There’s never been a better time to jump into the world of Ghost of Yotei. Much like Ghost of Tsushima’s Director’s Cut release on PS5 around a year after the original game’s launch, this Complete Edition of Ghost of Yotei takes an already great game and adds so much more. Those who’ve already opted in will also be pleased to know that the new DLC for the Complete Edition adds a compelling arc to the game’s story, along with a new mode that’s more in-depth than it has any right to be.
If you’ve never played Ghost of Yotei before, the game follows Atsu, a young warrior who lost her entire family in a hit orchestrated by a group known as the Yotei Six. Retreating south and training across various battles, Atsu returns to Yotei with a singular purpose: vengeance. The results are bloody, vicious, and forces Atsu to question whether revenge is still worth it in the end, or if forgiveness is possible for those who’re trying to earn it.
Admittedly, the story isn’t quite as strong for me as its predecessor, just because a revenge story is a bit more rote than Tsushima’s diatribe on sacrificing one’s honour for the greater good. That’s not a knock on how Yotei’s story is told, just that Tsushima holds more appeal as far as I’m concerned. You’ll still find plenty to enjoy across the sixty or so hours it’ll take to beat both the full game and new DLC campaign, which we’ll get into shortly.
As for the gameplay, there’s an argument to be had that both Ghost games are the best Far Cry games ever made. Big maps filled with outposts, challenges and side missions to discover, all slowly uncovered as you run around the map lifting that fog of war. The game follows a pretty standard formula of dropping you into a new area, letting you rummage around to find everything, before whisking you off elsewhere. It breaks the exploration into chunks, making a large task less overwhelming, while never staying in one place for long enough that you become sick of it.
The combat is brutal and swift, with Atsu carrying a small arsenal of melee, ranged and thrown weapons by the end of the game. Balancing your needs to fit the situation, while carving a path through soldiers and outlaws, never gets old, especially with weapons like the spear, dual katanas and the massive odachi. Some might prefer the straight-laced approach of Jin’s stance switching as opposed to new weapons, but new shiny toys are always fun to play with.
The new story DLC, Echoes of Sekigahara, adds some more armor and abilities, like being able to summon a pack of wolves or shoot multiple arrows at once, but the real noteworthy inclusion is the actual narrative, which sees Atsu confronted with her own ghost from the past. The main game hypes up Sekigahara as one of the most important battles of all time in Japan, and for Atsu, that’s certainly true, as the events recontextualise her motives and emotions once returning to Yotei to take out the Six.
Without spoiling anything, the events of the DLC explain why Atsu starts off way more guarded, and stubborn about the idea of settling down and letting the grudge go. It also grapples more with what the cost of revenge is on the world around her, as the powerful figures she takes out creates power vacuums that cause chaos for the poor helpless people caught in the middle. It’s interesting stuff, arguably better than some of the arcs in the regular game, making it an essential part of the Ghost of Yotei experience.
That experience has also been bolstered by the new Most Hunted mode, which continues the Sony tradition of “sod it, here’s a roguelike mode”. It worked for God of War: Ragnarok, it worked for The Last of Us: Part 2 (if we ignore the “murder is bad” story being given a “murder everyone” mode) and they did a mini one recently with Wolverine that’ll probably be fleshed out within the year. It’s a bit unoriginal, but Sucker Punch have put a large amount of effort into this one.
With up to four playable characters, including a returning Jin, you must defeat waves of enemies before confronting one of the Yotei Six as a final showdown. Each wave defeated offers new rewards that can modify your loadout in key ways, from new weapons to new buffs and abilities. Outside of these bounties, there’s a host of permanent upgrades you can unlock for yourself, all the hunters and every weapon. It’s pretty deep if you’re looking to sink the time into it, and there’s potential for Sucker Punch to flesh it out further if they want a single player contender to their Legends co-op mode.
Look, Ghost of Yotei might not be the most essential PlayStation game ever created. That’s obviously PS2 icon The Bouncer. Still, if you’re looking for sixty hours plus of fantastic samurai action before you even get to the optional extras, this Complete Edition is well worth your time.
A PS5 key was provided by PR for the purposes of this review.
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