Ghost of Yotei Wows Ninja Gaiden and Devil May Cry Legends as Team Ninja's Fumihiko Yasuda Eyes a Hokkaido Epic
Hideaki Itsuno hasn’t played it yet — but it already looks cool to him.
Action-game royalty just tipped their hats to Ghost of Yotei, and the game is already doing the numbers to match the hype. Yes, this is the sequel PlayStation folks were waiting for, and it is landing better than the first one.
How it is performing so far
Reviews have come in stronger than the original, and in the UK it is selling ahead of EA Sports FC 26 (even in FC 26's second week) and the Super Mario Galaxy 1+2 collection. Not bad for a samurai sequel that could have coasted on name recognition.
Who is praising it (and why that matters)
At the Archipel Caravan event, a session literally titled Action dug into the craft with two heavy hitters: former Devil May Cry series director Hideaki Itsuno and Team Ninja president Fumihiko Yasuda, whose resume includes Ninja Gaiden, Nioh, and Rise of the Ronin. Their comments on Ghost of Yotei (relayed via Genki_JPN) were very much a nod from the masters.
- Fumihiko Yasuda is actually playing Ghost of Yotei right now. He mentioned he has long wanted to make a game set in Hokkaido, so the setting clearly speaks his language. He also said his hometown is near Tsushima, which probably explains why the series lands for him in a very specific way.
- Hideaki Itsuno has not gotten hands-on yet, but he called out the trailers, saying the action looks great. If the guy who made DMC smile at your combat footage, that is not nothing.
A pattern of respect from Japan's veterans
This is not the first time Sucker Punch's samurai projects have earned praise from industry legends in Japan. Toshihiro Nagoshi, the creator behind Yakuza and Super Monkey Ball, complimented the original game with this very direct line:
"that's a game that should be made in Japan"
Inside baseball angle: it is still pretty unusual to see Japanese action directors so openly endorse a Western studio's take on samurai cinema and swordplay. The fact it keeps happening says the work is landing where it counts.
And yes, the hot springs are back
Because of course they are. The internet verdict remains exactly what you think it is: "Jin's butt is still unsurpassed."