{"id":186083,"date":"2022-03-18T17:08:21","date_gmt":"2022-03-18T16:08:21","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/sftarticles.wpenginepowered.com\/en\/?p=186083"},"modified":"2025-07-01T20:52:49","modified_gmt":"2025-07-02T03:52:49","slug":"trek-to-yomi-review","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cms-articles.softonic.io\/en\/trek-to-yomi-review\/","title":{"rendered":"Trek to Yomi review | Become a samurai legend"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Trek to Yomi<\/strong><\/a> is a platform action fighting game<\/strong> developed by Flying Wild Hog and published by Devolver Digital, the same group that brought us Shadow Warrior 3<\/strong><\/a>. You play as Hiroki who watches loved ones di<\/strong>e and picks up his Samurai sword to protect the village<\/strong>. It has an exciting story with blistering beautiful graphics that will keep you hooked.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There are some interesting combat mechanics<\/strong> and plenty of elements I didn\u2019t expect to see in a platform game. I have a deep love for the Japanese voice acting in the game, while I\u2019m glad there are English subtitles<\/strong>. You\u2019ll find plenty more details of what I did and didn\u2019t enjoy in my Trek to Yomi review below.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Trek to Yomi story<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The most remarkable aspect of Trek to Yomi is the story. It weaves a mystical tale in ancient Japan<\/strong> that calls to the heart. Here are the elements I enjoyed the most while playing the preview version I got access to.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A young samurai warrior<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

When you first start as Hiroki, you\u2019re simply a child. You quickly connect with him on a personal level, especially when things fall apart around him. You can feel the heat of anger and passion as you head out to defend the village<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At the core of the tale is when Hiroki loses someone close to him<\/strong> (won\u2019t spoil who it is). The expressions and pitch of his voice show you just how angry he is, but somehow, he channels that into his combat abilities. You\u2019ll also love how every aspect of Japanese lore is placed within the game as you progress through the story.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Trek<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Crossing ages<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Trek to Yomi doesn\u2019t linger on one stage of Hiroki\u2019s life. As you move between chapters<\/strong>, there are many years that pass. It shows how much he\u2019s developed in that time, which is also how you unlock new skills<\/strong>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Each chapter has missions <\/strong>you need to complete before you can progress further in the story. There are sometimes puzzles you need to complete, like in the form of moving objects. When you want to save progress, you\u2019ll visit shrines along the way<\/strong>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Trek<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Finding collectibles<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Progressing with the story isn\u2019t the only fun element in Trek to Yomi. There are collectibles<\/strong> you\u2019ll find along the way, but sometimes you need to discover secret areas or pathways to obtain them. As you complete a chapter, a new page will appear in your journal showing you what to look out for.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Trek<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

How long to play Trek to Yomi<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

If you take your time to play<\/strong> the game as I did for this review, you\u2019ll spend at least six to eight hours<\/strong>, if not more, completing the story. I\u2019m sure there are speedrunners that will attempt to do it faster, but I feel that\u2019s a generous amount of time if you want to soak in the story. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Trek to Yomi gameplay<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Now that you have a better idea of Trek to Yomi\u2019s story, I want to delve into the gameplay aspects<\/strong>. I honestly didn\u2019t think there could be so many elements in a platform game, but Flying Wild Hog and Devolver Digital have taken it to a whole new level.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Learning how to play Trek to Yomi<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

When you start playing Trek to Yomi, there\u2019s a tutorial<\/strong> that fits in nicely with the story. Your Sensai<\/em> or Master shows you the basics of attack and defend<\/strong>, which I found easier to use on an Xbox controller than on a keyboard. In some ways, the side-view fighting reminded me of Mortal Kombat 11<\/strong><\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The only tricky part was getting the parry right<\/strong>. You need to block and then time your attack right after. Even when I thought I\u2019d perfected it in the tutorial, I still struggled to maintain that perfection in actual battles. Fortunately, when you unlock abilities<\/strong> at a later stage, the journal shows you how to pull them off.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Trek<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Modes and difficulties<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

There are four different difficulties<\/strong> you can choose between, each one harder than the next. The first one mainly lets you focus on the story<\/strong>, so combat elements will be easier and almost non-existent. I played the second difficulty for my Trek to Yomi review, as I wanted to experience more of the fighting with the tale. The last two are even more challenging. As for the modes, you only have the campaign to play.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Trek<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Saving checkpoints<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

As you play through the story, you\u2019ll find shrines<\/strong> that you need to click on to save your progress<\/strong>. Fortunately, it saves any items you\u2019ve already collected, so you won\u2019t need to do that again. Also, it skips any cutscene videos you\u2019ve already watched, so you only need to fight the same villains and bandits as before.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Trek<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Combat mechanics<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The combat isn\u2019t too difficult <\/strong>once you get the hang of it. There are set functions<\/strong> for most of the Xbox buttons, and the trick is learning how to make the best of them in each situation. You can swing your Samurai sword<\/strong>, throw a spear-like Scorpion<\/strong> in Mortal Kombat, parry or block, or spin in the other direction.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You\u2019ll need to keep an eye on your stamina bar<\/strong>. When it becomes empty<\/strong>, blocking and special moves are no longer valid. I found myself learning to watch that meter to stay alive in Trek to Yomi. You\u2019ll feel a sense of satisfaction when you pull off the outstanding combos in later chapters, though.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Trek<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Unique abilities<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

In our Shadow Warrior 3 review, we mentioned how very reminiscent the finishing moves<\/strong> were to fatalities in Mortal Kombat. Even though Trek to Yomi is a platform game, the developer somehow managed to incorporate the same mechanics. It sent chills down my spine seeing how I stunned the enemy and then decapitated him in one swipe of my sword.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As you move through later chapters, you\u2019ll unlock new abilities and combos<\/strong>. They\u2019ll help you with tougher enemies and bosses, and also put a smile on your face if you love martial arts as much as I do. Check your journal now and again to see how the movements work.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Trek<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

User interface<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

There are only a few menus<\/strong> to use in Trek to Yomi. The one contains your journal with the story chapters, while another has your abilities. You can also view your collectibles<\/strong>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

On the game screen, there isn\u2019t much to distract you. There\u2019s a small health section<\/strong> with bars that deplete every attack on your body. When you visit a shrine, your health restores completely. You\u2019ll also see your stamina bar.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Gameplay performance<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The PC requirements<\/strong> for Trek to Yomi aren\u2019t that huge, and you can easily play it on a decent computer. When I get to the sound and visuals section of this review, these requirements will make a lot more sense:<\/p>\n\n\n\n