We've been champing at the bit for
Trek to Yomi -- a game presented in the style of a jidaigeki samurai film, not at all unlike those of
Akira Kurosawa or
Teinosuke Kinugasa from yesteryear. Here, that homage plays out as an old-school-styled hand and slash, but does its representative charm outplay its
play?
Here's a snippet:
You can decapitate enemies, and against a moonlit backdrop with your avatar silhouetted and their blood spraying, the scene is presented in a stunning and brutal way. But any other enemies around you that saw that don’t care, and just come at you. A fear system, even if just aesthetic, wouldn’t have gone astray (think Ghost of Tsushima), or something more tangible where you could reward a player who’d been untouchable and perfect in their offensive and defensive skills. It also would have made contextual sense, but instead you just sort of slice and dice your way through the game, with your progress never really reflected outside of story -- the world doesn’t really react to you, unless you trigger a vignette or the like, and it’s a hugely missed opportunity.
Click here for our full Trek to Yomi review.