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Despite its action mostly being on the middling side, the game’s artistic style and story make it a compelling experience
Having played loads of side-scrolling slashers over time, it’s easy to begin to feel like you’ve likely seen everything the genre has to offer. Then a game like Trek to Yomi comes along and blows it all away. Make no mistake, mechanically under the hood there’s some familiarity here, featuring a growing set of core moves but heavily relying on your ability to parry and counter attacks. That said, the presentation and story will pretty quickly suck you in and that helps it all feel different and new. Looking and generally feeling like an old-school black and white movie set in the age of samurai warriors, there’s a cinematic quality to the exploration and action that’s quite extraordinary and often outright beautiful. Action is set in many different locales and in a wide variety of lighting conditions, sometimes resulting in fights in front of roaring waterfalls and others with characters practically being in silhouette as you fight at night in front of burning buildings. Now, at times the way you’ll move through spaces can be a bit wonky, often highlighted by your need to work the edges everywhere you’ll go since there are often hidden spots and alternate paths you can take for some potential advantage. That said, the rewards of extra stamina or throwing weapons are worth the trouble. You do end up accumulating a pretty impressive set of moves, but with the exception of a few core practical ones like a turning slash I didn’t find I was able to work them well into fights, with your core ability to parry and counter being the best path to victory most often. All of that said, this is absolutely a game that delivers a unique experience, and was able to grab even the attention of someone who has become as jaded as I am… which says something in itself.
Justin Nation, Score:Nindie Choice! [8.3]