A year away from Ghost of Yōtei was enough to make me rusty. It wasn’t enough to make me forget why I loved it.

What immediately jumped out to me is how beautifully connected this game’s open-world mechanics are. Moving about and exploring felt like picking up where I left off after roughly a year of not really touching the game.

The Guiding Wind, the birds that point you toward locations of interest, and the encounters scattered throughout Ezo all work together to keep you busy without the tasks ever feeling like a chore. There is always something worth looking toward, whether it is a quest, a hidden location, or simply another reason to stop and appreciate the scenery.

And of course, the new area is just as beautiful as everything else we’ve seen in the base game.

That is probably the biggest compliment I can give Ghost of Yōtei Complete Edition. It does not feel like an expansion bolted onto an existing game. It feels like another excuse to step back into a world that already knew how to pull me in.

Picking up where I left off

I started my playthrough of the Complete Edition with Echoes of Sekigahara. I thought it was going to be a quick romp, but it’s proving to be a longer experience than I initially thought it would be.

I’ve spent roughly five to six hours playing through it, and I don’t think I’m anywhere near completing the story.

That said, I did get sidetracked quite a bit.

Which tends to happen with these Ghost games.

Not to their detriment, though. Every other quest and encounter in the open world feels like a contained story on its own that is well worth your time. The game has a way of presenting distractions that never really feel like distractions. You can set out with one objective in mind, stumble into something else, and suddenly realize an hour has passed.

That familiarity came back surprisingly quickly.

The new region introduced in Echoes of Sekigahara brings unfamiliar enemies, new weapons, and memories tied to Atsu’s past, giving the expansion its own identity while still operating within the systems that made the base game so easy to lose yourself in.

The Wolf quest line in particular was the first one I tackled, and it was quite a ride.

I’m deliberately leaving the details there.

This is the kind of story that is better experienced without knowing too much going in, and the review guidelines themselves ask reviewers to avoid major narrative developments and surprises.

Finding my footing again

While movement and exploration felt natural, it took me a while to get reacquainted with the combat.

My Atsu had many skills mastered, but being a year removed from the game meant I was rusty. I was dying against what I would consider fodder enemies.

There is something humbling about returning to a game where you once felt completely in control, only to discover that your muscle memory has apparently packed its bags and moved somewhere else.

Even now as I write this review, I don’t think I’ve gotten to the level I was when I first completed the game.

But I’m getting by just fine.

And that is partly because Yōtei gives you another toy to play with.

Massive weapons make a massive difference

Massive Weapons

The new wrinkle in combat is the Massive Weapons you get to pick up and swing around.

They are an absolute joy to use.

More importantly, they bailed me out of a few encounters already.

There is a satisfying weight to picking up one of these weapons and simply going to town on enemies. It changes the rhythm of a fight without asking you to relearn the entire combat system. After spending several hours trying to remember how I used to fight as Atsu, having the option to grab something enormous and start swinging was a welcome change of pace.

This was a definite win.

It also highlights one of the strengths of Yōtei’s combat. The foundation is already strong enough that adding another layer does not need to completely reinvent it. Sometimes, giving Atsu something massive to hit people with is enough.

Most Wanted keeps the blade moving

If you want to dive deeper into combat, Most Wanted is where it’s at.

PlayStation first-party games have had a habit of adding these roguelike-inspired modes to some of their games. There’s Valhalla for God of War Ragnarök and No Return for The Last of Us Part II.

Most Wanted takes that idea and puts Yōtei’s combat front and center.

The mode is a single-player combat survival experience built around escalating bounties, different playable characters, and experimenting with the game’s combat system. Unlike Echoes of Sekigahara, you can jump into it immediately without existing save data or base-game progression.

I’ve only had a couple of runs so far, but I can say I thoroughly enjoy the mode.

Mostly because I love the game’s combat mechanics.

That is what you engage with for much of Most Wanted, and it gives you a reason to keep testing yourself. You start a run, make your choices, fight your way through increasingly demanding encounters, and inevitably reach a point where things stop going according to plan.

Then you try again.

And again.

There is a particular satisfaction to a mode like this when the underlying combat is already enjoyable. Losing doesn’t necessarily feel like wasted time because every run gives you another opportunity to get better at the thing you were already having fun doing.

It can also be frustrating.

That is part of the appeal.

More Yōtei is still more Yōtei

The biggest strength of Ghost of Yōtei Complete Edition is also the simplest.

It gives me more Ghost of Yōtei.

Echoes of Sekigahara gives Atsu another story to tell. Most Wanted gives the combat another place to shine. The Complete Edition also adds cosmetics, Trophies, Photo Mode content, and other extras. Meanwhile, the October 1 update brings additional Watanabe Mode tracks, Beauty of Yōtei mode, quality-of-life improvements, and a new high-contrast accessibility option to all Ghost of Yōtei players.

After roughly a year away, I was surprised by how quickly I settled back into the rhythm.

The wind blew, birds flew, a quest turned into another quest, and a random encounter became a story.

Then I picked up a massive weapon and started remembering why I enjoyed this game so much in the first place.

That cohesion remains Yōtei’s greatest strength. Its world constantly gives you reasons to move forward without making the journey feel like work. The Complete Edition simply gives you more reasons to keep going.

Is Ghost of Yotei Complete Edition your Play Match?

Ghost of Yōtei was already one of the best experiences on PlayStation 5.

The Complete Edition gives you more of it.

Echoes of Sekigahara is shaping up to be a substantial addition rather than a short side adventure, while Most Wanted offers a compelling excuse to keep coming back to Atsu’s combat long after you’ve finished the main story.

I still have plenty more of both to see. But even after only a handful of hours with the new content, I know exactly how I feel about returning to Yōtei.

It feels familiar, fresh, and Most Wanted will both frustrate and hook you.

It’s absolutely thrilling.

Ghost of Yōtei Complete Edition is an easy Swipe Up.

After a year away, I came back rusty.

I’m still swinging. And I’m still having a damn good time.