Gaming’s seventh generation provided viable avenues of availability for smaller studios to create something gamers would’ve struggled to discover only a few years earlier. Thanks to a mixture of consoles sporting full-fledged internet connectivity and major financial backers including the likes of Microsoft, independent developers saw their products not only praised by journalists, but also gamers who would take the chance on a potentially memorable, though obviously cheaper experience than some well known, triple-A franchises. Poland-based studio Flying Wild Hog came to prominence only four years after its formation with the first of, eventually, three “Shadow Warrior” games.
Instead of sticking with the frenetic, first-person combat shooter of “Shadow Warrior”, FWH went in a different direction while still honoring the Japanese lore and aesthetics of its previous works. “Trek to Yomi” was one of those games that was out of sight, out of mind after the initial trailer dropped during E3 2021. Thanks to some last minute promotional work and the revelation it would be released on “Game Pass” day one, I gladly downloaded the rather small offering without any grand expectations other than slashing through hordes of enemies while enjoying an obvious ode to Akira Kurosawa.
Did I Complete “Trek to Yomi”?
“Trek to Yomi” keeps things relatively simple in regards to completion. Through seven chapters, the player will take Hiroki through his destroyed village and beyond in hopes of avenging those who have lost their lives to a bandit warlord the protagonist encountered as a youth. After a little over five hours, I finished a playthrough on “Bushido” difficulty (the game’s “Normal” difficulty equivalent). There are a bunch of collectibles associated with static items that hold no influence on the gameplay itself, and others responsible for upgrading Hiroki’s health, stamina, and projectile carrying capacity.
Arguably the most interesting thing when referencing completion is the fact “Yomi” sports four different endings with a secret one only becoming available if the player isn’t hit during the third chapter’s boss battle, and the other three conclusions connected to a single choice made before the final chapter. Depending on what system being played on, a player will have to run through “Yomi” three and a half times to see all the endings – something I’ve yet to accomplish as well as attain all the collectibles and upgrades.
Did “Trek to Yomi” Live Up to the Hype?
Hiroki’s quest for revenge and protecting those who don’t have the ability to save themselves from an unwarranted invasion begins humbly enough via the opening minutes’ tutorial where the player learns about light and heavy strikes with a sword in hand. As per the norm, light strikes are used rapidly without doing a bunch of staggering damage. Heavy strikes take some time to wind up, but can provide one-hit-kills on lowly enemies if they don’t block Hiroki’s blade in time. Blocking is imperative for success as holding the guard button prevents damage from light strikes.
Heavy strikes from enemies can knock Hiroki backward and even stun him if he’s blocking. Utilizing the block button right before Hiroki is struck provides a parry for the protagonist that both slows down time and rattles an enemy’s base that, too, leaves them open for a follow-up attack. Positioning is also important as Hiroki turns left to right and vice versa with the touch of a button or when performing a series of strikes while the player presses the analog stick/movement button in a specific direction.
By stringing all of these systems together – striking, blocking, and movement – Hiroki can pull off impressive combos that may end with an enemy stunned and left prone to a finishing blow. Finishers are only available against stunned adversaries and actually restores a bit of health & stamina. Stamina plays a significant role in Hiroki’s survival as well. Sprinting and dodge rolling drains quite a bit of stamina alongside heavy strikes. Light sword swings and blocking also uses stamina to work, but doesn’t deplete as quickly as its counterparts. What doesn’t drain stamina is the usage of long range weapons.
Hiroki earns three projectile-oriented tools: bo-shuriken throwing knives, a bow & arrow set, and the slow-reloading, but heavy damage-dealing ozutsu that is essentially a hand-held cannon. All the projectile-based weapons have limited ammo even when fully upgraded – making them good for sneak attacks or keeping powerful enemies at bay. Another method for stealth kills are environmental attacks usually consisting of something that can be cut loose to crush enemies underneath Hiroki. These environmental attacks are so fun to witness, but are way too few; usually only one per chapter.
Upgrades are implemented rather uniquely. Combo expansion comes after defeating certain enemies, as does acquiring those aforementioned ranged weapons. Expanding Hiroki’s stamina, health, and ammo capacity only happens if the player finds particular collectibles that don’t have much visual difference than any other collectible indicted by a pulsing white light when Hiroki is near the object. While a majority of the time going from one point to another is essentially linear, when collectibles are around the area opens up and provides rooms and sections off the beaten path that encourages exploration.
Though it would seem the combo system and general implementations would provide an expressive and downright deep combat offering, the gameplay feels oddly shallow mostly thanks to the enemies being either lacking in terms of defense & strategy, or adversaries who perform rapidly in a way that Hiroki gets struck before the player can take advantage of a perfectly timed parry or hitting a stunned foe. Combat’s biggest issue has to be the inconsistent animations. “Yomi” has an odd problem with wonky animation sequences that usually occur when the player performs a parry or blocks an attack and the parry doesn’t register.
Turning Hiroki may be an issue as well for some especially after his combo options grow. Certain combos will automatically turn Hiroki and if the player isn’t aware, Hiroki will spin without warning and be open for devastating attacks. These animation problems are complemented by the varying camera angles when in battle. During certain fights, the camera angle will perfectly capture the action. Other instances will pull the camera back too far and makes it that much more difficult to recognize certain adversary types or block at the right moment especially when combating an enemy using something like a staff or their own ozutsu; not to mention objects shielding the action in a situation where timed blocking is necessary.
Aesthetically, “Trek to Yomi” is too a mixed bag. The obvious gray-scale presentation seen throughout faithfully pays tribute to its inspiration. Though the camera angles can prove detrimental to some fights, a majority of the time the camera acts as a true expression of the horror bestowed upon unsuspecting, innocent villagers from their point of view. Hiroki’s people flee as the camera pans from the aspect of someone’s raided porch now accented by the corpses of its former homeowners.
“Yomi’s” cinematic flair is something to behold and a testament to converting old film methods into video games. “Yomi’s” audio presentation is, arguably, the game’s strongest feature. The soaring wails of grieving villagers while Hiroki’s sword clangs against the armor of a home invader is hard to forget. For as distressful the moments depicted through cutscenes to emphasize as to why Hiroki is fighting are, nothing compares to literally walking through the burning village where people once lived peacefully now crying out for loved ones or warning the samurai about going forward with his quest.
“Yomi’s” story isn’t necessarily unique until the second-half. An unexpected encounter changes not only Hiroki’s goal, but also everything the player has gotten used to up to that point including the setting, enemies, and sounds. Through the game’s second-half comes the option of choice that leads into one of three endings. Sadly, other than the conclusive cutscene, the player’s decisions don’t change the final chapter’s overall presentation. Another disappointing aspect, though minor compared to what could’ve been an issue, are the rudimentary puzzles that all consist of lining up three kanji letters on a wheel – nothing more, nothing less.
Shockingly, there were quite a few noticeable framerate drops when playing on an Xbox One topped off by a shocking glitch where the game refused to play the cutscene following a major decision; forcing a restart and conquering of the most recent boss. “Yomi” works on a checkpoint system associated with Shrines scattered throughout each level. While some may be disappointed about a game not having a hard save option, the checkpoint/Shrine system works very well by adding to the overall challenge.
There’s a lot to like about “Trek to Yomi” including a strong narrative, impressive sound design, and a mostly satisfying combat system. But some of “Yomi’s” weakest aspects – animation issues, aesthetic complications alongside certain camera angle choices, inevitable shallow battles – really hurts this samurai adventure that’s more sizzle than sensational.
Should You Play “Trek to Yomi”?
Gamers who still enjoy the side-scrolling action of days gone by that uses swords instead of fists & kicks can’t really go wrong with “Trek to Yomi”. The issues that arise during average battles and even boss fights doesn’t completely take away from the awe-inspiring moments connected to the game’s cinematography and strong narrative. What really helps earn “Yomi” a recommendation is its price tag.
At only twenty dollars for those who don’t have “Game Pass”, “Yomi” won’t break anyone’s wallet while delivering a solid adventure for, at least, five hours. In a lot of ways, “Trek to Yomi” is a perfect video game analogy about the battle someone wages within themselves to become the person they want to be – unnerving to confront, but satisfying to conquer even if it feels like a moment experienced before and will be again.
