Trek to Yomi xbox

Samurai adventure Trek to Yomi has finally arrived on Xbox, and it's yet another day one Game Pass release. With that in mind, you're probably wondering how the game is stacking up thus far.

As the review embargo has lifted, opinions are starting to hit the web, including our own take on Trek to Yomi. So, here's what the critics are saying about the game so far:

Pure Xbox (8/10)

Trek to Yomi is a game of two halves, where slightly repetitive combat does bring things down a notch. However, that other half — made up of the game's visuals, characters, storyline, atmosphere and overall polish — is so good that you'll want to carry on trekking right until the end. More involved combat could have elevated this one to being potentially one of our very favourite Game Pass games, but make no mistake, this is an adventure you'll want to head out on.

COGConnected (8.5/10)

Taken as a whole, Trek to Yomi is an impressive homage to classic Japanese action films. It looks and sounds incredible, with art direction and music that are impeccably authentic to both history and cinema. As an action game, Trek to Yomi is engaging but a bit lacking in variety and depth, with controls and animations less polished than its visuals.

NME (8/10)

Hands-down, the best thing about Trek To Yomi is the way these levels are presented to the player. Along with the game’s black and white filter, every screen in the game is framed in the style of a film shot – and whether you’re traversing through brief action sequences or lingering landscape shots, Trek To Yomi is one of the most visually appealing games in recent memory.

IGN (7/10)

Trek to Yomi is a brief but captivating journey that’s like playing through a monochromatic Japanese movie, and that excellent presentation is enough to carry it even though it falls short in most other respects. Combat is one-note and easily mastered, and exploration and puzzles don’t have much to offer aside from a fleeting distraction. Thankfully, its relatively brief story was one that still drew me in enough to absolutely feel worth my time.

Destructoid (7/10)

It’s probably fairer to say that Trek to Yomi is about old post-war Samurai flicks. The whole game is presented in black and white with heavy film grain effects. Rather than just being a filter, however, Trek to Yomi takes great care in its use of shadow, contrast, and framing.

Game Informer (6.8/10)

Trek to Yomi is a 2D side-scroller, which means exploration and combat both take place on a narrow plane. Whether battling through sunny fields or supernatural swamps, fights consist of enemies awkwardly running into your line of sight, then engaging you. Moment-to-moment gameplay essentially amounts to: Confront groups of enemies, run down a linear path, find collectibles or ammo, beat the boss, repeat. Everything is technically sound, but there’s not a lot to get excited about.

Gamespot (5/10)

The faults of its gameplay are especially disappointing given that Trek to Yomi is such a gorgeous and spellbinding game to look at. Its visuals are evocative of classic samurai cinema in a way few other games have managed, successfully capturing the look and feel of Kurosawa's masterpieces with aplomb. It's easy to recommend if you have an Xbox Game Pass subscription, if only to marvel at each meticulously constructed frame. If only the game beneath it all wasn't such an unfortunate letdown.

Overall, Trek to Yomi is getting pretty solid reviews thus far! We rather enjoyed it here at Pure Xbox, although we agree with others that its combat lets the game down a touch. At the time of writing, Yomi is sitting at 72 on Metacritic, which is a respectable score!

Are you looking forward to trekking to Yomi courtesy of Xbox Game Pass? Let us know in the comments!