Ghost of Yotei isn't just a sequel to Ghost of Tsushima: the game, released in 2025 on PS5, changes era, place and hero. It's set in 1603 in the wild lands of Ezo, today's Hokkaidō, around Mount Yōtei, and follows Atsu, a new "Ghost." Behind the game lies a real moment of Japanese history, and that's what makes its look ring true.
Ezo and Mount Yōtei in 1603
Where Tsushima told of the 13th-century Mongol invasion, Ghost of Yotei takes place more than three centuries later, in 1603, a pivotal year marking the start of the Edo period and the rise of the Tokugawa shogunate. But the action unfolds far from the capital, on the island of Ezo, a frontier land still largely outside Japanese control, made of vast grasslands and mountains, dominated by Mount Yōtei, often nicknamed the "Fuji of Ezo." That atmosphere, where nature rules, recalls the legends of mountain spirits, the Tengu's domain.
Atsu and the wolf
No more Jin Sakai: here we follow Atsu. From the first footage she travels with a wolf, anchoring the story in the wilderness and in Ainu culture, present on the island, with its kamuy, the spirits. The wolf (ōkami) is in fact a protective figure in Japanese folklore, often a messenger of the gods, a symbol of loyalty as much as ferocity.
The rōnin's gear
By 1603 not all samurai are armoured warriors serving a lord. Many have become rōnin, wandering the roads with more pragmatic gear, worn by travel. The mempo, the half-mask, remains a central piece: it protects the lower face and intimidates the enemy. It's this wandering-warrior look, raw and historical, far from industrial plastic, that the game foregrounds and that I try to recapture in my Mempo half-masks.
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FAQ
Is Ghost of Yotei a direct sequel to Ghost of Tsushima?
It's a spiritual sequel, set about three centuries later, in another region (Ezo, today's Hokkaidō) and with a new protagonist, Atsu. Jin Sakai doesn't return.
Where and when is Ghost of Yotei set?
In 1603, on the island of Ezo (Hokkaidō), around Mount Yōtei, at the start of the Edo period, on a frontier land still largely independent of the central power.
What's the link with Ainu culture?
Ezo was the land of the Ainu, the indigenous people of Hokkaidō, with their own spirituality and kamuy (spirits). The wolf accompanying Atsu points to that sacred nature and to the wolf's place in the island's folklore.
When was the game released?
Ghost of Yotei was released in 2025 on PS5.