We are in the second quarter of the year and Devolver is continuing to kill it with a wide net of games that seem to center on creators with distinct visions and offering something new to the table in the gaming world. Trek To Yomi is a perfect example of this working on all cylinders. Developed by Flying Wild Hog Rzeszów, Poland with lead Leonard Menchiari, they created one of the most gorgeous little gems I’ve seen in a while. With immense inspiration taken from Japanese films in the 50s and 60s, especially ones from Akira Kurosawa, we are given an immense treat to the eyes. The cinematic look of it being black and white, with film grain isn’t just a gimmicky filter. While you don’t move the camera in this game, it does it for you when need be and each camera shot is something worthy of using photo mode on your PlayStation.
You start off as a young boy named Hiroki, learning the ways of the Samurai by his mentor. Things unfortunately take a turn for the worse when his village is overrun by villainous forces. Having lost much, Hiroki grows up to be a protector of his people and goes on a journey to stop the evil forces from repeating horrors of the past. The plot is simple and effective, the character growth and even the love interest slowly build to very cathartic results. Like many Samurai films, Trek To Yomi pays homage to, it does it best by really understanding what the films are about and how they were made, with lots of quietness, time to breathe, and nuance.
The gameplay is fairly simple in design, but also complex in its challenge. The swordplay is fun and violent. Over time you unlock upgrades and combos to help you combat more difficult enemies, such as ones with armor. When in combat the camera is often in a 2D side scrolling point of view, but when exploring areas, the camera will change to any angle it sees best to give you the most beautiful shot possible, while you’re traveling from Point A of the screen to point B. Of course, they have to put in hidden collectables throughout so I spent a lot of time covering every inch looking for possible secret areas to walk into. There are four levels of difficulty, the easiest being for people who just want to experience the story mainly. This game is such a treat though, that even if you took away the fun gameplay, just wondering around with its constant cinematic presence is worth the price of admission alone.
If I had any actual complaints, I suppose it would be the subtitles. I understand Trek To Yomi is a very authentic experience, with the characters only speaking in their native tongue, but there is so much amazing dialogue and a lot of it tends to happen while roaming around or during the action that I often get frustrated that I have to constantly pay attention to the subtitles rather than concentrate on playing the game. While adding an English dub feature would tarnish the amount of amazing authenticity that was put into this experience, it would really help the player out in doing so.
Depending on the level of difficulty you’re playing on, this entire experience will run you maybe five to seven hours to complete. It may not be a long game, but the experience is certainly a very memorable one. With a price-tag of 20 bucks ($17.99 if you’re a PS+ member and pre-order), it is an obvious must buy from me. I also think it’s worth noting that this game only took 20 months to make and was completely done during a pandemic. What was accomplished is something I struggle to put into words, but it’s clear there was blood, sweat, tears, and love put into this by everyone on the creative team. I’m ecstatic that a game like this even exists and hope it inspires more people in the industry to take more creative leaps in how a game is cinematically presented to its audience. May it also inspire gamers to go back and watch some classic Japanese cinema that Trek To Yomi loves to reference.
9/10
Discover more at trektoyomi.com
Gaming since I was given an original Nintendo as a kid. I love great storytelling and unique ingenuity. When both collide in a single game, I'm a happy gamer. Twitter/IG @NickNavarro87
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