Leonard Menchiari·Released May 5, 2022·Single player
As a vow to his dying Master, the young swordsman Hiroki is sworn to protect his town and the people he loves against all threats. Faced with tragedy and bound to duty, the lone samurai must voyage beyond life and death to confront himself and decide his path forward.
At just a handful of hours, Trek to Yomi sadly still manages to outstay its welcome. It asks its visuals to carry the gameplay, but their novelty wears off before the final act. This is particularly true on Switch, where dropped resolution and simplified scenery steal some of the magic and ugly character close-ups blemish the overall aesthetic. As imaginatively as Yomi is realised, the game still feels like a trek.
In Trek to Yomi, the dog is more bark than bite.
Trek to Yomi's art direction does a lot of heavy lifting, but it doesn't make up for the game's many flaws.
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Trek to Yomi is a decent samurai action game, elevated greatly by its superb presentation. Clocking in at only a few hours, this is a brief but ultimately satisfying tale, stitched together by some simple but very effective environmental design, and a combat system that rewards careful play. It's not quite side-scrolling Ghost of Tsushima, but it is an impressively atmospheric love letter to samurai cinema.
Trek to Yomi is a game of two halves, where slightly repetitive combat does bring things down a notch. However, that other half — made up of the game's visuals, characters, storyline, atmosphere and overall polish — is so good that you'll want to carry on trekking right until the end. More involved combat could have elevated this one to being potentially one of our very favourite Game Pass games, but make no mistake, this is an adventure you'll want to head out on.
Trek to Yomi absolutely nails the samurai aesthetic in a satisfying but modest adventure.
A stunning samurai side-scroller that spins a compelling tale of revenge, but samey enemies let the trek down a little.
Trek to Yomi oozes style by evoking the legendary samurai flicks of Akira Kurosawa, but its stilted combat lacks the substance to make this a classic in itself.
