Bust out your fishing equipment for some grappling and platforming.
http://www.nintendoworldreport.com/review/36167
Your first look at Sayonara Umihara Kawase on the Nintendo 3DS might leave you wondering if the game is for you. After all, it stars a busty anime girl and her friends, who swing across platforms with fishing rods. Don't let that sway your decision to try this game. Set to be released as Yumi's Odd Odyssey in North America in 2014, the series has been around in Japan since the Super Famicom days and holds a special place for many gamers as a unique, quirky experience with challenging gameplay.
The basic goal of each level of Yumi's Odd Odyssey is to traverse to a door. If you know what you're doing, levels can be completed in less than ten seconds, but the first time through might leave you stumped or repeatedly trying new things. Levels are filled with fish-like enemies, conveyer belts, spikes, trampolines, watery pits, and more. There are a total of 50 stages and a few boss levels. On top of the main leg of the game, there are also several items scattered throughout the stages to collect and secret doors to find. When it's all said and done, the game isn't overly long and can probably take somewhere between eight to ten hours to fully complete.
There's our girl!
Instead of standard platforming, this series adds its own flavor by giving each player a fishing rod, which can be cast in up to eight directions. On screen, it resembles more of a yo-yo than it does a fishing hook and is used for both killing enemies and grappling onto various surfaces. At first, the use of the hook is obvious and straightforward. For example it can be used to get across a small pit by grappling onto a block above. However, things get more complex the deeper you get into the game. The line on the hook can be adjusted by pressing up to give you more slack or down to reel the line in. This creates some interesting scenarios and really lets players toy with the game’s physics. Unlike most platformers that have you control the rope by simply pressing left or right, Yumi's Odd Odyssey relies more on timing and hook control. For example, if you cast the line to a platform directly above you and then pull your character off the ground, you will begin to sway a little bit. By alternating between pressing up and down your character will start to bounce around. These bounces can give you more momentum for jumping to other places. Or you can just continue swinging like an insane person. This rubbery grappling hook mechanic is what the creator of the series calls “rubbering action,” and provides the series’ characteristic feel.
Enemies seem inconsequential to the experience. They sometimes serve as more of a distraction from the interestingly crafted stages. I understand that these weird fish enemies with legs (yes, you read that correctly) have been part of the series since the Super Famicom days, so simply scrapping them would probably enrage long-time fans. On the other hand, the game's boss encounters were far superior to encounters with the normal baddies, providing interesting, puzzle-like challenges. For example, one boss stage has boxes of oranges dotting the ceiling. While the crab-like boss scurries around on the lower part of the stage, you try your best to stay away from it by climbing up a platform and then swinging to the orange boxes. After timing it perfectly, you launch yourself to a box and hopefully empty half a dozen oranges onto the boss. The whole idea was satisfying, if challenging and occasionally rage-inducing.
Fish with legs at dusk
The visuals in Yumi's Odd Odyssey are a bit bland and rubbery-looking. The art direction, on the other hand, is definitely odd but charming, featuring nautical themes and a random assortment of other things like crates and beer bottles that make up parts of the levels. The game is supposed to be portraying the world inside of the head of Yumi, who apparently really likes fishing and running through deadly obstacle courses. The frame rate usually runs pretty smoothly, but there are times when the game engine chugs. It seemed to happen mostly on larger levels that were full of enemies, but wasn't limited to that. Surprisingly, my rhythm was mostly unaffected by the frame rate issues, just a bit annoying. The music is full of cheery tunes and different sets of music for each of the playable characters.
The game does pack in a few extras that were not possible with older versions of the game. The first is an online ranking system where you can see where you stack up against other people in Japan. You also have the option to record a video of your play. While this is a really great feature, there really is not much else you can do outside of re-watching the video on your 3DS. You are not able to copy it to you SD card, for example. It’s a shame that, with a game as skill based as this, you can’t share demonstrations of your mad skills with your friends or others on the Internet.
Backgrounds are a dream-like hodgepodge of random stuff
Yumi's Odd Odyssey is a reminder that quirky, weird games are still made in Japan. Don’t let the busty, cute anime girl on the title screen scare you away from playing this game. While it is not perfect, the platforming here is exceptional and unique with its timing-based, grappling hook gameplay. Get your wallets ready, because Yumi's Odd Odyssey is set to launch in North America on 3DS via Natsume in 2014.
Topic: Sayonara Umihara Kawase Review (Read 1687 times)
