As we had mentioned before, the announcement of Trek to Yomi was one of the most interesting elements of the E3 2021 indie game list. Finally, the samurai fighting game that we have been waiting for so long is here. Therefore, in this review of Trek to Yomi We are going to analyze elements such as its art, gameplay and even the rest of the elements that contextualize the story.
Let’s start by contextualizing a bit:
review of Trek to Yomi: The call of duty
Hiroki is an orphan who is unaware of his origin and who was adopted and trained by his master Sanjuro. The boy interacts with Sanjuro’s daughter, Aiko, from which what would become a love of years arose.
However, at a certain point Sanjuro quickly retreats and Hiroki decides to follow him. Thus, he realizes that the village where they live is being attacked by a group of bandits who are killing the inhabitants. Since he doesn’t see his teacher, Hiroki decides to take his sword and kill for the first time in his life, if only to defend his people..
After taking down a few bandits, Hiroki sees his master fighting a bandit named Kagerou. While he manages to help him momentarily, both Sanjuro and Kangerou end up receiving fatal injuries. Right there, the boy makes the oath that would define his life: he would always use his sword to defend Aiko and her people..
Time goes by. Hiroki and Aiko as adults discuss with the village leaders the appearance of new bandit clans that plague the area and that must be eradicated to ensure peace in the region. Thus, the samurai goes out with his best men to defend a nearby village where a recent attack was reported.
The katana is stained with blood
Throughout the title we switch between two types of gameplay. On the one hand, we have a somewhat “free” exploration (because the path is ultimately linear). In this we can move through houses and hidden places to collect collectibles, ammunition for ranged weapons and improvements for health and resistance. For the other, we have 2D movement combat in which we will cross our swords a hundred times
Regarding the combats, it must be said that they are quite simple. At the beginning we control a few basic katana movements, which will be insufficient at first to fight comfortably. As we cross the game, we know more combos and defense techniques that will allow us to move more freely.
You have to be honest: We will not see combats that are too showy or with special techniques because the decision was made to make it a little closer to reality. Most of the time we will be surrounded by groups of bandits in front and behind who will take turns attacking us. At times this may seem monotonous, but it requires a lot of attention to avoid receiving fatal blows.
a bit of the same
The curious thing is that in low difficulties this experience is laughable due to the very fact of not having a challenge, but in high difficulty we put aside most of the movement we learn to use the two (of more than 20) that keep us alive the most. It’s all about the deflection and a stunning headshot that creates an opportunity for a life-restoring execution. Relying on this takes away the variety and fun of becoming an “expert swordsman.” Sure, you can try other techniques but they don’t turn out to be as effective and apart from that most require a (sometimes very specific) rhythm of buttons that is not always easy to obtain.
At times there is also a feeling that enemy attacks and even certain actions sometimes occur out of time with what is perceived as their normal rhythm. This is especially noticeable with the use of the Ōzutsu (Hand Cannon) by both the player and enemies, as it sometimes requires a long reload of several seconds and other times it fires immediately.
This last topic is not major, so the combat can be considered as something acceptable but that could have shone more.
the world falls apart
In the story we see how Hiroki does his best to save all the people he can but more and more he realizes how this task becomes too big for him alone. We begin to see tragedy where we pass and we realize that the same tragedy will flood Hiroki’s life, as the invasion will reach his homeland.
Returning to his town in chaos, the protagonist searches for the author of such destruction. He finally finds him, but during the fight a wound received in his abdomen makes him lose consciousness.
Chapter 4 (四) of death (死)
Here we come to Chapter 4, one of the most forgettable of the seven in this story. While it serves as an introduction to the entire supernatural part of the story, “boring” is an understatement to qualify this section. After all, we meet the most tedious enemies of the entire tour: people infected by a strange disease who speak like Gollum (The Lord of the rings) and acting like zombies.
These enemies are not knocked back by damage and attack very slowly if the player doesn’t attack them first (which in that case they can launch a series of quick bites). This in a game where survival depends on parrying or deflecting attacks means slowing down to an almost unbearable point.. As if that weren’t enough, some are given pistols that deal up to half a life bar of damage, which shoot through other armored Infected, sometimes making them untargetable. The developers were so aware of the slowdown that they put in a section of a falling bridge that you have to cross quickly but has obstacles to several of these “zombies”: a not very pleasant corridor, definitely.
Descending to the very… Yomi
If this section is tolerated, it must be said that the development is still quite interesting. We enter the land of the dead of Japanese mythology known as “Yomi”, so the true story and purpose of the game starts here. Different tests must be passed in order to reach redemption, peace, or revenge, depending on the path we choose.
The name of Trek to Yomi means “Journey to Yomi”. That’s exactly what we do: we embark on a journey into the unknown, to the place where the souls of the dead roam, the place that awaits with a host of challenges and threats to overcome.
review of Trek to Yomi: art is the best of the title
From the announcement itself, we knew that Trek to Yomi it was going to stand out in its art direction, so it’s worth highlighting in this review. The first thing to highlight is the inspiration in the films of Japanese director Akira Kurosawa, one of the most recognized in the history of cinema. Although not all of his feature films were in black and white, great works like Seven Samurai (1954) carried this same style.
The game not only shows us what Japan looked like in the Edo period, but also presents us with plans that are aesthetically admirable and that are part of the narrative of the story. The choice to have a static camera at any moment of combat is very justifiable, as it conveys specific feelings that the creators wanted to share with us.
For example, in the Yomi we can see objects of great proportions rising in front of a Hiroki that looks very small, which communicates to us that idea of something that is too complex to understand for a simple human who is lost in that realm.
There is also a conscious reason for showing the Moon when Hiroki encounters death-related scenarios.. This is possibly a reference to Japanese mythology, as Tsukuyomi (the moon god) killed Uke Mochi, goddess of food. For this very reason Amaterasu (the Sun) got angry and swore never to see Tsukuyomi again, which is why the Sun and the Moon never meet.
A very interesting lesson in mythology
This same data of mythology is what makes Trek to Yomi a very interesting game beyond what the experience itself offers. All collectibles tell stories related to the ‘kami’ (gods) and customs to ensure good fortune. The descriptions of him are told from the point of view of an increasingly skeptical Hiroki that there are supernatural beings willing to defend people, as he believes that they have all abandoned them.
It is highly recommended to read Hiroki’s journal with each story update and the description of each collectible, as they enrich the context of this game.
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