by Omar (@siegarettes)
- Umihara Kawase, Umihara Kawase Shun Second Edition, Sayonara Umihara Kawase
- Developer- Studio Saizensen
- Publisher- Degica Co.
- PC (Steam), Previously available on SNES, PSX, PSP, NDS, 3DS, Vita
The Umihara Kawase games have a strange history. The original Umihara Kawase was a small independent effort. The original game was developed by studio TNN, and published by a Japanese television station on the Super Famicom. The games themselves are stranger still, consisting of a set of puzzle platformers, where a Japanese school girl uses a bouncy fishing line as a grappling hook to navigate surreal configurations of platforms and fish creatures.
The series eventually returned with Umihara Kawase Shun on the PSX. Followed by some ports of the two games, and then with the final entry, Sayonara Umihara Kawase on the 3DS. None of these games made it to English territories until the 3DS version, renamed Yumi’s Odd Odyssey. Still, the series retained a small presence in the west thanks to sites like Hardcore Gaming 101, and the now defunct 1UP.com.
As of 2016 we can finally play the series, thanks to the US 3DS release. And after some drama involving the closure of previous publisher Agatsuma Entertainment, we can play the Umihara Kawase Trilogy set on PC, thanks to Degica Inc.
As for the games themselves, they provide a unique and focused challenge, that definitely charms with its surreal sensibilities. They’re essentially a series of sea themed obstacles courses, dotted with oversized objects in the foreground, and photos of aquatic locations for the backgrounds. Shun feels the most aesthetically complete in this regard, with the art direction taking on a watercolor-like quality that stands out. By contrast, Sayonara feels rough, with low poly models for both characters and backgrounds that feel underdeveloped.
Regardless, each of these games feel more like alternative takes on main concepts. With each title iterating on tweaks on the physics of the grappling line, and the format of puzzles. The unifying quality then, is the focus on the high skill ceiling of navigation. There’s a lot of nuance in the use of the line. Understanding how to use the momentum and tension of the line to launch yourself, is key. There’s a lot of initial frustration to figuring out these tricks. Especially if you’re used to the way grappling hooks generally work in games. But learning these tricks provides great satisfaction. Better yet, you can use new skills to skip areas in earlier stages, or find alternative paths that move you faster through the game.
As for the ports themselves, they’re basic. The textures found on the ports are from games meant for the PSX and 3DS, with rough edges particularly on Shun. There aren’t any resolution options, as it always starts in a default windowed mode, while keyboard controls are a bit strange and non-rebindable. A controller is basically required.
How much you are going to enjoy the Umihara Kawase games is going to depend on your taste for esoteric Japanese games, videogame history, and the mastery of its unique movement. Personally, having these titles available to a newer and larger audience, is satisfying enough to me, as it hopefully means that they won’t be doomed to total obscurity.