Ghost of Yōtei: Echoes of Sekigahara - Review

A ghost from the past...

Console: PlayStation 5

Well, here's a review for something that I was hoping I would write one day but didn’t know if I would. Ghost of Yōtei has quickly become one of my top PS5 games and one of only two (at the time of writing) games I have the Platinum trophy for. I like it a lot and wanted a story DLC but doubted that would happen. With the state the game industry is in these days, where studios can ship a hit game and still get shut down, something like an expansion feels far less like a given.

Lo and behold though, Sucker Punch did have an expansion for their latest game in the works. Just like Ghost of Tsushima, after the free multiplayer add-on had its time to shine, they announced a Complete Edition of the game with new content. The one I was interested in is this story DLC, which offers a brand-new area to explore and promises to give us a look into Atsu time as sell-sword before she returned to Ezo for her revenge.

Now, without further ado, let's talk about Echoes of Sekigahara and see what this expansion brings to the table and what surprises, if any, it has in store for us. 

When Atsu comes across a wanted poster for 'Nagato the Handsome', she's taken aback. This isn't some random thug that has a bounty placed on his head - this is someone that she, once upon a time, called more than a friend. Without hesitation, she sets off for the Ashoro Foothills but is so distracted by memories of the past that, once she arrives, she's ambushed. She is wounded, and her wolf companion is captured. Against all odds, she is saved by Nagato himself who has come to Ezo in pursuit of riches – or so he claims.

Together with her untrustworthy former love, Atsu sets out to save her wolf, free the people of Ashoro Foothills from the Viper bandits and uncover Nagato’s true motives for coming to Ezo.

Oh, be suspicious Atsu. Be suspicious indeed...

Experiencing the story of Echoes of Sekigahara is like reading that one book in a series that you just happened to skip over. Unlike expansions like Burning Shores, ones that are set after the main story and serve as something of a side-story, this takes place during the story of the game and is very much a part of that narrative. That is felt the moment you start it.

The way you enter Ashoro Foothills is the exact same way you enter all the other areas for the first time. It starts with an extended sequence of a linear, closed off area in which Atsu rides on her horse while a song plays. This is interrupted by the introduction of the new threat, the Vipers, and you meeting a new ally who is integral to the narrative.

Because of this, and with how the quest cards have nothing to denote them as ‘DLC content’, I think many people who pick up the Complete Edition and play this game for the first time won't even realise that this area and its story wasn't there before. 

This makes this DLC both interesting and odd to me. Interesting in that I've never played through something like this before and odd in that it makes it feel a bit out of place to someone who has already experienced the ending. Even if the Vipers and some other characters appear in the rest of Ezo now too, it’s an anachronistic tale the way I played through it. Still, this is an enjoyable tale that does play into its placement by fleshing out some areas the basegame didn't. 

Take the Snake, the 'sacrificial lamb' of the Yōtei Six, for example. Since he gets taken in the opening minutes of the game, you could very much argue that it's truly Atsu vs the Yōtei Five, not the Yōtei Six. With this DLC focusing on his now leaderless gang, we learn more about who he was. It's interesting but gets overshadowed by the other half of the story: the relationship between Atsu and Nagato. 

Nagato is his own worst enemy. A man who, no matter how hard he tries, always finds greed getting the better of him. Even if he genuinely is here to set things right with Atsu, can we really trust him to not self-sabotage again, hurting Atsu in the process? That's some strong stuff that sadly doesn’t get enough time to be fully explored.

Through Nagato and their falling out during the Battle of Sekigahara (a real historic event; look it up) we get to see a different side of Atsu. That of a lonely go that found someone she was ready to stay for. We get a better understanding of why Atsu was that closed off, borderline suicidal person we saw in the opening. It's not only giving more insight into Atsu's past that this narrative brings, however; it does so for her future too. 

I've become less fond of Ghost of Yōtei’s ending as time has passed. While I understand the message behind it, I just feel it doesn’t quite fit the game. This expansion leaves Atsu in a place that makes that ending fit somewhat better even if I still think a more bitter than sweet end to the tale of the Onryō would’ve been best.

So, aside from the story, what else is here? Ashoro Foothills is not the biggest but also not the smallest of the (now) 7 regions of Ezo. An area that is large enough to have a few noteworthy landmarks but is very much a small corner of the island. Ashoro Foothills is a harsher grassland with plenty of swamps and some mountainous terrain. A place where the scars of war are visible everywhere with how so many dead animals and the like are sown about. It makes the region standout and feel unique, which is all I could’ve asked for really.

I just wish that there was more interesting stuff here to do. Aside from the main quest there are only a handful of side quests and activities on offer, all of which feel oh-so familiar. You help people whose lives or livelihood are being threatened, take on new bounty hunter contracts, get new armour and the like. All stuff we’ve done before or, in the case of Viper storehouses, only ever so slightly different this time.

Ashoro Foothills is a place that has seen better days...

The same kind of goes for the new gameplay mechanics. They’re not necessarily all new, but an elaboration of already existing mechanics. The Vipers love laying traps everywhere they can, from ones that light up a flare to those that set high grass aflame making sneaking up on them trickier. Some arrows can now penetrate Atsu's armour and prevent you from using up spirit until you've pulled it out. Neat, though I will say that I found this mechanic a tad too frustrating at times. Luckily, a new skill allows Atsu to catch arrows mid-air and fire them back at an enemy, balancing this out somewhat.

The new thing that I was looking forward to the most was the new weapon. There are five weapons in the basegame which you can switch between using different button combinations: one of which was left unused. So, when the expansion was announced, it was clear to me this slot would be filled at last. I was half right. There is a new weapon type here, massive weapons, but they work differently. You don't carry one around but have to pick them and can swing them around until they break.

They pack a big punch but I'm disappointed by them. I feel like they could've done much more with a weapon that you always have with you. A weapon that deepens an already existing gameplay element (like disarming foes perhaps?) and that isn't so situational. Granted, you can find massive weapons in all regions of the game now so they thought about that at least, but still. 

What also gets some more meat to its bones is the cooking. Originally, this didn’t amount to much more than you roasting some mushrooms and fish for one of two benefits. Thanks to a new ally, Atsu learns and finds a bunch of recipes that she can cook up to get a variety of perks. From finding more resources to more potent healing. All things that make game a little easier, should you so desire.

Not that I felt that was needed, mind you. Expansions are often harder but, because it’s designed to take place during the main campaign, this one isn't. Well, except for two moments that is. The first is the optional fight against the 'Unbreakable'. It's a fight that rivals the 'Takezo the Unrivalled' fight as a true ‘endgame encounter’ and is as tough as nails. It requires you to pull out every trick in the book to defeat him, and I did so, even if it took me more than half an hour to do so.

That one is optional, but the one that isn't is a bit of a problem. That one is less designed to be hard and more designed to be tricky, yet the outcome is the same. It took me a while to beat and I can see people having difficulties getting through that fight and so I recommend you come into that fight as prepared as you can be. 

Conclusion

If you enjoyed Ghost of Yōtei and wanted more, then Echoes of Sekigahara is for you. It's more story giving an insight into Atsu’s past and some of the fallout of her killing the Yōtei Six. It has more for you to explore in a new region and more of those familiar side quests and activities for you to do. Its placement as a 'lost chapter' of Atsu's journey set during the main campaign is interesting but also jarring and the new gameplay additions are neat but lacking in depth. 

It's not a cherry on top and not even a must-buy, but it's a very enjoyable extra piece of content for the big Ghost of Yōtei fans and very much makes the Complete Edition the definitive version to play for those who have yet to set foot on Ezo.