Trek to Yomi Proves a Worthy Novel Entry to the Ever-Growing Samurai Sub-Genre

On January 30, one of the most eye-catching indie games revealed last year finally made it to PC, Xbox, PlayStation, and Nintendo Switch. Developed by Leonard Menchiari, Flying Wild Hog, and Devolver Digital, Trek to Yomi delivers on its promise of samurai cinema-style gameplay in the notoriously grim Edo period of feudal Japan.

Being a side-scrolling action game in black and white, Trek to Yomi certainly won’t appeal to everyone. However, it certainly delivers a novel experience with an already vast, popular, and creative sub-genre of sorts. As 2023’s first entry into the samurai gaming space, it’s certainly worth a look if you enjoyed other top-class samurai games.

A cinematic experience that can be either challenging or relaxing

 

Upon starting Trek to Yomi, you’ll be presented with the standard three difficulty options. The easy mode allows you to enjoy the story and playthrough in a relaxing way, appreciating the tale of vengeance and the aesthetics above all. The hard mode, however, is particularly brutal – even early on while you’re still trying to get to grips with the timing of parries and combination attacks. Medium mode tends to lean more towards easy than middle-ground difficulty setting.

It isn’t an expensive game, as you’d expect, so some reviews that criticize it only lasting a few hours may be a bit misplaced. Still, even leading outlets that do note it as being brief also credit the game’s cinematic presentation, atmospheric gameplay, and design. This is all fair, as it’s much more of an action experience at the difficulty that you choose rather than a vast open world with all the options we’ve come to demand from triple-A releases.

While there has long been interest in the samurai theme in gaming, it seems that recently, it has really picked up as the popular setting for new titles. Many of these releases have been either smaller-scale games from other lines of entertainment or major triple-A releases. Trek to Yomi nestles nicely in the middle with a low price point and a distinct samurai cinema appeal that enables it to stand out among its peers.

Joining the ranks of many big-hitting samurai games

 

If there’s one place to look to see what themes are trending in entertainment, it’s online slots. Many get created each month, with developers battling to catch the eyes of players. This is why online casino platforms boast several samurai slots now. At The Clubhouse Casino, you’ll find Silent Samurai, Pixel Samurai, Rising Samurai: Hold & Win, Samurai Ken, Ways of the Samurai, Story of the Samurai: 10 Lines, and Story of the Samurai: The Last Ronin to spin.

In triple-A gaming, one creation dominates when you want an incredibly well-realized samurai game. Ghost of Tsushima came out in July 2020, got a demonic-themed multiplayer expansion, and added another island adventure as DLC. While the setting, mood, and story were all superb, it’s the combat that makes the Sucker Punch Production game so enticing. The swordplay is as close to perfection as you’ll find in samurai gaming to date.

There are many more adding to the ranks of great samurai games. Nioh 2 is distinctly Souls-like in its play and infusion of mythical entities; Bushido Blade was all about mastering arcade-style swordplay; and Samurai Warriors 5 gives you a sprawling roster of samurai to take to packed battlefields to win the day. Of course, you could also go with the much more strategic, top-down approach offered by Total War: Shogun 2 to try to conquer all of Japan.

Anyone who wants to enjoy a jaunt as a samurai warrior for a few hours is spoiled for choice these days, and Trek to Yomi adds another novel way to experience the popular setting.