Chris InglisTrek to Yomi is a samurai combat action game developed by Leonard Menchiari and Flying Wild Hog and is published by Devolver Digital. The game is set for release in Spring 2022, and I have been fortunate enough to play a hands-on preview of the first two chapters thanks to Power Up PR. The preview covered 45-minutes of gameplay and I was suitably impressed, and very much looking forward to the full release.
Having watched the gameplay, story and combat trailers released over the past couple of weeks, I was drawn to the game by the Japanese voice acting, unique black and white film grain styled artwork with great use of lighting, and the amazingly detailed 3D explorable environments which gives life and mood to the backdrops of each scene. Of course, the combat was also a major drawcard, switching to 2D side scrolling action as you quickly dispatch the many foes you’ll come up against.
There are three difficulties to choose from initially. Kabuki has a focus on story mode, Bushido increases the difficulty of combat and Ronin is the hardest difficulty, with a fourth Kensei difficulty initially disabled. The intro cinematic starts with a dramatic scene of a burning village with the narrator Sanjuro setting the scene. You see a young man, the main character Hiroki, head bowed with a sword held in front of him. The scene transitions to a younger version of Hiroki where he is sparring with Master Sanjuro, his sensei, and you are taught the basics of movement, combat combinations, rotation, blocking, parries, and counter attacks.
Your training is interrupted as the village has come under attack. Master Sanjuro rushes off leaving Hiroki with Sanjuro’s daughter, Aiko. They decide to investigate and head through the village. It’s here where the clever use of fixed camera angles encourages you to explore freely, displaying incredible detail in the villages and environment backdrops around you. Occasionally you will be able to help a villager who will give you a reward such as a collectible item. The use of bright lighting helped show you the direction to head, and before long you’ll come across the first of the bandits who have slain many villagers.
Despite you being just a boy, you head off into danger as Aiko stays behind to find Sensei Sanjuro. After activating a shrine, which replenishes your health and sets a checkpoint, you head off to your first fight. The bandits underestimate you, but you declare you’re a samurai and vanquish your first enemy. Combat is fluid but even in Kabuki story mode, you need to time your blocks and parries well, as stamina quickly depletes and can leave you in a tired state, open for attacks. This first chapter ends on a rather grim note, and you then fast forward in time where Hiroki is now of the age we see him first in the intro.
The second chapter sees you separated from your group who are taken and held captive. You will follow their trail through dense forest, villages, and caves. In the cave system, the depth perception is well done, and if you take your time exploring, you can find some pathways that will enable you to drop traps on a group of bandits. There are many secret areas to find and side areas to explore which will reward you with health/stamina upgrades, collectibles and sometimes Bo-Shurikens which you can throw at enemies. The final battle in chapter 2 takes all you’ve learned in combat to take down the boss, and a realisation hits hard for Hiroki.
Overall, Trek to Yomi, with its black and white film grain artwork, outstanding Japanese voice acting and fluid samurai swordplay, is an authentic joy to play. I can say from playing these first two chapters, Flying Wild Hog have created a fantastic game here and I’m intrigued to see where the story goes.
This preview utilised a Steam key provided by Power Up PR and Trek to Yomi is set for release in Spring 2022 on PC and both old gen and current gen PlayStation and Xbox consoles, as well as being available day one on Game Pass.
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