nod and keep looting—follow up, eavesdrop, and chase that rumor like a feudal paparazzo.
New protagonist Atsu isn’t just a blade-wielding badass—she’s also got a spyglass. No, not the 18th-century pirate kind, but a sleek, era-appropriate tool that lets her scout the environment from a distance. Spot smoke rising in the distance? A weird shimmer in the trees? Something vaguely cursed lurking in a ravine? That’s not just decoration—it’s a breadcrumb, and it’s your job to follow it. It’s basically what would happen if you gave Batman’s detective mode to an actual human with no UI overlays.
This one’s subtle but powerful. In the original Ghost of Tsushima, you knew a hot spring was nearby because your HUD coughed it up like a furball. In Yotei, you might stumble across that same spring just by following a bird, watching the terrain, or noticing steam rising in the distance. It’s the difference between being led to an experience and finding it yourself. And it turns out, discovery tastes better when it isn’t spoon-fed.
The result of all this? You’re no longer just playing as Atsu—you are Atsu. You don’t have a divine checklist in the sky telling you where the cool stuff is. You see it. You hear it. You feel it. Exploration feels personal again. When you uncover a hidden duel in a misty glade or stumble upon a forgotten shrine tucked behind a waterfall, it’s not because a GPS waypoint beeped at you—it’s because you paid attention. That’s not just an upgrade in gameplay—it’s an upgrade in storytelling, immersion, and, dare we say, actual fun.
