Ghost of Y\u014dtei: Echoes of Sekigahara<\/em>, the new DLC for Sucker Punch\u2019s popular 2025 samurai game, is out now, sending players to a new region, the Ashoro Foothills. It does well in adding new and much-needed layers to Atsu, but in between all that character work is more of the open-world exploration that Ghost of Y\u014dtei<\/em> nails. You\u2019ve got fox dens to discover, hot springs to dip into, and new areas full of enemies to clear out. But the best addition is a couple of giant bears who can pack quite the punch.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n More bounties become available throughout the DLC\u2019s story, which is about Atsu contending with a gang called the Vipers, villains formerly loyal to the Y\u014dtei Six\u2019s Snake. A few bounties are for the heads of those contending for the Snake\u2019s now-vacant spot in the Y\u014dtei Six. One of them includes the most hilarious boss fight in the whole game, and I barely have to unsheath my katana to beat it.<\/p>\n Echoes of Sekigahara<\/em> explores the impact the Vipers are having on not just the people of the new region of Ashoro Foothills, but its wildlife too. As such, one of the bounties is for Umakichi the Bear Slayer, a scumbag who has several bears kept in cages. He\u2019ll sic them on his soldiers for \u201ctraining,\u201d and the boss fight arena is littered with corpses of bears.<\/p>\n Umakichi is a big guy with big weapons, and he doesn\u2019t fight fair; like so many of Y\u014dtei<\/em>\u2019s baddies, he\u2019s got a gaggle of goons providing him support for the fight. Thankfully, Atsu isn\u2019t alone either. Umakichi\u2019s lackeys are easily cut down by Atsu, and the new heavy weapons she can use help get the job done fast.<\/p>\n As I clear out the rabble, a pair of bears break free and join the fray for Team Atsu. It\u2019s glorious. At one point, a bear launches an enemy right toward me, letting me easily strike him down. Once I clear out the rabble, I\u2019m ready to turn my attention to Umakichi \u2014 except I don\u2019t have to do a damn thing.<\/p>\n For the first time in a big fight, Atsu can just sit back and watch, because, hot damn, nothing is more hilarious than watching some jerk called the \u201cbear slayer\u201d get clawed at and tossed around by a couple of bears. \u201cI have wanted to face you for a long time,\u201d Umakichi says at one point\u2026 right before the pair of bears bumrush him. I\u2019m sorry, Umakichi, were you talking to me or the bears currently fucking you up?<\/p>\n I mostly stay out of the way, only whacking Umakichi with the new heavy weapons a few times when he gets too close. See, why work when some bears can work for you? They do such a good job killing him that it takes me a few moments to realize Umakichi\u2019s health bar is essentially gone, and the game is waiting for me to deliver the final blow. I take my time, though. There\u2019s no need to interrupt the bears as they get their revenge.<\/p>\n The bear boss fight allows Ashoro Foothills\u2019 wildlife to fight back for a change. A focal point of the Echoes of Sekigahara<\/em> expansion is how the Vipers\u2019 presence has been unbearable not just for the people of the Foothills, but the animals as well.<\/p>\n One of the very first optional activities you can stumble upon involves one of those golden birds that guide Atsu to various points of interest. Instead, this time, you have to free the bird from a group of Vipers before it can flutter its wings.<\/p>\n The vipers have scattered traps around, too. One fox den activity finds a fox leading Atsu to save one of his buddies, who\u2019s been ensnared and wounded. Later on, Atsu comes across something of a sanctuary for deer on her way to a shrine, meaning at least a handful of animals have found peace away from the grip of the Vipers.<\/p>\n Atsu\u2019s connection with the natural world around her is one of my favorite elements of Ghost of Y\u014dtei<\/em>, and moments like having bears join in on a boss fight, similar to how Atsu\u2019s wolf companion will join her for standoffs, only further enforce that connection. \u201cUmakichi the Bear Slayer?\u201d Pfft. More like \u201cUmakichi, slayed by bears,\u201d am I right?<\/p>\n![\"Ghost](\"https:\/\/static0.polygonimages.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/ghost-of-yotei-echoes-of-sekigahara-screenshot-bear-1.jpeg?q=49&fit=crop&w=825&dpr=2\")
\n <\/picture>Image: Sucker Punch Productions\/Sony Interactive Entertainment via Polygon<\/small><\/figure>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n![\"Ghost](\"https:\/\/static0.polygonimages.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/ghost-of-yotei-echoes-of-sekigahara-cute-foxes.jpeg?q=49&fit=crop&w=825&dpr=2\")
\n <\/picture>Image: Sucker Punch Productions\/Sony Interactive Entertainment via Polygon<\/small><\/figure>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n