Ghost of Yōtei’s Complete Edition comes with a big story expansion.
Sucker Punch Productions is breathing new life into its open world action-adventure game Ghost of Yōtei this month, with the release of the game’s Complete Edition. This version offers two chunky new additions to the game: a survival mode called Most Wanted, and a whole new story expansion called Echoes of Sekigahara.
Having spent some time Ghost of Yōtei Complete Edition, we found that its new modes have only made what was already a great game even better.
Ghost of Yōtei Complete Edition
Platform: PlayStation 5
Release date: 1 October, 2026
Developer: Sucker Punch Productions
Is Ghost of Yōtei Echoes of Sekigahara worth playing?
Let’s talk about Ghost of Yōtei’s big story expansion first, Echoes of Sekigahara, which takes place after Atsu has taken down several members of the Yōtei Six, but not their big bad leader, Lord Saito. This expansion adds a new region to the game for players to explore: the Ashoro Foothills in eastern Ezo.
Here, Atsu embarks on a quest to investigate a new bounty placed for a man called “Nagato the Handsome”, who just so happens to be a familiar face from her past whom she begrudgingly embarks on a quest to reunite with. The expansion’s story is then split between two timelines.
In flashbacks, we see gain a better understanding of Atsu’s experience as a war veteran, having participated in one of the most important battles in Japanese history, the Battle of Sekigahara. Here, we see the early sparks that eventually light the embers of Atsu and Nagato’s will they, won’t they relationship–coupled with some additional contextualisation of her later cold and ruthless demeanour in the main game.
In the present timeline, Atsu reunites with Nagato, but it quickly becomes apparent that the two’s relationship has completely deteriorated under mysterious circumstances following the Battle of Sekigahara. She also unearths an unsettling discovery in the Ashoro Foothills: the Vipers, a faction serving under the late Snake, are warring to elect a new leader, causing chaos in the land. The Snake, while ruthless, had maintained some form of peace in the land before his demise. This is how Atsu learns that her quest to kill the Yōtei Six has yielded unintended consequences, causing strife among the innocents in Ezo.
It’s a good reminder that Atsu’s quest for revenge is not as cut and dry as it initially seems, and it helps the main campaign’s conclusion ultimately land with more efficacy. Throughout her short but sweet stint in the Ashoro Foothills, she also grapples with her relationship with Nagato–an elusive honey-tongued outlaw looking to take down the Vipers. However, his quest might not be as well-intentioned as Atsu would like to believe.
Nagato is a really charming addition to Atsu’s roster of companions, and their dynamic together is fun to watch. It also explores a lighter side of her personality; one that we hardly ever get to see in the base game, which actor Erika Ishii takes full advantage of to endear us further to both Atsu and her quest.
Unfortunately, the story does feel a little choppy in pacing between all the flashbacks and events in the present timeline flowing into one another, and Nagato feels like he isn't given quite enough time in the expansion to really shine. For many returning players, this might be the last they see of Atsu in the limelight. Hence, the expansion feels like it ends a little abruptly, without much closure to offer. Newer players might not find this an issue, however, as the expansion takes place before the end of the main story anyway.
How do Ghost of Yōtei’s new Heavy Weapons work?
Echoes of Sekigahara will take players around 11 hours or so to beat, but I’m sure that number can be cut down if you stick to the main story alone. The expansion’s new map region, the Ashoro Foothills, is not as large as one might expect. However, it is densely-packed with ways to pull Atsu off the golden path.
There are new questlines to explore, one highlight of which involve Atsu’s wolf companion looking for her ilk, along with plenty of new armour sets to find, and more people to meet. Familiar merchants from the main game return, all of whom have new things to say about this new Viper-infested region.
The Vipers themselves don’t have much to offer as a new enemy faction, largely using the same weapons as the main game’s enemies, but a few of them do have new warhammers and axes to wield against Atsu. Thankfully, Atsu can wield them too, thanks to the expansion’s all-new “Heavy Weapons” weapon type. These are weapon pick-ups found all over the Ashoro Foothills, and their effectiveness in battle can be upgraded via a new skill tree.
While Echoes of Sekigahara doesn’t reinvent the wheel with quite as many new mechanics or quests as one might expect, it does deliver plenty enough reason to return to Ezo for another bout. I consider it much more compelling on the whole than Ghost of Tsushima’s Iki Island expansion, and with much more spectacular visuals too; the game’s rendition of a Hokkaido lost to time absolutely blows me away each time I step foot in it.
I also played through the expansion following a post-launch Quick Spectral Super Resolution (QSSR) update, which is meant to add further graphical fidelity via AI upscaling as an optional toggle. By this point, the game has more than four different graphical modes to choose from, ranging from adjustable resolution to frame rates, which is pretty refreshing for a console game. With QSSR enabled on Performance Mode (60fps), it’s absolutely breathtaking.
Is Ghost of Yōtei: Most Wanted worth playing?
Ghost of Yōtei: Most Wanted is a brand-new roguelike mode included in the game’s new Complete Edition, remixing the game’s combat with all-new playable characters and abilities. The mode involves taking on bounties for each member of the Yōtei Six, and fighting through a string of enemy encounters before taking on the bounty as a final boss, occasionally with some minibosses scattered in between for flavour.
This is similar to an extent to The Last of Us Part II’s No Return mode, throwing the player into “runs” where they can gain different perks and abilities throughout the run to survive harsh encounters. Make no mistake; the mode can be quite difficult. Each playable character comes with their own signature weapons and ultimate abilities, thus divvying up Atsu’s full suite of weapons from the main game among themselves. This means that they might be better equipped to go up against some enemies rather than others.
However, each combat encounter in a run will offer players a reward upon completion. This can sometimes take the form of an all-new weapon and accompanying buff, or additional gadget, depending on what players choose. Players can also earn Coin, a permanent resource that will allow them to unlock and upgrade different characters via different skill trees. Some abilities are shared among all characters, while others are specific to a character.
Most Wanted is a fun way to engage with Yōtei’s fantastic combat system on its own terms; when you only have access to a selection of weapons and gadgets, you can better appreciate all the combos and perks that come with that specific loadout. It takes little time to grind out the game’s final playable character, Jin Sakai, though his inclusion is noteworthy. Fans of Ghost of Tsushima will likely find a lot of nostalgia in returning to Jin all these years later.
That being said, the mode is not quite as endless as it might initially present itself as being. After completing the available bounties, all that’s left to do is grind through the bossfights in order to unlock boss tokens, a unique currency that can be used to unlock outfits for Atsu. However, I was done with the expansion by the time I even began Most Wanted, so the pursuit of these cosmetics was not terribly enticing.
That being said, I can see this being a lot of fun for those who are itching for a higher level of intensity in their combat, following the conclusion of Echoes of Sekigahara.
Verdict
Ghost of Yōtei’s Complete Edition does exactly what is says on the tin, giving players an all-encompassing foray into Ezo that can potentially last for 10s of hours, depending on how much time they’re willing to put into its wide variety of game modes. From the base game and its new story expansion, to the co-op PvE Legends and new roguelike Most Wanted mode, it’s genuinely impressive how much Sucker Punch has managed to squeeze out of this era of its modern flagship series.
This Complete Edition’s new content is reason enough for players to dive back for another adventure with Atsu, if only just to immerse themselves in Yōtei’s gorgeous landscapes once more.
Ghost of Yōtei Complete Edition launches on PlayStation 5 for US$69.99. We received a copy of the game for this review. The rating below applies to the Complete Edition's new content, Echoes of Sekigahara and Most Wanted, specifically.
Does Ghost of Yōtei: Most Wanted have multiplayer?
No, Ghost of Yōtei: Most Wanted is a singleplayer game mode. However, Ghost of Yōtei: Legends does have multiplayer functionality, featuring PvE combat, and it is included as another mode.
How long does Ghost of Yōtei: Echoes of Sekigahara take to complete?
While it depends on how much time you spend playing its side content, the expansion will likely take anywhere from eight to 11 hours to beat.
Who is Nagato in Ghost of Yōtei: Echoes of Sekigahara?
Nagato is a new character introduced in Echoes of Sekigahara, and a former love interest of Atsu.
