Konnichiwa ladies, gentlemen and those of a non-binary nature, my name is Daibhi and this is the Gamerhub. Now and again, I like to take a step out of my comfort zone and review a game where the genre isn’t something I’d normally enjoy and see if I get pleasantly surprised or not. For this reason, I got to play an extremely lore-rich 2.5D side-scrolling action game, which has put me at odds with a lot of my contemporaries. When Trek To Yomi was released back in 2022, this game didn’t get a lot of love from reviewers, and a fair amount of critics actually disliked this game. However, the audience scores show this game to be a little different, and being the contrarian that I am, I decided to give this game a go and find out if this game really is as bad as my contemporaries would have you believe, or whether this game is actually good. Without further ado…

Introduction

Trek To Yomi is a side-scrolling action and combat game set in Feudal Japan. It was developed by Polish developers Flying Wild Hog (who have also made the Shadow Warrior franchise), and published by indie publishers Devolver Digital. I’ve had experience playing Devolver Digital games in the past, having played both Hotline Miami and the Serious Sam franchise, and if I’m honest, they appeal to a type of gamer which I am decidedly not. That being said, I threw myself head first into this game, and spent a total of 36 hours playing this game on an Xbox One X. You’re probably going to wonder why not a higher-spec console, and my answer is simple: I had to play this game on a lower console, as this game’s audience recommends such a move. Nearly every reviewer I contacted about this game recommended a PS4 or Xbox One for this game, and I wanted to see what all the negative hype was about. This game is also available on Xbox Series X and S, the PS5 and the Nintendo Switch, but as I’ve learned before, playing a port of a game on the Nintendo Switch is akin to playing Russian Roulette. You get so many good ports until you get the one that is simply unplayable.

Story

This game takes place in Feudal Japan, with all the stereotypes that anybody who has seen The Last Samurai, but without any Shinigami or any of the wonderful dragons that appear in Japanese artwork throughout the eons. It starts with your protagonist, Hiroki, who is training with his Sensei, when the word comes through that his village is under attack. Hiroki is ordered to stay behind, whilst his Sensei (Sanjuro) goes out to defend the village. Sanjuro’s beautiful daughter Aiko, encourages young Hiroki to go out and fight, and he does, but at the cost of Sanjuro’s life.

The time then skips forward a few years, when Hiroki is now the guardian of his village as the Samurai, and Aiko is the village chief. After a warlord takes on and over a nearby village, he then tries taking on Hiroki’s village. The warlord takes on the village, and it turns out that the warlord is the same knave that killed Sanjuro all those years ago. Worse still, he’s murdered Aiko on his second attempt to take the village. He then kills Hiroki savagely and destroys the village by fire.

From there, the plot takes a twist for the weird and ethereal, as Hiroki must fight through the underworld, to try and reconcile with Aiko, learn more from Sanjuro and a twist I won’t reveal, as I actually want you to experience this yourselves. At the end of this game, you’re left with an important choice, which gives you three different endings, and while none are particularly “the bad ending”, they all have different implications on the story.

I promised you that this game had no Shinigami and dragons, but there’s a lot of Shinto mythology in this game, and honestly, I found this element of the game absolutely fascinating. It really is rich in lore and is well worth multiple playthroughs for this reason alone. For anyone with a passing interest in Shinto mythology or simply Japanese mythology alone, this game is well worth a playthrough. I’ll talk a bit more about this in the “final thoughts” section.

Gameplay

The gameplay in this game is erratic, if I’m honest. As nearly everyone has played a samurai hack-and-slash game before, I can’t tell you that this game does anything innovative. That being said, anyone who loves this genre of game will absolutely love taking on multiple ronin and juggling enemy using combos throughout. The problem is that the combat never really gives the player a moment to take in the rich lore and emotional story. Every breather that you get is suddenly interrupted by other souls in this Shinto purgatory, and this seems to be what everyone hated when reviewing this game. I personally enjoyed it, as it created quite the challenge. You can’t rest on your laurels and do the same thing for every villain, in the same way that Hiroki can’t rest until he avenges the death of himself, his lover and his sensei.

Graphics

This is one of the reasons why you absolutely should play this game, because dear sweet Flying Spaghetti Monster, this game is exquisitely beautiful. This is where I suspect a large portion of the development budget went and it shows in a good way. Whilst yes, you find yourself fighting for a good amount of the time, there are moments where you can simply marvel at the artwork. Also, just like Mad Max Fury Road, this game benefits from the grayscale colour palette. It really does feel like you’re playing in a samurai film from the 1960s. If I’m honest, this game is a veritable paradise for everyone who uses the social media app Instagram, as it feels as though this game has been made for that. From the houses and temples, through to the gorgeously detailed landscapes, to even noticing how every blade of grass has been individually animated, play this game for that reason alone.

Price Point

For a game of this quality, I really expected this game to cost more than it does. For Xbox gamers, this game is available on Microsoft’s Game Pass, but if you really want to own this game, it will cost you a princely sum of £16.74. It has now been optimised for the Xbox Series consoles as well, so those on higher spec Xbox consoles won’t be disappointed. On PS4 and PS5, this game will cost you £15.99.

Final Thoughts

This game gets unfairly maligned by a lot of reviewers, but due to the short story, the multiple endings, the beautiful graphics and the heartbreaking lore, this is definitely a game that should either be on your wish list and/or in your digital library. The soundtrack is a bit generic, and the gameplay is frustratingly erratic, but this game is more about the journey than the destination, and what you learn along the way. I highly recommend playing this game.

Joystick rating 3.9 Joysticks out of 5.

For the Gamerhub community, I’ve been Daibhi, and you are all legends