WEBVTT

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- Action side-scroller
Trek to Yomi got a port

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on the Nintendo Switch this
week introducing what was one

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of my most memorable gaming experiences

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in 2022 to a wider audience.

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Yomi comes to us from
independent game developer

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Leonard Menchiari and Polish
studio Flying Wild Hog,

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whose collaboration here
truly captures the aesthetics

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of works from legendary
filmmaker Akira Kurosawa.

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In that same cinematic vein,

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Yomi plays around with camera perspective

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in interesting ways as it blends the 2D

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and 3D plains across the
game's seven chapters.

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The story is pretty straightforward.

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As a vow to his dying master,

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young Swordsman Hiroki is
sworn to protect his town

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and the people he loves
against all threats.

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Believe it or not, this
doesn't go so great.

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(sword stabbing)

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(foreign language)

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(sword unsheathed)

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(whoosh)

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Trek's characters slot
neatly into archetypes

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like the doomed lost
love, the sage sensei,

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and our tortured, dutiful hero.

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Yet I found myself genuinely
moved by Hiroki's tale of loss,

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revenge, and the cost of seeking it

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when all was said and done.

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Over the course of my roughly
eight hour playthrough,

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I traversed windswept landscapes,
foreboding fortresses,

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and other worldly locales.

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Also, a shit ton of bridges.

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Like, really so many bridges, you guys.

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I gave up counting after forty-three.

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If anyone knows how many bridges

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Trek to Yomi makes you cross,
get at me in the comments.

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Architecture aside, this is
a supremely GIFable game.

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I'd often find myself stopping
to take in the scenery

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on display before turning

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whatever landscape amazed me most recently

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into my screensaver for that week.

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(whoosh)

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In a year of gaming that
took us to captivating places

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like The Lands Between,

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(whoosh)

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in Walled City 99,

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(whoosh)

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Yomi's stark, desolate beauty
more than held its own.

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(whoosh)

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Yomi's gameplay loop lent
itself well towards playing

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on the go with the Switch.

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Each stage is a mix of
exploration and streamlined combat

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with each chapter culminating
in a tense boss battle,

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which vary in challenge from not so bad

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to absolutely brutal.

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(whoosh)

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At your disposal are light
and heavy attacks for dealing

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with different foes while
rewarding precise parrying.

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There's plenty you unlock as you progress

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including special combos,

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and an assortment of ranged weaponry.

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But honestly, button
mashing will get you most

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of the way there.

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Just remember these jingasa-wearing jerks

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need strong attacks to crack
their domes, and you're golden.

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One weakness of Yomi is
the lack of enemy variety.

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Further magnified by the fact

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that you see many of
these same MFers again

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in the underworld after killing
them the first go-round.

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I can see some bouncing
off of the game due

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to its difficulty, which
largely derives from

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inconsistent checkpoint placement,

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frequent ambushes, and cheap deaths.

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(whoosh)

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Perseverance through great trial

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is certainly a central theme,

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and the odds being
stacked against the player

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is something Trek to
Yomi seems self-aware of.

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(foreign language)

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(whoosh)

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Here's why I should mention that.

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While the game is designed to
be a challenging experience,

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there are options for making it easier.

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Conversely, after completing the game,

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you unlock a mode in which
you'll die after one hit.

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If this sounds like your bag,

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you are a stronger,
get-gooder gamer than I.

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(whoosh)

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Perhaps at this point, you're thinking,

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"Eric, do you actually like this game?"

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Yes, viewer. I do.

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It's definitely not for everyone, though.

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See, there was a saying
among my fraternity

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at the small liberal
arts college I attended

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that pledging was the best
time you'll never want

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to experience again.

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That's Trek to Yomi in a nutshell.

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(whoosh)

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(foreign language)

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You said it, Hiroki.

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Trek to Yomi is available
on PC, PlayStation,

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Xbox consoles including Game Pass,

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and now the Nintendo Switch,

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where it's currently on sale for $16.

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For those craving a challenge

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and an unforgettable
cinematic gaming experience,

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I'd recommend embarking
on this tough trek,

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and taking in its picturesque
sites for yourself.