I should just get this out of the way: I've seen one classic samurai film - the original Seven Samurai - and it was so long ago that you could probably convince me that there were actually six samurai total. I recall enjoying it, and I'm broadly familiar with the genre through cultural osmosis. That having been said: I don't know the particulars. I don't know what Trek to Yomi gets right and wrong. I'll leave that to someone better versed in the films the game is inspired by.
Now, the review. Trek to Yomi, whatever it ultimately is, is neither of the things I wanted it to be. Is it good? Definitely. Great sense of style, the combat feels about right for samurai combat. Bold swings, standing your ground, fending off enemies on both sides. It's not driven by agility, by dodges. You wait, you strike, you parry. Well done, although I get the feeling that the difficulty was toned down. If enemies did just a bit more damage, if healing checkpoints were just a bit further apart, if you were punished just a little more often for mistakes then it would be - at least for me - pitch perfect with the theme. As it is, it feels like it was tuned down a bit for accessibility, but the game is short enough that a second run on hard mode is possible for the curious. Beyond that, it feels like a classic story, presents itself seriously and does so well. Hard to ask for much more there.
The problem is, I want Trek to Yomi to be either more game or more film.
More game. Color as highlights, a more dynamic world that feels less like setpieces. More engaging secrets, a greater variety of enemies, a more fantastic underworld. Or more film. A world built by practical effects, with none of the fantastic, impossible for the time set pieces of said underworld. Less of a need to break the narrative flow to look for secrets during dramatic moments. A more concise, film-like structure that feels less like levels and more like a story. Fewer fights with greater drama.
As it is, it straddles the line between film and game well, but not so well that I don't wish it was more one than the other.
Now, the review. Trek to Yomi, whatever it ultimately is, is neither of the things I wanted it to be. Is it good? Definitely. Great sense of style, the combat feels about right for samurai combat. Bold swings, standing your ground, fending off enemies on both sides. It's not driven by agility, by dodges. You wait, you strike, you parry. Well done, although I get the feeling that the difficulty was toned down. If enemies did just a bit more damage, if healing checkpoints were just a bit further apart, if you were punished just a little more often for mistakes then it would be - at least for me - pitch perfect with the theme. As it is, it feels like it was tuned down a bit for accessibility, but the game is short enough that a second run on hard mode is possible for the curious. Beyond that, it feels like a classic story, presents itself seriously and does so well. Hard to ask for much more there.
The problem is, I want Trek to Yomi to be either more game or more film.
More game. Color as highlights, a more dynamic world that feels less like setpieces. More engaging secrets, a greater variety of enemies, a more fantastic underworld. Or more film. A world built by practical effects, with none of the fantastic, impossible for the time set pieces of said underworld. Less of a need to break the narrative flow to look for secrets during dramatic moments. A more concise, film-like structure that feels less like levels and more like a story. Fewer fights with greater drama.
As it is, it straddles the line between film and game well, but not so well that I don't wish it was more one than the other.