Watching Akira Kurosawa’s samurai movies is synonymous with having fun with John Wayne westerns, Jean-Luc Godard French cinema, or Alfred Hitchcock horror; Whereas meticulously looking for one thing much like quench the thirst for these classics, it is at all times a nice shock to seek out somebody who simply takes it, particularly when given in a unique setting. Trek to Yomi is one such instance the place the loving artwork model and aesthetic displays all the things Kurosawa imagined on the display screen, however this time permitting the participant to undergo the story firsthand. Whereas the builders have captured the identical temper because the supply materials, the sport might go away rather a lot to be desired, and the Nintendo Change {hardware} struggles to maintain up with the attractive visuals.

As a younger boy, Hiroki remains to be studying alongside his grasp on the dojo. Nevertheless, when looters assault his hometown, his grasp dies and Hiroki vows to guard the village any more. Hiroki grows up along with his grasp’s daughter, continues his training and turns into a lone samurai towards everybody he encounters on this quaint village. Reunited in battle along with his grasp’s assassin, his journey of revenge begins within the countryside the place Hiroki should save the city, defend the woman and take revenge on the bandits who’ve brutally murdered many. Whereas Trek to Yomi would not attempt to break the mould with its off-site storytelling, it succeeds in all the things it tries to do.

The cinematic nature of Trek to Yomi combines with its storytelling, but it surely’s the visuals that actually make it value seeing. Utilizing a method paying homage to the unique Resident Evil video games, with the digital camera typically set at odd angles to mirror a really cinematic high quality, Trek to Yomi does all the things it might to make the participant consider they’re in a film. to a side-scrolling perspective. Whereas this will trigger some points with the controls and the adjusted distance can typically be detrimental to performing some recreation capabilities, the sport sacrifices these areas to fully immerse the participant within the meant visible model.

Moreover, the black-and-white tone and cutscenes take issues even additional, making it really feel just like the actor is continually melting into Hiroki’s place from begin to end. The wonderful sound design and soundtrack hold the richness going, and the superb Japanese voice-over is a should.

However that is the place issues change a bit, as Trek to Yomi’s Nintendo Change port leaves rather a lot to be desired. Whereas framerate and efficiency sustain with the combo-packed gameplay, the visuals fall brief in extremely detailed environments. The transitions in lighting from very vibrant to fairly darkish are noticeably troublesome to play on the Change, whereas flowers and objects get a jagged edge not discovered on different {hardware}.

The gameplay is monotonous whatever the system you are taking part in, particularly when the visuals hit the Nintendo Change. Like different combo-based video games, Trek to Yomi has a fight system that stands out with assaults, dodges, parries, and blocks. Via these, combos could be discovered and used to make each encounter simpler, however on the finish of the day, merely hacking and hacking down base enemies often will get the job achieved. This turns into much more evident when ranged weapons are introduced at your disposal, together with shurikens and a bow and arrow. These assaults take the ammo that you must discover wherever on this planet, however they’re fairly plentiful so long as you are taking the time to go searching. The boss fights are rather more fascinating by way of the fights themselves and the help of the story, however finally Trek to Yomi is right here to not shock you with its techniques, however to allow you to play in a samurai film.

Following this mind-set, the world itself is stuffed with extra story factors to be discovered, however apart from that, it is largely a direct, linear journey from level A to level B. new combos to be taught or some gadgets to seek out. To facilitate upcoming fights, traps resembling a dangling log could be discovered that may be dropped on unsuspecting enemies. In any other case, the participant’s fundamental objective is to seek out the subsequent temple that serves as a rescue level, just like the bonfires of Darkish Souls.

Trek to Yomi is a love letter to basic Japanese cinema. Followers of the style can be completely engrossed and surprised that they will expertise one thing like this, and it is a visible must-see, even for these with no prior data. Sadly, these visuals are greatest skilled on techniques apart from the Nintendo Change, which solely makes the monotonous gameplay extra noticeable. The unimaginable storytelling, whereas cliché, pushes Trek in direction of Yomi, one thing value experiencing, particularly when the sport could be overwhelmed in a day.