"There is a strange beauty, even in this wretched place."

I bounced off this fairly quickly at launch due to its stiff, unsatisfying combat -- which is still something I'm disappointed in having now revisited it. But I'm glad I did nonetheless, because I think it's one of the best looking games of the year, and a definite 'more than the sum of its parts' experience. A lot of games have done the black and white thing, and the film grain thing. But I'm not sure anything has nailed it quite like Trek To Yomi. Whether it's the burning villages of the early hours, or the more supernatural elements of the second half; the game is stunning throughout. Some sections could pass for a film landscape or a beautiful painting at a glance. My beloved fixed camera angles see maybe their best ever implementation in this game, adding so much to the atmosphere and general vibe.

The gameplay is certainly interesting in theory with direction-based combat and a lot of techniques to learn - but it's mostly just frustrating and cheap feeling.