Ghost of Yōtei – Accessibility Overview and First Impressions – PS5 Pro
Published
· Updated
Five years after the awesome Ghost of Tsushima, Sucker Punch Productions returns to Japan with the highly anticipated Ghost of Yōtei. Due to some unforeseen logistical problems, we got our review code just one day before launch, but we still got to play and record the game’s introduction for you.
I can tell those of you who are here to find out if Ghost of Yōtei is accessible for us blind players that I was more than pleased with what Sucker Punch Productions has managed to do this time around.
You may remember that Ghost of Tsushima did not include navigation assist that turned the camera towards the current objective or text-to-speech. Luckily, Ghost of Yōtei includes the first, but sadly not the second.
We have navigation assist provided by the guiding wind, an option that needs to be turned on from the accessibility menu in Settings. After that, we can swipe up on the touchpad, and the wind will come to guide us to our objective by also adjusting the camera that way. During my time with Ghost of Yōtei, I noticed that this feature works as intended, but I would love it if the talented people who are working on the game could add a few more things to make the it truly and fully accessible for the blind.
We need to get haptics when an action prompt comes on screen, like press X to jump or R2 to go through. These prompts can probably be read by OCR software, but that’s not a solution. Of course, the best thing would be to add fully narrated menus like we have in The Last of Us Part I and II, Marvel’s Spider-Man 2, or God of War: Ragnarök, plus, if possible, audio descriptions.
Only this way will the game be truly accessible for us, and we could really appreciate the amazing story, its characters, and lore. Alina and I have recorded two videos which you can find on YouTube and embedded in this article.
In the first one, we do a deep dive into the accessibility features available in Ghost of Yōtei, while the second is a gameplay demo on how I manage to play the game, although I’m totally blind.
Alina has helped only with reading the tutorials on screen, a thing that can be done with OCR or smart glasses. During the demo, I had full control of the character. If you watch that, you’ll see that although there are some things that can seem inaccessible, actually thanks to excellent universal design and the magical haptics in the DualSense, those actions can be completed.
There are a lot of accessibility features, especially for low vision, deaf, cognitive, and even for those who have limited mobility. We covered all of them in the video:
Before I’m done with this overview, I think that we should talk a little about Ghost of Yōtei in general, because we also have readers that are not impaired or disabled.
Ghost of Yōtei is a standalone experience set in the 1600s lawless edge of Japan. The story follows a haunted, lone mercenary named Atsu. Thirsty for revenge, she travels through the beautiful, rugged landscapes of northern Japan, hunting the outlaws who killed her family many years earlier.
But during her hunt, Atsu discovers much more than vengeance. The game is set 300 years after the critically acclaimed Ghost of Tsushima and allows us to engage in ferocious katana combat against the outlaw army of Lord Saito, build a lethal arsenal of new weapons, including dual katanas, and even train with various sensei to master each weapon and develop new skills.
Atsu’s story is framed as an unconventional journey, and it works best when the game leans into that idea. This isn’t just another revenge tale with a straight road from point A to point B. Instead, the open world encourages you to decide what matters most along the way. Sometimes that means pushing forward with Atsu’s mission to confront the nightmares of her past and fight to avenge her family.
Other times it’s about slowing down and embracing the cultural beauty of Japan. Bathing in a hot spring, playing a melody on the shamisen, praying at a shrine, or experimenting with Sumi-e painting – these quieter moments give the game its soul and keep a heavy story rooted in something more human.
Visually, Alina tells me the game is stunning, and it’s clear the developers know it. The landscapes around Mount Yōtei are varied and striking, from wide grasslands to snowy ridges and fields of wildflowers that feel alive. Whether traveling on horseback or on foot, there’s a strong sense of connection to the wildlife and the natural rhythms of Ezo, with the wind itself often serving as a guide.
We also love how the game uses its environments as more than just a backdrop. Atsu’s home, for example, can transform at the press of a button, pulling you into her past. These shifts serve as emotional anchors, contrasting warm memories with her present struggle and giving her quest for vengeance more weight.
The combat is visceral, the haptics make the DualSense feel alive, the music is epic, the voice acting spot-on, and the story so far is well written and captivating.
In conclusion, Ghost of Yōtei improves on its predecessor on every front. From visuals to gameplay, from better implementation of DualSense features to increased accessibility, this latest adventure epic from Sucker Punch Productions surpasses Ghost of Tsushima in every way possible.
Hopefully, the game will sell very well, and maybe as a miracle, we will get TTs and audio descriptions. Even the way it is, we can see a definite effort and evolution on the accessibility front, which is always appreciated.
Thank you to Sucker Punch Productions for all their hard work and wishing them good luck with sales!
If you enjoyed Ghost of Tsushima, you will love Ghost of Yōtei!
Review copy provided by Sucker Punch Productions and PlayStation Studios via PlayStation Norway
Victor Dima is a Blind Gaming Journalist and Accessibility Ambassador, Living in Oslo with his wife Alina. Victor was the first journalist in Romania to receive the PS5 & the PS VR2 from PlayStation. He is also working closely with Xbox Nordic and other game publishers such as Ubisoft, Ea, Bungie, Activision, blizzard, square Enix, Capcom, Rockstar Games, Sega, PlayStation studios, WB Games, Bethesda and many others.
With over 12 years of experience covering the Gaming Industry, he started victordima.net in 2013 and since February 2022 all his articles are posted in English in order to reach a more global audience.
He is the owner and founder of the highly successful PlayStation Fans Romania Facebook Community, the largest independent source for PlayStation News in Romania, on social media with almost 35.000 followers. Victor is also running theAudiobookBlog.com. You can reach Victor at contact@victordima.net
