Upcoming indie game Trek to Yomi is one that’s certainly on a lot of radars. Its dedication to authenticity and capturing the feeling of classic samurai cinema is second-to-none, but there’s a lot more to the game than just its pretty face.
Developer Flying Wild Hog has poured years and countless hours into assuring Trek to Yomi is as exhaustively authentic as possible.
In our discussion with Trek to Yomi’s producer Katarzyna Szymczak-Shalska, we also chatted about whether the game might receive a photo mode, if we’ll ever see a colourised cut of the game, and door hinges of all things. The game releases on May 5th for PS4, PS5, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One and PC.
Syzmczak-Shalska: We intended to harmonize the music with the visuals and story. A contemporary, more up-to-date theme would’ve distorted the reception of the game. We started looking for composers that would fit the vibe of the game and guarantee historical accuracy sound-wise. Needless to say, we found them!
Composers Cody Johnson and Yoko Honda, who has actual samurai heritage, used sole Japanese instruments from the Edo period. In part, the score was based on the sounds of Gagaku, an ancient form of Japanese imperial court music. Gagaku used techniques of counterpoint, which is multiple melodies sounding together, hundreds of years before European composers.
In terms of ballpark value, we don’t want to pick favorites. All the instruments used in the score were priceless, due to the fact that they helped build the unique atmosphere in Trek to Yomi.
S-S: The first choice is a no-brainer, “Seven Samurai”. I mean, it’s such a classic that it just doesn’t get any better. It’s Kurosawa’s magnum opus. The directing, montage lighting, frames, and lighting. It’s all epic! He laid the foundation for contemporary action movies.
The next movie from is “Throne of Blood”, Kurosawa’s take on the Shakespearean classic “Macbeth”. I mean Toshiro Mifune reached straight-up god-tier acting in the role! To be honest, if one likes action movies, you can’t go wrong with Kurosawa’s films.
S-S: Trek to Yomi is a fresh IP. Right now, it needs exposure and the best way to do so is essential via Xbox Game Pass.
S-S: Trek to Yomi can be beaten within five-to-six hours and beating the game gives you access to a new difficulty mode. It’s basically “one-hit, one-kill”, in other words, a game changer!
The game also has four different endings so there’s a lot of space for replayability in Trek to Yomi.
S-S: Trek to Yomi was produced by the Rzeszow team. Our team only provided limited assistance on Shadow Warrior 3. That being said, we’re still Flying Wild Hog, so fast-paced, action-packed games are in our DNA.
Japanese culture was something relatively new to us, so we had to do a deep dive into it and promptly acquaint ourselves with it. I guess you can say that something like Trek to Yomi was bound to happen either way.
S-S: Trek to Yomi gets weird, especially in the Yomi part of the trek. See what I did there? In all seriousness, you’ll get to see a lot of weird, fantasy settings and creatures later on in the adventure.
S-S: Hiroki acquires lots of skills during his trek.
It’s a constant adapting to new enemies and learning how to defeat them. On top of that, you’ll get to use skills that weren’t available to Hiroki in the early stages of the game. Yomi is the true crucible where we test your ability to use those skills with some pretty terrifying foes. That’s why the first part may seem a bit serene, it’s all about letting the player get used to the mechanics and skills.
S-S: It was our intention from the very beginning to have Trek to Yomi in black and white. We had to take a lot of measures to make sure that the game looks great in this sort of setting. Turning on colors would render all of our previous efforts useless.
S-S: No toggling, black and white is the way to go and we intend to keep it that way.
S-S: Since the scenes are shown from a carefully-designed angle, introducing photo mode will not be available. However, the game is going to be available in 4K so we implore everyone to take magnificent screenshots.
S-S: The story told in Trek to Yomi is a shut case. That being said, the setting is so rich that, who knows, maybe we’ll delve into it again later on.
S-S: Prince of Persia is a great game and still holds up to this day. Trek to Yomi doesn’t share Prince of Persia’s arcade features for we believed that would spoil the immersion. We took out a bit from both worlds. Hiroki can move in all three dimensions, but combat is conducted in a 2.5D fashion. It sounds a bit quirky on paper but trust us, it’s fun!
S-S: I think that every good idea can be transformed into a popular game, regardless of the dominant trends at the time. Trek to Yomi, as an idea, came to life before Ghost of Tsushima.
If you ask me what would I like to play? Something with dinosaurs, maybe another Turok installment?
S-S: Japanese culture isn’t something obvious to us, but one of the things we had to get rid of after consulting it with specialists was… door hinges. Turns out, that wasn’t a thing in Edo period Japan. We have a similar encounter with fireplaces within households. It was a very educating experience, not going to lie.
Trek to Yomi releases on May 5th for PS4, PS5, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One and PC.