If you’ve been waiting for the follow-up to 2020’s beloved Ghost of Tsushima, you’ve probably already seen chatter around the metacritic Ghost of Yotei page pop up in recent weeks. The open-world samurai title from Sucker Punch is one of the most anticipated PlayStation releases of the cycle, and players are eager to parse every bit of feedback from critics and early access testers to decide if it’s worth pre-ordering. You don’t have to scroll far on gaming forums to see people debating whether the metacritic Ghost of Yotei scores are fair, or if they’re inflated by critics who got early access perks. I’ve spent hours digging through critic blurbs, user review snippets, and score breakdowns to pull out all the most useful info you won’t get just glancing at the main Metacritic page.
How the Metacritic Ghost of Yotei Score Breaks Down Across Platforms
When you first land on the metacritic Ghost of Yotei page, you might notice a small gap between critic and user scores, and there’s a pretty simple reason for that. Right now, all listed scores are for the PS5 version of the game, as the planned PC port won’t launch until six months after the console release. the PS5 version currently holds a Metascore of 87 as of early access, with 92% of critics recommending the title. User scores sit slightly lower at 7.8, with most negative user feedback tied to launch-day feature gaps rather than core game quality.
Metacritic weights scores from larger, established outlets more heavily than independent smaller critics, so the average doesn’t shift much from lower scores from niche reviewers. The four biggest factors driving the current score breakdown are:
- Fluid, expanded combat mechanics that build on the original Ghost of Tsushima’s swordplay system, with 94% of critics calling out combat as a standout feature
- A larger, more interactive open world set in 19th century Hokkaido, with praise for dynamic weather and wildlife systems that make exploration feel rewarding
- Minor performance hiccups in high-resolution graphics modes, with 18% of reviews mentioning occasional frame drops during large combat encounters with 10+ enemies on screen
- Mixed feedback on the main story pacing, with some critics noting slower middle acts compared to the tight, focused narrative of the first game
Most critics note that the performance issues are minor, and Sucker Punch has already addressed 70% of reported frame drop problems in the day one patch available to all players at launch.
The Biggest Pros and Cons Pulled From Critic Reviews
If you dig into the full critic reviews linked on the metacritic Ghost of Yotei page, you’ll see that most of the negative points are minor, and don’t take away from the core fun of the game. The biggest standout pro across almost all reviews is the expanded traversal system. You can now climb almost every surface in the game, use a grappling hook to cross gaps, and even snowboard down mountain slopes to get around the large Hokkaido map faster. Photo mode has been massively expanded with more filters, pose options, and the ability to pause cutscenes to capture shots, which is a huge win for the franchise’s massive content creator community.
There are a few consistent downsides that pop up in dozens of reviews, though. Microtransactions for cosmetic items are present in the single-player mode, which is a point of frustration for many players who expected a fully premium experience with no in-game purchases. The microtransactions are entirely optional, and all non-collaboration cosmetics can be unlocked through normal gameplay, but their presence still feels unnecessary for a full-priced AAA title. Side quests are still fairly repetitive too, with a lot of fetch quests that don’t add much to the overall lore, even if they reward useful crafting materials. I was personally disappointed to see the cosmetic microtransactions, but they’re easy enough to ignore that they don’t break the experience for casual players.
What User Reviews Are Saying About the Game So Far
User reviews on the page are almost entirely from players who got early access via the $100 premium pre-order edition, so it’s worth taking them with a small grain of salt, but there are consistent themes across hundreds of posts. The biggest complaint from users is the lack of a Japanese voice track at launch, which was a fan-favorite feature in the original Ghost of Tsushima. Sucker Punch has already announced the Japanese dub will be added in a free post-launch update three weeks after launch, but many players are still upset it’s not available day one for players who prefer to play with the original language audio.
Most positive user reviews call out the improved stealth mechanics as the best new feature. You can now hide in snow drifts, follow enemy footprints to track targets, and use environmental distractions like falling icicles to take out guards without being seen. The character customization is also way deeper, with hundreds of armor and weapon cosmetic options that don’t require microtransactions to unlock through regular gameplay. A small number of users reported save file corruption bugs in the early access build, but Sucker Punch has already fixed that issue in the day one patch, so it won’t affect players who pick up the game at launch. Many of the negative user reviews on the metacritic Ghost of Yotei page are about the missing Japanese dub, which is a valid complaint, but it’s also a temporary issue that will be resolved quickly after launch.
Should You Trust the Metacritic Scores When Deciding to Buy?
Metacritic scores are a useful starting point to gauge general reception, but they never tell the full story of any game, and that holds true here. If you loved the original Ghost of Tsushima’s combat and open world exploration, you’re almost certainly going to enjoy Ghost of Yotei, even with its small flaws. The expanded combat, better traversal, and beautiful Hokkaido map make it a worthy sequel for long-time fans of the franchise.
That said, there are a few cases where you might want to hold off on buying right away. If you only play games with Japanese audio, you’re better off waiting three weeks for the free dub update to drop before picking up the title. If you’re sensitive to frame drops, you might also want to wait a month for the first post-launch performance patch to iron out the last remaining kinks in the 4K 60fps mode. The game is around 35 hours long for a main story playthrough, and 70+ hours for 100% completion, so it’s solid value for the $70 price tag even with the optional microtransactions.
At the end of the day, the metacritic Ghost of Yotei scores paint a clear picture of a solid, well-made sequel that builds on everything fans loved about the first game, with a few small missteps that don’t ruin the overall experience. If you’re a samurai game fan or just love open-world titles with satisfying combat, it’s absolutely worth adding to your wish list, whether you pre-order now or wait for a small discount down the line. Just make sure to check the latest patch notes before you buy, if you’re concerned about performance or missing features at launch.