Trek to Yomi Reviews

As an homage to Akira Kurosawa’s contributions to Japanese cinema, Trek to Yomi is an unparalleled adventure to the shores of hell and back that meticulously encapsulates and delivers an experience through his lens. It’s when you look behind its eyes that you discover the game’s soul is missing in a disappointing case where a wellspring of style and authenticity is anchored by a sad lack of substance.

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Inspired by the works of Akira Kurosawa, Trek to Yomi aims to bring a cinematic edge to the action game genre. This game tells the tale of a samurai who must come to face his responsibilities, but not without slashing through hordes of enemies along the way.

In the end, I’m disappointed, but I kind of want to recommend it anyway because it’s so stylish and really shows what an artistic vision and style can be. Sure, it’s cribbed from Kurosawa, but one of the biggest and most popular franchises in film history is, too. This is like a film you watch because the director does interesting things visually. But it’s a game that’s kind of annoying to play and not that interesting as a game. Everything BUT the part you play is great. Fortunately, I don’t have to go to GDC to defend my artistic ideas anymore. Take THAT, game developers!

Not that this is something that has to be endured. The underworld may be outglowed by the freaky fogs above, but so what?

We tell you, it’s a good game! It’s not average! It might have some problems here and there, but you have to admit it is a “Good” game.

In Trek to Yomi, the dog is more bark than bite.

Trek to Yomi is a game that really does evoke the style of Kurosawa films, with a good story and good characters. However, it is let down by a combat system that can feel clunky and unresponsive against enemies that are a little too straightforward to defeat. If you enjoy sidescrollers and samurai then it may be worth spending the few hours it takes to play through it.

The major aspects of Trek to Yomi that will stick with the player are the combat, the atmosphere, and the world design. All three of these key features will drive the player to continue playing and enhance the gameplay. One example would be how exploration can reveal alternate ways to defeat groups of enemies. These moments are few and far between, but their inclusion is a nice reward for players who choose to explore the map. It's one of many smaller pieces of gameplay that makes the overall experience stand out among other indie titles.

This wouldn’t be as much of an issue if combat didn’t make up about 75% or more of the gameplay. There are some puzzle elements that show up midway but they aren’t very deep and aren’t all that often. There’s no platforming to speak of so the vast majority of the game is running across the screen (or up and down depending on the camera angle), fighting mostly the same enemies with the same sluggish combat and some puzzles. After a few hours it just became unending and the only thing pulling me through was the visuals. There are collectables to find by going off the critical path but without a New Game+ option, I can’t see anyone but the most diehard trophy/achievement hunters going through it again to find them all.

Trek To Yomi is graphically and audibly amazing. The story is rich and full with a lot of history. If you want to sink a few hours into a beat-em-up with a lot of depth and lots to do, you should definitely play this. I hope you choose the right path for you on your Trek to Yomi, but you definitely shouldn't pass up this amazing experience.

Trek to Yomi oozes style by evoking the legendary samurai flicks of Akira Kurosawa, but its stilted combat lacks the substance to make this a classic in itself.

Trek to Yomi is a game of two halves, where slightly repetitive combat does bring things down a notch. However, that other half — made up of the game's visuals, characters, storyline, atmosphere and overall polish — is so good that you'll want to carry on trekking right until the end. More involved combat could have elevated this one to being potentially one of our very favourite Game Pass games, but make no mistake, this is an adventure you'll want to head out on.

Trek to Yomi isn't much of a trek, to be honest. This tribute to classic samurai cinema is only a few hours long at most, taking place across just a handful of story chapters. But what Trek to Yomi lacks in longevity, it makes up for in sheer atmosphere and spectacle. It's a superbly crafted indie adventure from a visual point of view, packed with rich environments and topped off with excellent direction through fixed camera angles. It's a real treat for the eyes.

Trek to Yomi feels like a victim of its own cinematic inspirations and artistic ambitions. While satisfying at times, the combat is ultimately pretty one-note and begins to outstay its welcome by the time you've reached the end of Hiroki's journey. I'm a sucker for artistically driven indie experiences, but there's got to be some strong gameplay forming a foundation for it, and I can't say I overly enjoyed my time accompanying Hiroki on his quest for vengeance.

Although the game is still a good experience, every enjoyable aspect was brought with a caveat that diminished my enjoyment somewhat. It's a great idea, but its execution was not so much.

The gameplay is just overwhelmingly underwhelming. Poor exploration, unimpressive combat, and a merely passable narrative can’t be made up for by aesthetics. Which is too bad, because the aesthetics are terrific. The backgrounds have a stunning amount of variety to them and are of almost poetic quality. I suppose if you saw Trek to Yomi and this is what grabbed you, then you’re all set. However, if you want strong gameplay to back that up, then it just isn’t worth the trek.

A striking visual style and stylish presentation helps make Trek To Yomi a memorable journey through hell, even when the story and gameplay remain familiar and predictable.

Trek to Yomi is presented like a very different type of video game experience and that's largely attributed to its presentation. Flying Wild Hog went into this project with the goal of making a playable samurai film and they've capably accomplished that objective. The swordplay is strong and complements a captivating story. It's a story that players will want to see through to the end, though some may be disappointed by the short runtime. I was able to polish this off in just a hair under five hours, but those looking for a challenge can take on the game's hardest difficulty after completing the game for the first time.

Trek to Yomi Review - Masterfully Crafted

A short but sweet adventure, you might replay Trek to Yomi to collect all of its collectibles and upgrades, perhaps even on a harder difficulty to test your skills. It has multiple endings to discover, too. And so for its modest price it’s easy to recommend to action adventure fans, especially if they also love samurai movies. Its stunning presentation is just the icing on the cake.

Trek to Yomi raises the bar high for historical accuracy. It’s clear how hard the developers worked to make this game feel like an act of love and admiration for the Edo period of Japan. However, the well-written story, great voice acting, and beautiful setpieces are held back by the combat. For a substantial part of the game, swordfights feel stale. Especially with little use for combos which are given a big emphasis via unlocks. If the combat was given the attention that every other facet of this game got, Trek to Yomi would have been a big contender for my Game of the Year.

People looking for a short and intense samurai game should check out Trek to Yomi. It's quick, fun, and makes you truly feel like a samurai.

All in all, the game is impressive and an apt tribute to its cinematic roots.  Blood spurts satisfyingly as you strike enemies down, burning arrows soar overhead ominously and supernatural sections are sufficiently eerie yet intriguing.  Personally, I found certain sections of combat to be punishingly tricky due to the lack of nearby save points so I would recommend playing through using the Cinematic difficulty if you want a relaxed experience.

Trek to Yomi takes us back to feudal Japan… again. Two of the best games of recent years, Sekiro and Ghost of Tsushima, shared this setting, and those are lofty heights for which to aspire. My big question heading into the game was if it could distinguish itself from its peers and shine a unique light with its tale of a lone samurai.

Visually excellent but extremely short and packed with repetitive, clunky sword fights, Trek to Yomi doesn't hit all the right notes.

I love samurai games and Trek to Yomi certainly looks amazing but how does it play? Sharpen your blade because we're about to find out.

I used to think I knew what to expect from a game published by Devolver. For the most part, they are focused on high-octane gameplay, with addictive loops and a distinctive sense of humor I can only call “Devolverish”. If you’ve played games like Death’s Door, My Friend Pedro, Shadow Warrior 3, or The Messenger, you know what I mean. I also know that I should occasionally expect a shockingly competent, emotionally-driven art game, such as Gris or Essays on Empathy. Trek to Yomi, on th...

Hear me when I say that I am a BIG fan of Japan. Throw almost anything with a Japanese flavour in front of me, chances are I am going to enjoy it, or at the very least give it the time of day. Needless to say, when I first saw the reveal trailer of Trek to Yomi, I was instantly interested in what the game had to offer. A gritty, ultra-stylised, cinematic journey through the rich Edo period facing off against deadly samurai, with a hint of the supernatural? I’m in like Flynn, baby. Presente...

“Fall seven times, stand up eight,” says Trek to Yomi’s hero, the orphan-turned-samurai Hiroki. The line represents not only his caricature-like perseverance, but something players should take to heart if they want to reach the end of this journey. However, I wasn’t always sure seeing the finish line was worth getting back on my feet. The eye-catching art direction can’t hide the title’s lackluster gameplay, empty characters, predictable story, and antiquated design. Indies are typically fertile soil for fresh ideas and distinct experiences, but Trek to Yomi comes up disappointingly short here, with very few concepts I haven’t seen a dozen times before.

The dynamic camera, the gorgeously realized environments, and the personal, character-driven narrative work in tandem to deliver a game that’s wholly unique. It might not be an easy recommendation based purely on gameplay alone, but it’s certainly easy to recommend for just about everything else.

Trek to Yomi uses incredible cinematic stylings to tell a surprisingly strong story of revenge, but its 2D combat doesn’t always strike true.

“Slicing enemies in Trek to Yomi can be worked down to a science, but its story and the development of its main character are what made me want to see the game through to its end.”

Short but ever-so-sweet, Trek to Yomi is a pretty linear affair that respects your time. The combat is nuanced, evolves over time and is entertaining to learn. Small bursts of exploration are rewarded with collectables and upgrades but your main path is never obscured. It's cinematically beautiful and what's done with perspective and setting up each scene is really unique. Trek to Yomi is unlike anything else I have played recently, it's not bloated, pure and I appreciate that a lot.

Trek to Yomi has an astonishing film-like presentation that pays homage to Akira Kurosawa's samurai movies. Unfortunately, the gameplay fails to match its audio and visual excellence.

A stylish side-scrolling samurai epic, Trek to Yomi combines cinematic influences and sharp combat to great effect, but descends into frustration towards the end. Nonetheless, this is a journey worth sticking with.

Trek to Yomi is a gorgeous samurai adventure with satisfying 2D action and some unfortunately frustrating quirks