Trek to Yomi (NSP, XCI) ROM + v0.4 Update

Trek to Yomi is a 2022 side-scrolling action game developed by Flying Wild Hog and published by Devolver Digital. Set during the Edo period of feudal Japan, the game follows a young swordsman named Hiroki who embarks on a quest for vengeance when his home village is burned, leading him to enter Yomi, the Japanese underworld, and confront the evils of his past. The game was released for PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Windows, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S in May 2022, followed by a Nintendo Switch port in January 2023. It received mixed reviews from critics.

GAMEPLAY

Trek to Yomi is a side-scrolling action game. There are two modes of melee attack; light attacks are fast but weak, and heavy attacks are slow but strong. A well-timed block will break an enemy guard, allowing players to counter-attack.

Melee attacks can be combined with directional movements for actions such as thrusting a sword forward or turning deftly to slash enemies attacking from behind. Players need to observe the combat stance of their opponents and react accordingly. For instance, the player should stab an enemy by thrusting forward if their opponent is prepared to block the player’s attack by holding their sword horizontally.

The player character primarily fights with a katana. New weapons such as ozutsu, bo-shurikens, and ranged weapons such as bows and arrows unlock as the player progresses in the game. While the game is set in the Edo period, it also features bosses, mythological creatures, and other supernatural elements. The player can also occasionally use various environmental hazards to kill their opponents, avoiding direct combat altogether.

Gameplay regularly alternates between freeform exploration and side-scrolling combat sessions that utilize a fixed camera. While the game is mostly a linear experience, its world features secret areas where players can find additional health and stamina upgrades, as well as bonus tools and weapons. They would also discover shrines that replenish the player’s health and stamina. Each shrine, however, can only be used once in a playthrough. The player may also encounter other friendly non-playable characters who may give them clues as to where to go next. While the game is designed to be a challenging experience, it also features a cinematic mode which lowers the game’s difficulty level. Once the player completes the game, they will unlock an extra difficulty mode in which the player character will die immediately when they are hit.

PLOT

Young Hiroki is training with his master, Sanjuro when they receive word that the village has come under attack by bandits. Sanjuro orders Hiroki to stay as he leaves to fight. However, Sanjuro’s daughter and Hiroki’s love interest, Aiko, encourages Hiroki to help her father. After fighting through hordes of bandits, Hiroki sees his master and rushes to help, but is confronted by the bandit leader Kaguro.

Hiroki wounds him but is defeated. Before Kaguro can kill Hiroki, Sanjuro confronts him and kills him at the cost of his own life. Before he dies, he has Hiroki swear to him that he will always protect Aiko and the village in this life and beyond. Years later, Hiroki is the main samurai for his village with Aiko as the village chief. They learn that a warlord is about to attack the village and has already attacked another nearby village.

Hiroki and some fellow soldiers go to investigate but are ambushed and Hiroki’s men are captured. After fighting through the enemy forces, he confronts the second-in-command who has Hiroki’s men killed in front of him. After defeating him, the enemy reveals that the warlord is already at the village destroying it. Hiroki rushes back to find the village on fire. He confronts the warlord revealed to be Kaguro. Kagura reveals that he already killed Aiko before he killed Hiroki.

Hiroki’s soul is now in Yomi where he chases after a spirit that looks like Aiko. When he catches up to the spirit, it transforms into a banshee. After defeating the banshee, it reveals itself to be Aiko’s enraged spirit, which is now calm. Aiko reveals that Hiroki can go back to the village and stop Kaguro, but he has to travel to the depths of Yomi to do it.

Hiroki agrees to do it and faces many trials including the spirits of his former men. Along with the enraged spirit of his master Sanjuro. After overcoming many dangers, he’s confronted with a spirit that takes on his form. After defeating it the spirit asks him what is his true path. After answering, the spirit sends him back to the village where he confronts Kaguro once more. Kagura reveals that he did die back then and made the same trip through Yomi and stole the spirits’ powers for himself. After defeating Kaguro once and for all one of three endings happens based on what path you choose.

If you choose Love, Hiroki will hear Aiko calling him back to Yomi and he returns to spend eternity with her. If you choose Duty, Hiroki will stay in the village to be its protector forever and will train his apprentice. If you choose Hatred, Hiroki will take Kaguro’s armor and army to become a warlord himself. There is also a fourth ending if you manage to defeat Kaguro back in Chapter 3. Hiroki finds Aiko’s dead body and realizes he has no purpose anymore and sets out to find a new one.