Ghost of Yōtei Complete Edition: an echo from the past - Review

Exactly one year after its official launch, Ghost of Yōtei is updated and becomes a Complete Edition. This means that Atsu's journey, in her personal vendetta against the six of Yōtei, is enriched, delighting us with a story expansion that projects the swordswoman into the past during one of the most decisive conflicts in Japanese history: the Battle of Sekigahara. It is essentially an alternation between present and past flashbacks, a battlefield where our avenger lived firsthand.

Ghost of Yōtei Complete Edition thus brings together, in a single package, a vastness of content that will allow players to travel to the island of Ezo in 17th-century rural Japan in a more immersive way, enriching what was already a more than satisfying experience. Essentially, the game remains what it is, as we already discussed in our very first review (which you can find here), with its mature narrative and a convincing melee (and more) combat system.

In this review of the Complete Edition, we will therefore focus on the new features, taking a trip through the Ashoro hills between past and present, and analyzing the new Most Wanted mode, Sucker Punch's take on the roguelike. What we can tell you for sure is that, if you haven't played Ghost of Yōtei yet, perhaps this is the most opportune moment to enjoy a truly respectable experience.

The Battle of Sekigahara echoes throughout Ezo

The first substantial new feature of Ghost of Yōtei Complete Edition is the Echoes of Sekigahara story expansion, a new area with various activities to complete that will bring to light a never-forgotten past dating back to 1600, three years before Atsu's return home for her personal vendetta. This DLC integrates perfectly into the main game campaign, but to access the new area, you will need to advance a bit through the plot and complete some missions: the developers recommend dedicating at least 10 hours to the base game before accessing the expansion. In any case, if you have never played Ghost of Yōtei, you will probably reach the Ashoro hills without even realizing it (for those who have already completed the base title, you can directly go to the new area).

After all, the legend of the onryō is spreading; this Japanese ghost returned to the world of the living for revenge (that's Atsu, right?) learns of a new bounty in a new region. And in this place where the Serpent (one of the six of Yōtei) once ruled, we encounter an old acquaintance who will bring back memories that would have been better left forgotten. This is Nagato, a very important figure for Atsu with whom she shared moments of happiness, even though the circumstances were not the best: it's no walk in the park to find oneself in the most decisive battle in Japanese history, a clash so crucial that it ended the Sengoku period and determined the birth of the shogunate.

And if you're wondering, the narrative structure works exceptionally well: while we'll be busy cleaning up what remains of the Serpent's domain in the present, with the Vipers ready to battle to become one of the six of Yōtei, flashbacks to the past will reveal the reasons why Nagato reached Atsu in Ezo, but you won't hear another word from us as we wouldn't want to spoil your presence in Ezo in the slightest.

In addition to reliving an overall interesting story, the new expansion will pit us against new enemies who will play dirty and set traps everywhere: fortunately, we will have new weapons available that will enrich the already well-designed and functional gameplay. Bolas prove interesting, obtainable from enemy traps, with which we can tie the feet of the villain of the moment and make him vulnerable to powerful executions. And let's not forget the imposing weapons, powerful and colossal blunt objects that can be picked up from armored Vipers and used to unleash unstoppable attacks. The only downside is that they will break after a certain number of hits, but at the moment of breakage, the damage will be greater. While the use of these weapons is satisfying, it also becomes extremely easy to put opponents to sleep who will be completely helpless before their destructive force.

The Echoes of Sekigahara expansion of Ghost of Yōtei Complete Edition will also expand our ranged skill tree: for example, we can catch an arrow just before it hits us mid-air and send it back to the sender. Nothing revolutionary, perhaps a bit too anime-like given the impossibility of performing this maneuver in real life, but we have learned that in video games, you can dare a lot.

Adding to the plate are the side activities that are in line with the production: a new legend to experience dedicated to the Makami (the wolf-deities of Japanese mythology), the hunt for certain wanted individuals (as happens in the main campaign), and secondary missions that will lead us to meet new shady characters.

In addition to the missions, the Ashoro hills reveal new points of interest to enhance spirit, remaining health, and places to obtain new amulets. Sucker Punch's attention to delighting the player with new content has been remarkable: in fact, we can show off new masks, armor, and even recover new recipes to prepare at the camp that will grant renewed advantages.

In short, Ghost of Yōtei Complete Edition extends the main campaign by 5/6 hours, a figure that could also increase if you want to enjoy every single moment of this part of Ezo island (ancient name of Hokkaido island). We also believe that the expansion can be enjoyed more intensely by those who have not yet completed the base game, as the challenge will become increasingly rewarding and upgrades will have a greater impact on facing the remaining parts of the adventure.

Ghost of Yōtei Complete Edition: the hunt begins!

One of Ghost of Yōtei's strengths is undoubtedly its combat system, a melee system that rewards precision, timing, and where you will die much more frequently than in Ghost of Tsushima. This doesn't mean the game isn't permissive; on the contrary, there are several difficulties that adapt to any experience and allow you to reach the credits smoothly. Building on this, the developers have conceived a Roguelike mode, a true single-player survival where we will be called upon to defeat hordes of enemies to earn a nice sum of coins.

The Most Wanted are none other than the six of Yōtei, the bosses of this mode and old acquaintances of our Atsu. Once the heroine is selected, we can jump into the fray, in locations taken from the main campaign, where various waves of bad guys must be eliminated. And don't think you'll have all the story's abilities at your disposal, no sir, here you'll start only with the katana and an initial advantage represented by a new weapon: each completed series will reward with new advantages, and by defeating mid-bosses, you can choose a gift for momentary advantages such as increased maximum health or restored vigor.

Once a hunt is completed, you will earn experience points and coins to spend, useful for upgrading techniques and having greater success in future missions. As a good roguelike, know that each hunt will never be the same and the advantages you gain will be limited to that game session, so you must never forget to buy items (i.e., recipes) for momentary upgrades at the beginning of the hunt. Finally, when we have spent a certain amount of coins in the shop, we will automatically gain access to three other familiar faces from the series: Oyuki, Nagato, and the much-loved Jin Sakai (protagonist of Ghost of Tsushima)

The Most Wanted mode of Ghost of Yōtei Complete Edition doesn't introduce huge novelties, but it succeeds in its intent: to offer the player an ever-increasing challenge where their swordsmanship skills will be tested. After all, the upgrade to the complete edition for those who already own the base game is €14.99, an interesting price for the amount of content offered.