Trek to Yomi is one of those games that caught my attention this year. The way it was presented actually looks so incredible to me: just pure black and white samurai game. This game showed a lot of potential in many different ways. The graphics actually look so decent, especially the cinematography. I honestly had a high expectations for this game since I've got to play Japanese-like games like Ghost of Tsushima and Sekiro. This one is different. The story is somewhat mediocre, the prologue seems promising and eventually turned into a horror-like one with creepy Japanese folk-lore references behind it. The gameplay seems fine and needs a lot of polishing. The fighting mechanics are so stiff and lacking with a feeling of satisfaction. I love slashing enemies with fashion. The parry system doesn't actually work at times. Overall, this game still needs to be developed further though I can see that it showed a lot of potential.

**VISUALS**

_Artistry: 10/12_

_Technical Merit: 7/8_

  

**SOUND DESIGN**

_Music: 12/12_

_Sound Effects & Vocals: 6/8_

  

**INTERACTION**

_Control & Interface: 3/8_

_Player Agency: 5/8_

_Accessibility: 3/4_

  

**MECHANICS**

_Feedback & Fun: 5/10_

_Depth: 3/5_

_Variety: 3/5_

  

**CHARACTER**

_Narrative: 7/8_

_Heart: 4/6_

_Originality: 4/6_

Trek to Yomi is one of those games that caught my attention this year. The way it was presented actually looks so incredible to me: just pure black and white samurai game. This game showed a lot of potential in many different ways. The graphics actually look so decent, especially the cinematography. I honestly had a high expectations for this game since I've got to play Japanese-like games like Ghost of Tsushima and Sekiro. This one is different. The story is somewhat mediocre, the prologue seems promising and eventually turned into a horror-like one with creepy Japanese folk-lore references behind it. The gameplay seems fine and needs a lot of polishing. The fighting mechanics are so stiff and lacking with a feeling of satisfaction. I love slashing enemies with fashion. The parry system doesn't actually work at times. Overall, this game still needs to be developed further though I can see that it showed a lot of potential. VISUALSArtistry: 10/12Technical Merit: 7/8 SOUND DESIGNMusic: 12/12Sound Effects &amp; Vocals: 6/8 INTERACTIONControl &amp; Interface: 3/8Player Agency: 5/8Accessibility: 3/4 MECHANICSFeedback &amp; Fun: 5/10Depth: 3/5Variety: 3/5 CHARACTERNarrative: 7/8Heart: 4/6Originality: 4/6

Showed some potentials