Ghost of Yotei is one of my favorite games of recent years. Even though I've achieved the Platinum trophy in the base game, I keep coming back to it as Ezo's beauty is just too addictive. So, when the Echoes of Sekigahara story expansion was announced, I couldn't wait to get my hands on it. And now that I have finished it, I love the game even more — and it's the puzzle piece Ghost of Yotei was missing all along.
This isn't the first time we've heard of Sekigahara. Atsu, the katana-wielding protagonist, mentions it a few times in the base game. She fought in and earned her laurels at the Battle of Sekigahara, but that's all we're told.
The Echoes of Sekigahara DLC takes you to Ashoro Foothills, located in the eastern part of the fogged-out map, and introduces you to Nagato from Atsu's past. What unfolds is a touching (albeit short) tale that sheds light on Atsu's humanity and emotions, and left me wanting even more Yotei.
Ghost from the past
Echoes of Sekigahara starts in Ezo. You pick up a bounty from a bounty board on a man called Nagato the Handsome. Turns out, Atsu knows him from her time during the Battle of Sekigahara, so she travels to Ashoro Foothills in the east. This isn't a very big area, and you can explore every aspect and complete all side activities in under 10 hours.
Though Atsu is at first reluctant due to their past, she teams up with Nagato to cut off resources to Lord Saito's army. You take on a new kind of enemy faction: the Vipers, the Snakes' followers, now without a leader (Atsu kills the Snake in the base game's intro).
There's a lot of infighting as mini-bosses, known as Snake Contenders, are vying to replace their slain leader. You seek them out and, of course, vow to put an end to them. You can wield heavy weapons (which break after about four or five hits), and I'll leave it for you to explore just how fun that is.
There are plenty of side activities to partake in, too, such as finding fox dens and hot springs, as well as a lovely Mythic Tale starring your wolf companion. Ashoro Foothills is visually stunning, and what I love a lot is that you see it flourish as the expansion pans out. At first a deprived area having been plundered by the Vipers, you rebuild Ashoro Springs, the main town, by helping the locals secure food supplies.
The story expansion explores Atsu's more intimate side. The Atsu we know is fuelled by vengeance, and she has no space for personal relationships — that much is clear in the way she treats Jubei, her brother, still being alive and having a daughter.
Echoes of Sekigahara humanizes her as we explore her and Nagato's relationship through playable flashbacks. The story feels a little predictable, much like the base game, but it's told in a compelling manner, and it still hits you like a ton of bricks, thanks to the somber music and original Japanese lyrics soundtracking their encounters.
Ezo's Most Wanted
While the Echoes of Sekigahara story expansion mode is fantastic, it's the DLC's Most Wanted mode that had me hooked for a few days after I wrapped everything up. This is a new roguelike combat-survival mode where you play as one of four characters: Atsu, Oyuki, Nagato, and everyone's favorite samurai, Jin Sakai.
You then pick up bounties on the Yotei Six and fight your way through waves of enemies. Ever wanted to fight the Kitsune as Oyuki, the one who held the mantle previously? Now you can.
Each character has their own unique play style. For instance, Atsu starts each bounty hunt with dual katanas, while Oyuki wields her trusty kusarigama. As the hunt continues and you defeat waves of enemies, you unlock new passive or active perks that aid in combat by triggering certain effects, like lightning strikes after every successful parry counter.
Most Wanted is seriously addicting. You face off against different types of enemies and mini bosses — agile archers, heavy brutes, you name it — and do whatever you can to best them. Fighting the members of Yotei Six, especially as Jin Sakai, was incredibly fun. While I love Ghost of Tsushima's story, I much prefer Ghost of Yotei's fluid combat system, and Jin's stances fit right into Yotei's world and Most Wanted's combat gauntlets.
But Most Wanted isn't for the weak. Waves of enemies can quickly overwhelm you and you can't always brute-force your way out of it. Instead, I had to think tactically, and choose my perks wisely.
My favorite, which I mentioned earlier, was triggering lighting strikes, and having my weapon set on fire after, say, hitting an enemy four times with my yari. It's ridiculously fun, and even if I was beaten by a mini boss before getting to the main bounty, I was compelled to try again — and this is coming from someone who sucks at punishing Soulslike games!
Worth coming back to
Echoes of Sekigahara is the story expansion Ghost of Yotei desperately needed. I loved the base game, but I know it didn't tell the strongest story, and it couldn't scratch the itch like Ghost of Tsushima did. The DLC slots in like a puzzle's missing piece. It massively aids Atsu's character development, and I'd recommend playing it before you head into the final quests in Oshima Coast.
Personally, I wasn't expecting to like Nagato as much as I did. He's sly and you don't know if you can trust him, but after finishing Echoes of Sekigahara, I kept wishing he was in the base game and that we got to know him more.
Regardless, the story expansion as well as the oh-so-fun Most Wanted mode have reaffirmed one thing for me: Ghost of Yotei is one of the best games of this generation, and one that keeps you coming back for more.
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