* Image is for illustrative purposes only.Trek to Yomi
トレック・トゥ・ヨミ
A 2022 black-and-white side-scrolling samurai action game developed by Flying Wild Hog and published by Devolver Digital, following young swordsman Hiroki, sworn to protect his village, as tragedy sends him on a journey through Yomi, the Japanese underworld. Noted for cinematography styled after classic samurai films.
Description
Overview
Trek to Yomi is a side-scrolling action-adventure game developed by Flying Wild Hog and published by Devolver Digital. It launched in May 2022 for PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Windows, and Xbox One/Series X|S, followed by a Nintendo Switch port in January 2023.
Story and Setting
Set in Edo-period Japan, the game follows the young swordsman Hiroki, who vowed to his dying master to protect his village and the people he loves. When tragedy strikes and his home is burned, Hiroki's quest carries him beyond the boundary of life and death into Yomi, the underworld of Japanese mythology, on a journey to confront his own past.
Gameplay and Visual Presentation
Combat combines fast, weak light attacks with slow, powerful heavy attacks, with well-timed blocks able to break an enemy's guard and open them up to a counter-attack. The game is best known for its entirely black-and-white presentation and bold, cinematic camera work reminiscent of classic samurai films, aiming to deliver an experience closer to watching a period film than a typical action game.
Inspiration
The development team has cited Akira Kurosawa's samurai films, the 1925 silent film Orochi, and Eiji Yoshikawa's novel Musashi as major influences, giving the game's visuals and storytelling a strong grounding in the tradition of Japanese sword-fighting cinema.
Real Swords Featured
Uchi-gatana
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This page is intended to introduce Japanese sword culture and is not affiliated with any of the works mentioned.