Trek to Yomi

Trek to Yomi is a side-scrolling action game in black and white created by Polish video game developer Flying Wild Hog and released by American video game publisher Devolver Digital. It's available on Nintendo Switch, Playstation 4, Playstation 5, Windows, Xbox One and Xbox Series X/S. The game is set during the Edo period of feudal Japan and honours Japanese cinema of the forties, fifties and sixties by referencing works of directors such as Inagaki Hiroshi, Kurosawa Akira, Ozu Yasujiro, Taniguchi Senkichi, Uchida Tomu, Yamamoto Kajiro and Yamamoto Satsuo. If these names are unfamiliar to you and the game interests you, let me suggest to watch films such as The 47 Ronin (1941), Rashomon (1950), Gate of Hell (1953), Samurai I: Musashi Miyamoto (1954), Samurai II: Duel at Ichijoji Temple (1955), Samurai III: Duel at Ganryu Island (1956), Harakiri (1962), Thirteen Assassins (1963), Daimajin (1966) and Kuroneko (1968).

The video game's story revolves around samurai Hiroki who must defend his village against a violent warlord. Trek to Yomi features seven chapters that explore the protagonist's life from adolescence until adulthood and focus on his relationship to his master Sanjuro and his love interest Aiko. Throughout the game, players get to explore villages, rivers, mountains, farms and a mythological world. Players will have to defeat murderous bandits but also otherworldly creatures. There are also different choices that can lead up to four different endings which means that this game has some replay value for dedicated fans.

The game's most outstanding elements are its unique graphics that truly bring Japanese cinema to life, its creative story line inspired by Japanese culture, history and religion and its combat mechanics offering some decent challenges to new and occasional action game players.

Some elements that might be criticized are the repetitive gameplay elements and the simplistic side-scrolling approach. This game could have gotten better reviews if it had included more challenging puzzles and creative side quests as well as some more diversified and dynamic combat controls.

However, Trek to Yomi isn't only a very good side-scrolling action game but also a sincere homage to Japanese cinema that easily outclasses open-world games based upon Japanese culture, history and religion. Before purchasing ambitious, epic and long video games such as Ghost of Tsushima, Nioh and Ronin that are mostly enjoyed by younger audiences who have never been to Japan in the first place, you should rather play Trek to Yomi, watch traditional Japanese cinema and save money to visit this fascinating country by yourself without any compromises.