The demo of Trek to Yomi at PAX East might be the hardest game I’ve played in a while, and I’m currently making my way through Elden Ring. The side-scrolling action game has four difficulties, consisting of Kabuki, Bushido, Ronin, and Kensei. For the PAX demo, only the first three are available. I started with Bushido and eventually moved down to Kabuki towards the end, and even that offered a sufficient challenge. Now, I’ve never been great at side scrollers to begin with, but the black-and-white samurai-themed game is as unforgiving as the blade.
The demo consists of arriving into town as the samurai Hiroki, just as bandits arrive in town as well. Players make their way across bridges, through houses, and over rooftops, dispatching enemies by blocking attacks with their sword and following up these parries with lighter or stronger attacks. Light attacks work best for faster enemies with less armor, and heavy attacks cut downwards onto the heads of those who are otherwise well protected. Along the way to Sadatame, the leader of these bandits and the boss of the demo, shrines serve as checkpoints and restore health. And for that final fight, that’s especially important.
Sadatame has a much larger health bar than the other enemies, but that’s not the only way in which the fight shakes things up. Halfway through he jumps to the background and his lackeys jump into the foreground, appetizers for the main course of his final aggressive assault across the screen. Sadatame fights with a spear, and it’s hard to land a hit, but satisfying when I can block enough of his attacks to land one of my own. Finally, he goes down, but in a cutscene Sadatame lands a hit on Hiroki’s pride, which caused the samurai to prioritize fighting him instead of rescuing the village.
Though not a direct adaptation of a specific work, it’s easy to see how Trek to Yomi draws from the classic films of Akira Kurosawa. The game, developed by Flying Wild Hog and published by Devolver Digital, tells the story of a samurai and his quest for revenge after bandits destroy his village. Seven Samurai, arguably Kurosawa’s most famous work, focuses on a village that hires a group of samurai to defend it from the bandits that promise to pillage the town. Trek to Yomi draws from aspects of particular films but also film in general, as each scene is framed cinematically. As we’ve said before, one can forget they’re playing a game.
Trek to Yomi will make its way to PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, and PC on May 5th. In the meantime, clear your schedule to watch a Kurosawa film or two. Who knows? It might even help prepare for the duels by sword.
