Trek to Yomi is a real declaration of love towards the oriental black and white martial arts cinema of the golden age. A unique title of its kind, which perfectly blends action and narration, inspired by the classics of the genre that were screened in the dark of theaters, in Cinemascopelike the unforgettable works of the Master Akira Kurosawaamong which we remember the cult film of the fifties The Seven Samurai, still today endowed with a timeless charm. After getting noticed on other platforms, Xbox, PlayStation e PC, who have it available in the catalog since May of last year, here is, finally, the work of the game designer Leonard Menchiari comes on the hybrid flagship of Nintendo, ready to make you fall in love with its atmosphere linked to the history of feudal Japan. Get ready to take up your bladed weapons and follow the moving story of the noble swordsman Hiroki.
If there’s a sinking current, there’s a floating current
Trek to Yomi is one of those unique and artistic titles that, let’s face it, it would have been a real shame not to have in the su catalog Nintendo Switch. Especially given the good critical success achieved on the other platforms on which it has been available since May 5th. On our pages we have already reviewed the version for PlayStation 5which you can find here, but the game is already available for PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S e Personal Computerthrough the best known distribution channels, i.e Steam, Epic Games, Humble e GOG. Therefore only the flagship of the Kyoto house was missing. The title, come on Switchweighs about four Giga Bytes, not much, if we think of giants like Life is Strange 2 which takes away 27GB of precious memory, and keeps all the characteristics seen on other formats practically unchanged, with a good level of conversion. After all, the game does not make three-dimensional graphics pumped up its forte, on the contrary, it is very minimalist and refined, preferring quality narration to the brute force of polygons. Even if the action part is quite engaging, mind you, but with bland and often not very intriguing and noteworthy fights with white weapons, at the end of the games, in fact it is mainly the narrative, full of style and visual gimmicks, that strikes prominently. If you love titles inspired by the fantastic world of the Samurai, feudal Japan and all the atmospheres connected to martial arts, you might end up loving it. Unlike other titles seen on the same machine, let’s think for example of 9 Monkeys of Shaolin Of Sabaka Studiowhich we have reviewed on this page, Trek to Yomi does not start from the atmospheres of the films of Akira Kurosawato create a traditional game, but indeed has the audacity to create a real mix between film and video game, creating a real interactive multimedia work of a cinematographic type, refined, cultured, and full of quotations of the genre to which it rightfully appears to belong .
Trek to Yomi, the interactive cinematographic work of Leonard Menchiari
Published by the Texan publisher Return Digitalwhose official page you can find at the following LINK, and developed by Flying Wild HogPolish team we remember for Shadow Warrior and for the crazy Devolverland Expowhich we have reviewed here, the splendid title Trek to Yomi find in Leonard Menchiari his key man. The game designer and director, which you can also find on Twitter on his official pageis a true fan of the works of Akira Kurosawa dedicated to martial arts, and also cites among his inspirations the legendary Italian westerns of Sergio Leonewhich in fact in film culture are often connected to films by Kurosawa. Among other things, the author stated that he would have liked to quote the iconic actor directly in the game Toshiro Mifune, protagonist of those films, which unfortunately was not possible. Interactive Film Director, as the artist himself defines himself, Leonard Menchiari in fact, he has a strongly cinematographic style, which favors very evocative visual glimpses, a fixed camera and long shots in which the action takes place, often preferring the narration to the action, or the visually spectacular moment, as indeed also happens in The Eternal Castlean interesting previous work dated 2020 and made independently that you can find on this page. Trek to Yomi manages to kidnap the player, or the interactive spectator, if you prefer, from the very first moments, and tells the story of the swordsman Hiroki, who finds himself investigating something mysterious that happened in his village, in an almost dreamlike way. The young student has in fact promised his master to face the evil entities that infest his village, and when the master disappears it is time to act. After a short tutorial that teaches the basic moves, and which takes place right in the dojo, the real story begins. All in black and white Cinemascopenuanced and impalpable, full of charm, borrowed from those films Akira Kurosawa that the author wants to pay homage. The choice of using a fixed camera is truly optimal, because it allows the game designer to truly become a director and tell everything in the most personal way possible. Remember the first God of War are PlayStation 2? The fixed camera, in a historical period in which all the developers preferred the dynamic one instead, was one of the reasons for the success, linear narration, combined with spectacular moments. The formula doesn’t change. Similarly the side shots, which also give the title a further retro charm, help to focus on the narrative and the linearity of the story, rather than on the details of the game, elements of which the latter, however, is rich and provided. We are often enraptured by some passing skits in which the NPCs are the protagonists, whether they are independent or directly interactive with us. Some elements of the scenario, then, must be moved manually, also combining a mild strategic component and closely recalling the immortal Prince of Persia Of Jordan Mechnerreleased on Apple ][[in 1989. The two-dimensional setting in total B&W brings to mind even the immortal Limboone of the most fascinating titles ever.
Three different modes are selectable at the beginning, Kabuki, Bushido and Ronin, as well as a fourth special, called Kensei, which is unlocked by finishing the main quest once. The latter, it should be remembered, has four multiple endings, which increases the replayability factor. Especially considering that the total longevity is just under five hours. Touch Screen support, as easy to guess, is totally absent, and we do not miss it. The fights are actually sporadic, and exploration and storytelling are preferred, but when these happen they are full of charm and style. The protagonist also has a fatigue gauge, which makes it more realistic. The technical realization is remarkable, and, although the setting is strictly two-dimensional, we have a solid three-dimensional engine behind it like Unreal Engine 4. The exceptional visual sector is combined with excellent sound, with music created in the full style of the Japanese Middle Ages, complete with very accurate dubbing in the original language. Yes, you read right, the game is developed in Poland, published in the United States, but the language is that of the Rising Sun. With subtitles also tricolor, however. The style of the game is all in these great little design choices. If you really hate the Japanese language, however, it is possible to activate the optional dubbing in English, know this. Long and complex dialogues, which sometimes even ignore our movements on the screen and continue even if we move away, but then the game has a cultural claim to be an interactive film, and can afford this too. There are no jumps, there is only running, at most the shot, we can walk, reflect, explore and fight. This will seem to many to be a limit, especially for an Action Adventure, to others Pure Art. In the same way, the level of challenge is decidedly mild, with hand-to-hand clashes that are never too demanding, which are mainly functional to the narrative. In fact, we recommend the title almost exclusively to those who love the latter factor, and above all to film culture enthusiasts. Trek to Yomi it is in fact playfully bland and decidedly linear, fighting is secondary to following the story and its iconic characters. An interactive film of high artistic quality, made up of Action Adventure to go to the sword.
Piattaforme: PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, Switch
Sviluppatore: Flying Wild Hog, Leonard Menchiari
Publisher: Devolver Digital
Devolver Digital’s Trek to Yomi debuts on the Nintendo Switch hybrid console, bringing the indescribable charm of feudal Japan to all pockets. A good conversion for diehard fans of the Grande N, who will finally be able to try the interesting artistic title that has already been available on competing platforms for some time. A cultured, refined work inspired by the iconic samurai films of Akira Kurosawa’s golden era, which is available on the unstoppable Nintendo flagship from January 30th. A title that combines action and narration well, while strongly preferring the second. Leonard Menchiari’s most ambitious work literally catapults us into a real martial arts film, strictly in black and white and Cinemascope format, but in an interactive version. A game for the few, certainly, but whose cultural and authorial level is very high, and deserves a special place in your Switch game library.
