Trek To Yomi – Preview

In memory of his deceased teacher, Hiroki has vowed to protect his hometown and the people he cares about from any and all dangers. Because of his duty and the weight of tragedy upon him, the lone samurai must confront his own mortality and choose a course of action. Welcome to Trek to Yomi

What is the Trek

It’s typical for video games like this one, to begin with the protagonist, Hiroki, as a young student under the guidance of his sage, Sanjuro. The first few minutes of the game are devoted to a tutorial that teaches you the fundamentals of combat. The town is attacked by bandits, and Sanjuro is forced to flee and cope with the situation. Hiroki goes out to find Sanjuro’s daughter, Aiko, after receiving some prodding from her. It takes him some time to track down him, but he does it and discovers that the bandit leader is threatening his life. As a result, both Hiroki and Sanjuro are killed in a subsequent gunfight.

To portray Hiroki and Aiko as adults, the timeline is advanced many years. Hiroki and a few of his soldiers must flee to a neighbouring community under attack by bandits. As he finds himself pushed into a far broader situation than he expected, the repercussions will be devastating. Every frame of Trek to Yomi is rendered in grainy black-and-white. It makes a valiant effort to evoke the aesthetic of an Akira Kurosawa picture, and for the most part succeeds. The visuals in the game are stunning.

Samurai Steps

Trek to Yomi’s movement can be divided down into two distinct categories. When engaged in combat, you are confined to a two-dimensional plane. You can utilize light or heavy sword slashes, as well as dodge, block, and parry, by pressing a button. You must also take care of your energy levels. It’s all gone in the process of avoiding, blocking, and assaulting. If your stamina meter runs low, you’ll get tired and have to rest for a while before you can move again. Combat is powerful, but it doesn’t feel as like it’s happening right away.

Two gentle slashes or a strong slash will usually be enough to bring down a foe. Enemies with armor, on the other hand, take more damage and can be taken out more quickly using finishers. There are shrines that give healing and checkpoints as well as ammo, increases to health and stamina as well as collectibles when Hiroki isn’t battling. Bonuses can also be earned by doing tasks that aren’t mandatory. It’s a really cinematic experience, with the camera moving around and capturing a wide range of dynamic angles to illustrate the events as they unfold. To further enhance the game’s authenticity, all conversation is spoken entirely in Japanese, with superb voice acting to match.

Preview Verdict

Trek to Yomi has all the ingredients necessary for a fantastic samurai experience. While the preview wasn’t bug free, I’m expecting all of the little issues to be ironed out by launch. Given what I got to play, I’m quite excited to get my hands on the full release.