Trek to Yomi Reviews
Trek to Yomi is a gorgeous 2.5D action game that pays a vibrant tribute to the films of Akira Kurosawa with an absolutely stunning and unique cinematic aesthetic. Unfortunately, the combat is not as good as we would have like due to a lack of feeling and precision during the fights.
Review in French | Read full review
Trek to Yomi is an amazing looking game that totally recreates the feeling of an Akira Kurosawa's samurai movie, but it lacks a little bit of gameplay depth and a more sophisticated level design.
Review in Spanish | Read full review
Featuring outstanding cinematic presentation, first-rate voice performances, and superb sound design, Trek to Yomi wraps Akira Kurosawa-like flair around its fun, side-scrolling samurai battles.
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.
Trek to Yomi is one of the most visually striking games to launch in a while, delivering on the promise that a samurai game can truly capture the look and feel of classic Japanese cinema. Unfortunately, good looks can only get you so far, as the gameplay and story don't quite live up to the standards set by its art direction. But if you are in the mood for a samurai game, you could do worse than Trek to Yomi.
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.
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.
Just like every other kid that spent the early 2000s watching Ruroni Kenshin, Samurai Champloo, and Gundam, I think samurai are very cool. As I’ve gotten older I’ve realized they, like knights, they were probably mostly bad on a person-to-person and institutional basis as executors of a feudal order. Nonetheless, their fictional depictions, especially in the films made between the 1930s and 1970s in conversation with the cowboy westerns and swashbuckler films being made at the same time, led to captivating art whose influences extend through today, and Trek to Yomi is an admirable attempt to bring that to gaming audiences. Hopefully it gets more of us to engage with the source material.
For fans of Japanese cinema, this game is a must play. For everyone else, while you're sure to be wowed by the visuals you'll probably find the gameplay a little too light and repetitive to hold your attention for very long.
Trek to Yomi is a well-made game, and, in some aspects, even great. If you like this type of adventure and a focus on the artistic style, as well as the samurai atmosphere, go for it! I really hope Trek to Yomi sells well since I’d like to see more.
Review in Polish | Read full review
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.
Fans of Japanese culture and Kurosawa’s films may be more forgiving of Trek to Yomi than I, but the repetitive nature of its gameplay loop and overall lack of diversity made me pine for the Dark Souls playthrough I’m currently going through. It’s not one I’d enthusiastically recommend to players, but the silver lining here of course is that it’s part of Xbox Game Pass at launch, so many of you will be able to try it for yourself with no skin off your backs.
A masterful love letter to the films of Akira Kurosawa. Trek to Yomi’s inspirations are clear. It handles those inspirations with love and care. Ultimately standing on its own two feet as something unique in the current gaming space. Above all else, it is extremely fun to play!
Trek to Yomi is, for me, just shy of a veritable masterpiece. Looking at it purely subjectively, I think this game is bloody brilliant, and certainly one of the finest non-AAA games I have played in a long time. Rich combat, striking visuals, a gritty narrative, and dynamic audio experiences blend together to make this game a true stand out of 2022 so far. Unfortunately, I feel the hyper-stylised tone and fixed Japanese language setting may prove a turn off for some and cause this game to be overlooked. However, if you have even a passing interest in Japanese culture, cinema, or just plain solid gameplay, then I implore you to give Trek to Yomi a look.
An intensely cinematic game, Trek to Yomi enhances the action-platformer genre with a rich story and beautiful design that leaves a lasting impression.
Trek to Yomi's outstanding visuals and presentation are quite enough to make up for its fairly straightforward and simplistic gameplay.
Trek to Yomi uses incredible cinematic stylings to tell a surprisingly strong story of revenge, but its 2D combat doesn’t always strike true.
Actually playing Trek to Yomi is not as much fun as just looking at it. Combat turns the game's 3D world into 2D, forcing you to fight on a single axis. You can move left or right, rotate to collide with enemies, attack or block, and that's pretty much it. Those expecting a super-difficult task might be disappointed, but with the developers going down the path of getting attention rather than creating a new Sifu and Devolver Digital doing the publishing duties, it's certainly going to be an interesting project nonetheless. I think Wild Flying Hog has done an excellent job of helping the player go from a beginner swordsman to an experienced samurai.