Trek to Yomi

Trek to Yomi is an action adventure set in Japan at the end of the Edo period, in which the player, as young samurai Hiroki, sets out to avenge his master's death and protect his home town, a journey that eventually leads him into mythical, supernatural realms. Combat is built on simple but precise close-quarters swordplay, where the timing of dodges, blocks, and attack combinations matters, supplemented by limited ranged weapons like a bow or kunai. The game alternates linear progress through the town with short platforming and stealth sections, and as it progresses, Hiroki's combat technique expands with new combos and abilities earned through story progression.

The most striking element is the black-and-white cinematic presentation, inspired by classic Japanese samurai films, with fixed camera angles reminiscent of movie shots and a grainy visual filter that fills out the retro atmosphere. On Xbox Series X|S the game runs smoothly at high resolution, where the play of light and shadow typical of the black-and-white aesthetic really stands out, and it also offers the option to switch to a color mode for players who prefer a more classic look.

At launch, the game earned praise especially for its visual style and atmosphere, while the combat system was rated as functional but less deep than in bigger action titles. Even so, Trek to Yomi remains an interesting experiment in linking gameplay mechanics with a tribute to a specific film genre, one that on Xbox Series X|S makes full use of its visual styling and remains one of the few titles to take that kind of cinematic homage as its central conceit. Its short playtime also means the game doesn't try to artificially pad itself out with repetitive combat, but instead keeps a consistent pace throughout and strives to make the viewing and playing experience feel like one cohesive whole, which will especially please players looking for a shorter but tightly compact and aesthetically unified experience.

Why play it: For the striking black-and-white visuals and homage to Japanese cinema rather than combat depth, appreciated by players looking for a shorter but stylistically cohesive experience.