While the current story arcs, culminating in Incursions, involve battling other members of the Yōtei Six, the raid is about taking out their leader, Lord Saito. Interestingly, it refers to “The Dragon” and Saito as separate targets, showing two different enemies. Perhaps the former is a second phase that the latter will take? It would certainly be fitting for a multi-stage raid.

Sucker Punch hasn’t outlined what you’ll need to enter the raid. However, if it’s anything like “The Tale of Iyo from Ghost of Tsushima: Legends, then 100 Ki at minimum is recommended (although the higher, the better). The raid requires four players, but matchmaking should be available.

For more details on Ghost of Yōtei: Legends, check out our review. What’s next after the raid hasn’t really been disclosed, so stay tuned for further updates in the coming months.

“We try to make it a pretty positive thing at the studio,” he explained. “It’s hard – you make an idea and you’re like, ‘I don’t want to shed my idea, I really want to see it through’. But we try really hard to make cutting things from the game an incredibly positive thing, because it can be.”

To ensure that Ghost of Yōtei wouldn’t end up too bloated, Connell revealed that the studio started cutting things out of the game each week. To further maintain developer morale during this, people would be encouraged to proudly reveal what they had cut out from the game, to the applause of the other employees.

“We just started doing weekly cuts and celebrated them,” Connell said. “People would get up in front of the whole team and say ‘here’s what I cut today’, and people would clap. It turns out it actually works really well, people like to be clapped.”

“Cutting the game is sharpening. If you have four things you can work on, and you got rid of one of them, then suddenly your game is a lot better,” he continued, noting that it’s “really important to do this.”

“Frankly, there’s too many ideas. There’s all kinds of cool crap that we want to do in every single game, and there’s not enough time. And because we’re not growing our team beyond where we are, there’s not enough people either. So there’s no excess, other than trimming.”

During the same event, Connell, along with co-director Nate Fox, had also spoken about one of the ideas that ultimately got cut from Ghost of Yōtei: rock climbing inspired by The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. However, he noted that the mechanic didn’t really work well with the idea of the wandering ronin that Sucker Punch Productions was aiming for with protagonist Atsu.

“If something is not going well, we can be like ‘does that make you feel like a wandering ronin?’ And if the answer is no and it’s a sucky feature, then why are you working on it? Just move on.”

Fox noted that, after playing Breath of the Wild, he wanted just about every game to offer similar freedom to climb anything the player could want. However, this clashed against the open-world design of Ghost of Yōtei, which had invisible walls to stop players from heading into unintended areas. Ultimately, he said that, “if we gave you a tool that said you can climb anywhere, and you started using it and you found bupkiss, it pretty much trains you to stop climbing, because exploration wasn’t worth it.”

Ghost of Yōtei is available exclusively on PS5. For more details, check out our review. Also take a look at our review of its recently-added co-op multiplayer mode Ghost of Yōtei: Legends.

Well, Legends has returned, this time in Ghost of Yōtei. After hearing that it was in development for as long as the single-player story, with the majority of Sucker Punch then shifting over when the base game shipped, I have to lambast the entire live-service initiative again. Because once again, it’s a fun, content-rich mode that leverages the excellent combat of the base game, offers four varied classes with fun playstyles, implements a gear grind that’s straightforward with subtle depth, and includes oodles of unlocks. All that without any microtransactions whatsoever, though there is plenty to complain about as well.

The story this time around focuses on the Yōtei Six, but not the ones you’re thinking of. These are monstrous figures with mystical powers who serve Lord Saito. Each member has a separate story arc split into three chapters – which supports up to two players – and an Incursion – which up to four players can join. Think of the latter as a finale where you end up battling the Yotei Six member in question. And unlike the story, their enhanced forms allow for new attacks (as if dealing with their minions wasn’t enough).

"It also doesn’t help that you’re at the mercy of progression when it comes to being able to equip other weapon types. The Archer, for example, can use a katana and sword. What does it do to deal with shielded enemies at close range? Well, nothing – at least not until you’re Rank 5 and unlock the Kusarigama."

Overall, I enjoyed running through the story, both solo and with another player, since each chapter offers unique mechanics. For instance, the Spider has Jubokko Trees, which manifest as exploding plants and dangerous ground that can quickly be your undoing. You’ll need to use the plants to destroy the tree, which can also be done by shooting its weak points when they manifest. However, there are also gates that can only really be destroyed with the plants, and managing enemy spawns in between all that can get chaotic. The layouts of each section are definitely more geared towards combat than stealth, though the classic “Plan B” smoke bomb remains, allowing you to assassinate the few fools caught in the haze.

However, the Ghost of Yōtei combat loop is still retained and feels as good as ever. Perfect Parries into massively damaging slices; swapping out weapons to overwhelm a foe; tossing weapons and instantly annihilating threats – it all feels great. The downside is that your move set will depend on the equipped weapon. So while the starting Yari had Thundering Wave, it lacked Typhoon Sweep and Typhoon Kick – both of which became available on later, higher Ki variants alongside passives such as automatically parrying Scythe attacks with heavy strikes.

It also doesn’t help that you’re at the mercy of progression when it comes to being able to equip other weapon types. The Archer, for example, can use a katana and sword. What does it do to deal with shielded enemies at close range? Well, nothing – at least not until you’re Rank 5 and unlock the Kusarigama. The only class that can wield all weapon types is the Samurai, and even that has to wait until Rank 20 to add the Kusarigama to their arsenal. And just like the base game, the right weapon alignment is often key. Without it, you’re kind of just doing your best.

At least you’re amply rewarded in each gear category, making it relatively easy to kit out an entire character and slowly build your Ki level (which is the de facto “Power” level). Each class can also equip various passives with more options unlocking per slot as you go along. These can modify their skill and Ultimate in unique ways, while conferring other benefits (like using Spirit to refill your ammo as an Archer). It’s a nice selection, although the lack of a support class is kind of baffling. Maybe the Ronin’s Breath of Izanami from the original was judged as too powerful? At least the Mercenary can add Weakening Blast to their Ultimate, which confers some of the benefits of Weakening Burst (and some poison to boot).

"Even on Bronze, it felt like a single hit from a Yuki-Onna was enough to down me, and that’s not accounting for the bombardier, who can blanket entire areas in explosives within an instant. Even if I had unlocked those 30 percent increased health passives, how much longer would I have really stayed alive?"

Once you gather more gear, the ability to upgrade each piece becomes available. Each has a Ki limit, so eventually, you’ll need to tackle tougher content to obtain higher rarities. Then you’ll have the ability to reroll gear passives and properties to your liking, further min-maxing a piece of gear in a desired direction. It’s simple but still addictive, and encourages experimenting with different versions of the same gear.

You won’t be repeating the story to grind all of that out, though, as the main appeal of Legends is Survival. Four stages, three waves each. Protect three separate points on the map from encroaching enemies, who will sabotage them if they’re left alone for long enough. Initially, there’s a lot of running back and forth, until you realize the most optimal strategy is each player hanging around a different area, with a fourth player potentially acting as a floater to reinforce where necessary. Of course, you could always go two in each area and rotate accordingly. Things can get dicier on tougher difficulties, especially when Challenge Cards enter the mix (especially when some offer increased rewards in return for enemies dealing increased damage).

The new survival maps offer a range of places to grapple and platform across, and the avenues for crossfire (aside from the Kitsune’s stronghold) feel significantly lower. It can take some getting used to, especially when navigating them for the first time, and that’s before their gimmicks (like fox fire that requires rolling away to dispel). Of course, you can even the odds by spending currency earned in the middle of waves to unlock things like health regeneration for the team, increased health or even a Spirit Bear who seemingly represents the collective vengeance of all the slain bears from the base game. And it’s awesome.

Unfortunately, there are issues with the balancing. I remember starting on Lethal with the base game, and even when dialling the difficulty down to Normal, it was surprising just how squishy Atsu felt in the early hours. Stat and armor upgrades, alongside more Ghost tools, fixed this, but that’s kind of how you feel all the time in Legends, even when meeting the Ki requirement. Heck, even on Bronze, it felt like a single hit from a Yuki-Onna was enough to down me, and that’s not accounting for the bombardier, who can blanket entire areas in explosives within an instant. Even if I had unlocked those 30 percent increased health passives, how much longer would I have really stayed alive?

"As it stands, I wouldn’t say that Ghost of Yōtei: Legends is necessarily superior to Tsushima – at least, outside of the combat – but balancing issues aside, it’s about as addictive and still enjoyable. Getting the rhythm down and slaying hordes of foes feels satisfying, and the campaign offers a strong amount of variety."

It also felt like some enemies just had oodles of health, and even when two players attacked head-on, they would block without breaking a sweat (until spamming heavy strikes with the right weapon, of course). Combine all this with later waves, especially on higher difficulties, having more health for each enemy, and it feels like the odds are tilted a little too heavily against the Ghosts.

Of course, it’s early days yet – if such issues persist, even when min-maxed builds are finally discovered, then I could see Sucker Punch rolling out balance adjustments. It’s definitely a significant step up from Tsushima: Legends at present, and not always in the best ways. I’m still unsure about bringing over the campaign’s mechanics, like frozen health, but we’ll see how these are smoothed out over time (and I say this knowing that there’s already a Nightmare Solo Mercenary Run available).

As it stands, I wouldn’t say that Ghost of Yōtei: Legends is necessarily superior to Tsushima – at least, outside of the combat – but balancing issues aside, it’s about as addictive and still enjoyable. Getting the rhythm down and slaying hordes of foes feels satisfying, and the campaign offers a strong amount of variety. If Sucker Punch builds on it, much like it did with the original – a raid is due next month – then it could very well eclipse it. In the meantime, its legend is just beginning, and I look forward to the future.

This game was reviewed on PlayStation 5.

Fishman explained that the design goal behind Takezo was to create a “super boss,” similar to what we would see in classic JRPGs where there would be several optional boss fights designed explicitly to test the player’s tactics and capabilities. This “super boss” also presented a novel challenge for Sucker Punch Productions, since the studio hadn’t really done anything like it in the past. “The goal here [with Takezo] was we were going for a super boss,” he said. “That was the most important thing we wanted to do. We hadn’t done it before.”

The studio wanted to ensure that the boss was challenging enough to force players to come up with their own tactics to take him on. This meant promoting more build crafting. Ultimately, while the game design behind the boss wasn’t perfect, Fishman revealed that the studio was quite happy with the overall reaction the encounter elicited from players.

“We wanted to stretch ourselves and our players,” he continued. “You really feel like you’re build crafting, and there’s a challenge, literally, on top of the hill… I personally really enjoy watching people die to this. I love it so much. Seeing players’ reaction and seeing how they try to solve it. Was it perfect? No! But did it get a different emotional response and experience that players didn’t have from our game before? Yeah, it was great!”

Fishman also spoke about the design of the final boss, Saito, and how its fourth phase was designed around the concept of leaning “into the feeling of the nightmare, the trauma within [Atsu’s] family, to revisit it and get her revenge.” He discussed the difficulty of designing the fight, “because there’s a lot of expectations about how many phases there are, what the challenge is, and then players are going to play the game in completely different ways.” As for Saito’s ability to use just about “every weapon in the game,” Fishman explained that the studio wanted players to experience the culmination of the “journey of mastery” that they had embarked upon.

During GDC 2026, art director Joanna Wang had also spoken about Ghost of Yōtei. However, her subject of discussion was its open world, and how the studio managed to make a world that feels larger than the one in Ghost of Tsushima without it actually being the case. This was achieved through “contrast between openness and confinements” which is visible in how Ghost of Yōtei mixes up its wide-open fields with narrow corridor-styled zones. Through this, the exploration felt more impactful, and “In the end, the actual playable space wasn’t larger than Ghost of Tsushima, but it feels larger.”

Ghost of Yōtei is available on PS5. For more details, check out our review. Also take a look at the co-op multiplayer Legends mode.

For instance, the active Challenge Cards will now display on a leaderboard, and you’ll now know how much time is left to put your score up. Quickplay is available by default for Survival Missions, which should improve matchmaking significantly for those interested in the mode’s main attraction.

As for player abilities, Spirit Kunai will stack with other related weapon perks. The drop rate for Caltrops, Ultimate Charge, ammo and Spirit have also been adjusted, and Shadow Flaming Arrow will now correctly ignite enemies. You’ll even receive more currency from gear dismantling, which means more for upgrades and rerolls.

Unfortunately, those leaning on the Archer for the admittedly strong True Aim Yumi will have one last crutch to rely on, as Ultimate Gain has been “significantly nerfed.”

Of course, this is likely the first of many such patches, so expect further adjustments (and nerfs) down the line. Much like its predecessor, Legends will receive a raid next month, so stay tuned for more details when it goes live. You can also check out our review of the base game here, or learn how Sucker Punch made Ezo feel bigger than Tsushima.

Patch – 1.511

General

• Introduced more information to the Leaderboards screen
  – Added the active Challenge Cards for the selected leaderboard
  – Added a timer indicating how long is remaining to enter a score on the leaderboard
• Fixed an issue where Shinobi mask was overlaid with other cosmetic items
• Players can now re-equip various default cosmetics or emotes, after unequipping them
• Quickplay for Survival Missions is now unlocked by default
• Various other bug fixes and stability improvements
• Fixed a bug where Background music would cut off under certain gameplay conditions
• Fixed an animation bug when killed by Onibi
• Increased the visibility of Armory defense location in Frozen Valley survival mission
• Audio and Haptic adjustments for Player & Enemy behavior

Gameplay

• Adjustments to Player weapons and abilities
  – Spirit Kunai now stacks with other Kunai weapon perks
  – Caltrops, Spirit, Ultimate Charge and Ammo drop rate adjustments
  – Increased the currency rewards for dismantling gear
  – Improved gameplay responsiveness for Fujin’s Wind
  – Significantly nerfed Ultimate Gain for True Aim Yumi
  – Adjusted the melee targeting on Jufu
  – Fixed a bug with Shadow Flame Arrow sometimes not lighting targets on fire
  – Improved revive targeting for downed teammates
  – Fixed an issue where sometimes players lost control functionality after interacting with a Teru Teru Bozu
• Audio and Haptic adjustments for Player & Enemy behavior

“Instead of asking how big it is, we started thinking about how big it should feel,” she said. “We’re not making a one-to-one copy, we are building a fictional version of Ezo. So we studied the island shape, mountains, coastline, ocean, and the horizon. We use a lot of them as the backdrop to help sell the scale.”

Sucker Punch Productions made use of clever tricks, like narrow paths connecting the large open fields that make up its six regions. Through this “contrast between openness and confinement,” the studio was able to make players’ exploration feel more impactful. “In the end, the actual playable space wasn’t larger than Ghost of Tsushima, but it feels larger.”

Interestingly, co-directors Nate Fox and Jason Connell had spoken about how initial prototypes for Ghost of Yōtei even included rock-climbing mechanics in the vein of The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. During a panel, they revealed that the team often works on prototyping small ideas before making final decisions on whether or not they make sense for the full game. Rock climbing, unfortunately, didn’t fit the “wandering ronin” fantasy that Sucker Punch Productions was aiming for.

“If something is not going well, we can be like ‘does that make you feel like a wandering ronin?’ And if the answer is no and it’s a sucky feature, then why are you working on it? Just move on,” said Connell.

Fox, on the other hand, noted that Ghost of Yōtei would have featured too many unclimbable surfaces, which would run counter to the rock climbing system and the feeling of freedom the studio wanted to promote. “We got right in there and started prototyping,” he said, before noting that “if we gave you a tool that said you can climb anywhere, and you started using it and you found bupkiss, it pretty much trains you to stop climbing, because exploration wasn’t worth it.”

Back in November, Connell had also spoken about wanting to expand the environmental storytelling of Ghost of Yōtei through a system that would allow players to get flashbacks for Atsu’s story anywhere in the world. However, the idea was ultimately scrapped since it would involve the studio having to essentially double the amount of art it needed to make.

Ghost of Yōtei was released exclusively on PS5 back in October 2025. The title has seen positive reception from critics as well as players. For more details, check out our review. Also take a look at its co-op multiplayer Legends mode, which was released as a free update earlier this week. Sucker Punch Productions has also confirmed that it will be getting a raid as part of another free update in April.

However, rock climbing didn’t ultimately make the cut in the full release of Ghost of Yōtei, with Connell noting that it didn’t really fit the idea of the wandering ronin that Sucker Punch Productions was going for. He said that, “If something is not going well, we can be like ‘does that make you feel like a wandering ronin?’ And if the answer is no and it’s a sucky feature, then why are you working on it? Just move on.”

Discussing the rock climbing system, Fox revealed that he wanted “every game” to allow players to scale any surface. “We got right in there and started prototyping,” he said. However, some of the limitations of Ghost of Yōtei’s open-world design caught up with the developers, since the game was going to have “walls that you weren’t supposed to climb up.” Fox went on to note that “if we gave you a tool that said you can climb anywhere, and you started using it and you found bupkiss, it pretty much trains you to stop climbing, because exploration wasn’t worth it.”

When it comes to adding more systems and mechanics to Ghost of Yōtei, Connell had previously spoken about having more complex plans for the game’s flashback mechanics. In a discussion with Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul creator Vince Gilligan from back in November, Connell spoke about how the system could have helped storytelling by giving players more ways to tune into protagonist Atsu’s emotions.

“[Atsu is] on this lone wolf quest and then you press a button and suddenly she’s kind of feeling the warmth of her past, like what she’s fighting for,” said Connell, describing the more complex mechanic. “To me, that is like, what a great narrative tool, if with a single button [it can] make you feel something that’s on their own volition.”

However, the studio ultimately decided against it, since it would have essentially resulted in “doubling your art” thanks to the fact that players could press the button just about anywhere in the open world.

“You are doubling your art – [it’s] twice as long a game, everywhere you go,” he explained. “And so while it’s this amazing feature, it saddened me the day that I had to kill that, to say ‘OK, it can’t be that.’”

Ghost of Yōtei is available exclusively on PS5, and recent reports indicate that there were plans to bring it to PC that have since been walked back. More recently, the title saw the release of its co-op multiplayer mode, Legends.

Which is interesting because Sucker Punch’s title was originally planned alongside other “internally developed” titles. Those alleged plans were scrapped, even as those “familiar with the company’s plans” told Schreier that Sony’s strategy could always change. And while there’s no concrete information on why the company is pulling back from PC, Schreier noted that a “faction within PlayStation” was hesitant to bring its first-party titles to PC.

They were reportedly concerned that it would not only affect sales for the PS5 but also successive consoles and damage the overall brand. Of course, you also have to consider the lackluster sales of recent titles and the inconsistent release cycle of ports. Interestingly, Schreier speculated another possible reason: the rumored next Xbox’s increased PC focus, which may have caused leadership to avoid future single-player titles releasing on the same.

Marathon, Marvel Tōkon: Fighting Souls, Horizon Hunters Gathering and other multiplayer titles will still launch on day one for PC and PS5. However, Sony has toned down its live-service output in recent years owing to numerous failures, so it remains to be seen how many others could make their way to PC.

To start with, there’s Story Mode. Featuring 12 missions for up to two players, they’re divided into sets comprising three main missions each. Upon completion, each set provides access to Incursion, where four players will assault a stronghold and take down the Spider, the Oni, the Kitsune or the Snake.

There’s also Survival Mode, where up to four players tackle waves of foes across four maps. While controlling territory is once again the name of the game, doing so activates a Blessing that can aid the whole team. Losing it results in a Curse, so there’s an incentive to hang around an objective or, at the very least, efficiently cycle between them.

And yes, the Raid is returning with the first out in April, focusing on defeating Lord Saito (the Dragon). As in Ghost of Tsushima Legends, you can choose one of four classes, but with some differences. While they can each utilize a katana and a ranged weapon, each also specializes in the newer weapon types.

For example, the Samurai has the odachi and can use the largest number of weapon types. The Shinobi leverages the kusarigama and specializes in stealth. The Archer has the yari and possesses another ranged weapon. Finally, the Mercenary, who wields the dual katana and “a variety of utility-focused abilities.”

Legendary weapons and gear become available when tackling more difficult missions, and Photo Mode is usable for dramatic shots with the team. But there’s also a new Legends Lobby, where you can play Zeni Hajiki against friends, compete in Bamboo Strike and measure high scores, or practice your skills.

Your targets are The Spider, The Oni, The Snake, and The Kitsune, but they’re far from their campaign counterparts. The Spider actually has multiple appendages and crawls on ceilings; The Oni has a decapitated head that it carries around on its spear; The Snake has actual snakes crawling through its body; and the Kitsune has a sickle in its mouth and chains on its body.

Each of these threats is far larger than the average yokai, but fortunately, you won’t battle alone. Up to four players can team up in online co-op with four different classes to choose from. Each has unique weapons, including spears, dual katanas and longbows. If it’s anything like Ghost of Tsushima: Legends, expect them to have unique perks and set bonuses as well.

Stay tuned for more details en route to launch and check out our review for the base game here.