I had been looking for a good reason to return to Ezo after beating the main storyline in Ghost of Yotei. I held off diving back in and sweeping the world map for everything I needed to unlock the game’s platinum trophy, assuring myself that Sucker Punch likely had an expansion planned like it did with Ghost of Tsushima and Iki Island. Sure enough the Sony studio delivered with its Echoes of Sekighara DLC, a chunky add-on that includes a whole new area and questline as well as a bonus roguelite mode and other extras, beefing the game up to become Ghost of Yotei Complete Edition.
Let’s start with those ancillary additions first. The new Most Wanted mode offers a combat-focused gauntlet of challenges, allowing players to accept bounties before being faced with multiple waves of enemies, punctuated by mini bosses and then capped off with a duel against one of the Yotei Six. Although some gamers may be sick to death of the term “roguelike” being bandied about for every game under the Sun, it works incredibly well here by giving you the choice of three perks between rounds that can stack to form powerful playstyles. On the flipside, getting killed will wipe your progress and you’ll need to start a bounty hunt from scratch.
To increase your chances of survival, you can exchange currency for permanent unlocks such as techniques, weapon upgrades, and equippable charms. Spend enough cash and you’ll even unlock new playable characters including Oyuki, newcomer Nagato, and returning legend Jin Sakai. It’s great to see the Ghost of Tsushima protagonist make an appearance, Sucker Punch even going so far as retaining his combat style from the original game that lets him switch between four katana stances.
Most Wanted doesn’t do anything particularly groundbreaking, but the way it remixes combat scenarios, adding rewarding layers of progression and customisation is so smart. It’s particularly appealing for those lapsed Yotei players who want to relearn the ropes without being dropped into a big open world.
That’s not to say Yotei’s open world was particularly overwhelming or chock full of repetitive chaff in the first place. The core game does a fantastic job of giving each region its own distinctive flavour, populating them with engaging sidequests to complete and collectables that are fun to track down. Echoes of Sekigahara continues this tradition with the introduction of a new region: the Ashoro Foothills. Upon installing the DLC and returning to Ezo, Atsu will be notified of a new bounty, crossing paths with a former alias who once fought alongside her at the Battle of Sekigahara – a clash that determined the fate of Japan after years of civil war. It’s clear that Nagato is more to Atsu than just a fellow soldier with flashbacks helping to fill in an important missing chapter in the onryō backstory.
After surviving an attack by the Yotei Six, Atsu flees to the mainland where she becomes a sword for hire, returning to Ezo as a fearsome bounty hunter hell-bent on revenge. Echoes of Sekigahara carefully weaves together events from the past and present without subjecting players to prolonged exposition, though giving Nagato enough screentime to make his presence feel important to the DLC’s narrative.
The Ashoro Foothills make for yet another picturesque sandbox for Atsu to explore, combining gorgeous natural vistas with scenic points of interest as well as more gloomy, atmospheric parts of the map where The Vipers dwell. They are a sub-faction within the Yotei Six who once served The Snake before he was slain during the game’s opening. Thrown into disarray, there’s a power struggle between various wannabe leaders, making for some fun storylines and boss encounters. What makes The Vipers particularly unlikeable is their scourging of the woodland and countryside for creatures – big and small – they can churn into food for Lord Saito and the Yotei Six’s warbands.
Within their ranks are reskinned versions of your typical archer, swordsman, and shinobi archetypes, alongside new brutes who heft giant weapons such as clubs and axes. These can be dropped and wielded by Atsu, allowing for a flurry of devastating attacks before breaking. Atsu can also pick up new projectiles known as bolas, hurling them at enemies to temporarily pin them down, leaving them vulnerable to attacks.
It should take no longer than five or six hours to fully explore the DLC’s newly added region. You don’t need to have already played through the main story to access the Ashoro Foothills – to be honest, we’d recommend heading there before entering Yotei’s endgame, thanks to various unlocks and perks that can be used anywhere in Ezo. On the flipside, if you’re returning to Ghost of Yotei after blitzing the campaign at launch, it’s a worthwhile extension and one that gets you warmed up before diving into Most Wanted or the game’s overlooked Legends co-op mode.
