Ghost of Yōtei: Echoes of Sekigahara Review

Reviewed on: PS5
Code was provided by the publisher.

Returning to Yōtei after all this time is a reminder that this is still one of the most beautiful games of the generation. On a PS5 Pro it is an absolute stunner with light moving through the trees, weather rolling across open ground, the kind of composition where you keep stopping to look around instead of getting on with the mission. Sucker Punch has always understood that a world worth saving has to be a world worth standing still in, and Echoes of Sekigahara doesn't let that slip for a second.

These screenshots alone definitely don’t do this game justice but you can get a small taste with the trailer above and clicking on the included shots to get a small taste. It truly is that stunning.

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The new Ashoro Foothills area is smaller than you might expect, and that turns out to be a strength. It's dense rather than sprawling, packed with activity and detail instead of stretched thin to hit a size target. The story's balance between present and past is handled with real care too, with the shifts landing where they need to rather than feeling like a structural gimmick. Every addition here feels considered, from the smallest environmental touches to the way encounters are laid out.

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If there's a criticism, it's that the expansion plays things fairly safe. There was room to take bigger swings, and a few moments where it felt like the game was about to and then pulled back. That's a quibble rather than a complaint, because what's actually here is excellent. Definitely not a showstopper and this is still a very worthy addition to your PS5 collection.

With the Ghost of Yōtei Complete Edition now available, this is an easy call. If you own a PS5 and haven't made the trip, you're skipping some of the best the system has to offer. If you've already been, Echoes of Sekigahara is more than enough reason to go back.