Trek To Yomi tells a fantastic tale of a young Samurai warrior living by his oath to avenge those responsible for the demolition of his village.
May is an excellent month of 2022 for gamers, especially Xbox Game Pass subscribers. You are getting great treatment with some of the most exciting games in that month alone. Trek to Yomi is one of these games that has gotten fans excited. If you are a fan of Samurai games, this game may be for you. Plus, with the Xbox Game Pass, you cannot go wrong with at least trying out for yourself to see if the game is worth your time.
This game has gotten some hype for the last few months. In the previous few years, we got two phenomenal Samurai games in Ghost of Tsushima and Sekiro: Shadow Die Twice. Now that we have Trek to Yomi, that would leave questions such as, Is this going to be as good as both games? Most likely not. And will this game be close to being as good? Again, most likely not. However, that does not mean it doesn’t deserve a chance, and it certainly does not mean this game cannot be seen as brilliant. Plus, this is a side-scrolling game, which adds to the curiosity.
Trek To Yomi’s story is very short. If you were to grind out the game, it wouldn’t take you longer than four hours to complete it. You can finish the game and then go and grab your morning coffee. But irrespective of how short the game is, it still managed to produce a great story, as it tells a tale of revenge and how it can affect someone.
Young warrior Hiroki goes on a mission seeking vengeance on those who destroyed his village. Combining the story and the game’s span, it felt like I was in a classically generic Samurai movie, and I was determining the fate of my enemies.
You start in the dojo as a very young protegee who’s just learning the art of being a Samurai. You have grown into a much more established warrior as the years go by. You are sworn to live by oath to your master to protect the village. Like any great story, this one will have you going through several emotions as you play.
Ideally, it could’ve been better to have a more extended storyline, have gamers want more from the story, and have more twists and shockers. However, they’ve done a great job with the plot. And seeing that it was directed by a stroke of genius by Leonard Menchiari, it’s no surprise that this is the case.
Trek To Yomi’s gameplay is unique, very unique. Especially with these mechanics. This has to be said, but the developer’s creativity has taken side-scrolling gaming to the next level. As you progress, you are given rewards which include new combos, increased stamina, and refreshed health. The button layout is pretty simple, and so are the combos.
I like that you can die from as little as three or four strikes if you play on the hardest difficulty, depending on the severity of an enemy’s attacks. This game primarily comes down to timing, not only your attacks but also your blocks and dodging.
One of the positives about Trek is that Yomi is you will not get away with taking the easy route of simply button-bashing your way through fights. Doing so will end up dying or losing stamina, resulting in death because your character is exhausted to execute any crucial movement. You will need to use muscle memory to get through this game.
Because this game’s mechanics aren’t what you’d be used to, it will take a little time to get used to. The gameplay isn’t very fluid, and there is a lack of combos. This can be frustrating at times. Especially when going up against more challenging enemies and bosses. Not to mention, the Shurikens are very weak. May as well have not been added.
Visually, Trek to Yomi is different and in a pleasing way. The black and white effects give this game an early to mid-1900s cinematic experience. As mentioned before, I felt like I was playing a classical Japanese Samurai movie, which was probably what the developer had intended.
The game’s artwork and designs are pretty and distinctive. There are only a handful of games that use this style or similar, and it’s very likely why I like it so much. This game should be nominated for art-related awards, and it wouldn’t be a surprise if they had won any of them. Now, think about this, and that you can play at 60 frames per second.
Trek to Yomi’s audio is excellent. Playing through the game with the characters speaking solely in Japanese gives that authenticity that many gamers crave. The voice actors deserve accolades for their portrayal of their characters. You can sense and feel their emotions as they express them.
Also, having to feel their expressions in Japanese is simply a touch of class. The game’s choice of music is brilliant. The stylish oriental soundtracks are the icing on the cake. Some of the tracks are good, and you’d want to stop what you are doing and vibe to them. The sound effects aren’t too shabby, but it needs improvement—especially the sounds of the weapons, which are frail sometimes.
Trek to Yomi has lived up to its hype and has changed side-scrolling gaming for the future. It isn’t on the same level as relative games like Ghost of Tsushima, and some shortcomings drag it down a little, but this game has done more than enough to get your attention at least. The game is on Xbox Game Pass, so it was a win-win situation. It is worth purchasing at the low retail price, even on other platforms.
Trek to Yomi is available on Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, and PC. And follow us on Twitter for the latest game reviews and news.
