Umihara Kawase Fresh!

[b]Dec 24 EDIT[/b]: I've decided to change my review to negative. The English patch was finally delivered and it is machine translated crap, completely unlike other versions of this game. What a slap in the face. I still like this game, but I cannot possibly recommend supporting this release. original review: [h1]about the price:[/h1] It is insane. A port of a year-old super niche indie game should absolutely not cost this much. Worth 20 bucks if you're a fan of the series, maybe? Hopefully this gets a permanent price cut along with some good discounts, otherwise it's a REALLY tough sell. [h1]about the port:[/h1] Obvious Switch port - the on-screen button prompts will not adjust if you use a Playstation or Xbox controller. 720p windowed or fullscreen only, rebindable controls, no issues with performance on my end, much faster loading times than other versions. [h1]missing content:[/h1] Curly and her quests (fun fact: they are in the game files, just not accessible) If the missing content is added, this will be the best version of this game (though the leaderboards are likely way more populated on Switch if you're into time trial competition) [h1]about the game:[/h1] This is the most accessible game in the series yet. If you find any of the main quests too difficult you can resort to using food items which give various boosts (such as longer rope or higher jumps) or playing as Cotton - she can fly on her broom briefly in addition to having Kawase's hook. In my playthrough I felt that the quest mode didn't have any major roadblocks, like every other Umihara game seems to, even without food boosts or Cotton this is the easiest set of levels in the franchise. The quests do get pretty repetitive, and some are so short they're over before they start. The hunger system is really just a disguised timer, so I did not mind that as much as many other players have. The open world here isn't that interesting... I don't think this is the direction the series should go in (if it will go on at all, considering no one bought this). The tighter level design of the previous games was definitely a much better fit. The story is a total mess and you will not be missing out if you skip all the cutscenes. [h1]tl;dr:[/h1] if you've enjoyed the Umihara games, try this one out if it gets a serious discount (or get it on Switch, much cheaper there). Keep in mind that it is pretty different, though. If you haven't played a Umi game before, you probably shouldn't start with this one - the other ones are both cheaper and better in my opinion. If Steam had a neutral option I would've picked that instead - the game is good, but some aspects of the port and the pricing are unacceptable.

A game I already have somewhat mixed feelings on is simply not fresh on PC, pun probably not intended. Forced 1600x900 resolution (and maybe some weird internal res ♥♥♥♥ too since it looks blurry even for that), Switch controller icons, the new English translation being bad, it's missing content from the Switch/PS4 version (Curly Brace and her missions), the controller config menu is broken if you use English, and to top it all off, is way more expensive than the console ports of the game. Play this on Switch/PS4 instead.

Most of my play time is on Switch. As of 6/8/2020, the text of the game is all in Japanese, but that does not prevent play. The port runs quite well. Umihara Kawase Fresh is an unconventional game in an unconventional series. This franchise is typically about grappling hook platforming using an elastic fishing line and all the quirks of using a springy rubber band to propel yourself into spikes in creative new ways while you invent new creative curse words. The classic games were arcade affairs, single room platforming challenges, 45 minutes to a clear, multiple routes, lots of different, quick, brutal challenges. Fresh is a different beast. It has a story this time, for starters. Kawase shows up in a town of humanoid animals without her memory and decides to take up a job delivering food to them. The world is a single, massive, open world that is woefully underutilized. You would think a game about skillful traversal could benefit from such a world but Fresh doesn't feel like it knows what to do with it. Each mission is instanced, you start at a location and follow arrows to get the destination. There is no map, no fast travel, barely any landmarks to speak of except when the road bottlenecks into a physics set-piece that annoys you for how many times you have to do it. While there are a few pointless hidden things, there is no reason or reward for doing anything but following the arrows to the goal. In fact, if you are caught by a fey mood and wish to actually explore the open world, you're still punished for it. You still have a mission to do and you can't actually leave the world and bank your loot without finishing the mission. So if you go on an adventure and drop through three full zones and go find the hidden boss and beat him for no reason, you're now four zones away from the goal with no guide arrows or any hint at all how to get back to your destination because they had no plan for you to go out and have that sort of fun. You have to quit out or slog back to the path they intended you to take. Some of these missions repeat and in a fairly clever twist to try to teach people how to play this ridiculously difficult game, they send you on the same route but the guide arrows propose a more daring, skill intensive, and quicker path. You are of course free to walk the weenie path again if you are bad at the game, like me. Still, you need to at least try to engage with the hook mechanics or you won't have any fun. The plot certainly isn't worth playing for. The story is a truly insulting waste of time and I honestly think you lose nothing by not having it translated. In an even more futile attempt to justify this unwieldy open world, you have a hunger meter and can collect food along the way. Practically this just means if a mission is running a little long you have to pop into a menu to eat some of your infinite ever-growing collection of food items. Some of these provide little extra buffs, like Platinum game items, unnecessary to beat the game but not unwelcome bonuses. A double jump, a longer grapple line, immunity to knockback, you can make the game a hair easier with these recipes but in the general case you just pause, eat some food, refill the meter, get back to swinging. Umihara Kawase purists, all 5 of them, typically have been less than impressed with Fresh because of all these changes. A tight arcadey design now has a bunch of bloat, pointless hunger meters, large levels of space to hike through rather than densely packed grappling puzzles, and these gripes are understandable. I enjoyed Fresh for what it was, unpleasant parts and all, but if you truly played Umihara Kawase in the past to some degree of mastery (I saw the steam achievement charts, most of you didn't.), it is hard to make an argument for how these changes gave us a better product. That having been said, beggars absolutely cannot be choosers. There is only one name in town for the rubber band physics frustration platformer. Nobody else is going to make an Umihara Kawase game and given how long it was since the last one, most of you will probably be in your graves before we even see another one. Fresh is a fine game, as frustrating as any other Umihara game, but it still has at its core a unique, skill-intensive movement system that nobody else comes close to. It is approachable to newbies but also has a few challenge maps to frustrate veterans.

海腹川背Freshがくそゲでしょうよ Expanding the formula could work; however, this trash is a piss poor way to set about it Save yourself the time and money; buy the Famicom game ten times instead

Whew, I'm disappointed that I didn't pick this up sooner! A welcome addition to the niche "rubbering-action" game series, Umihara Kawase Fresh isn't afraid to experiment a bit from its roots. I'll first address the negatives people talk about. The port: So this is a port of the Switch version. I didn't play that version but this has everything except the curly brace crossover missions. Unfortunate, but I think it's a good version in the current state on steam (maybe a rough launch?). It worked fine for me with an Xbox 360 controller right away, though I did rebind a little bit. The game ran well and looked and sounded good. The gameplay itself is everything you could ask for in the series, just some good grappling fun. The physics are similar to sayonara and feel like they were well done too. Open world: I thought this would be weird at first, having an open world. However, it flows better than I expected, and it's still very much mission based where you go from point A to point B for a series of quests/challenges. The difference here is that you will see the same sections of map multiple times, but you will have to navigate it in different ways due to enemy placements etc. Even the direction you approach a section of the world makes for a unique challenge, as sometimes you will start the quest at a different spot. Hunger: The cooking system is something different, but not unwelcome. In this game, you have a hunger meter that essentially acts as a timer. You can make recipes to extend this timer as well as getting different buffs to assist such as double jump or less damage. You have health in this entry too, which you can also heal with food. It's a decent way of easing people into the game as food can make it a bit easier. English Translation: Honestly, this game doesn't even need a translation to be enjoyed. Though, the current English patch works just fine. It may not be the best translation, but it results in some fun moments, and I still laughed at some of the story (the pigs want pork pizza???). Story is secondary in an Umihara game anyways, but overall I'd say the translation is fine. Now for some extra information: There are time trial modes where you don't have checkpoints or food, thus are more pure to the old umihara games. You still have a hunger meter though, and if it runs out your health depletes. Luckily, you can't die of hunger here, otherwise some time trials would be impossible. But of course, with 1hp anything you touch will end the run, so be careful~ For those finding it too hard, a secondary character can be unlocked that has a super jump that lets you briefly fly. The time trial and challenge leaderboards are separate as well. There is a special "challenge mode". Now this is where it gets serious. Some of these maps are up there with the toughest the series has to offer, so if you think the normal levels are too easy...good luck. My only gripe with the challenge mode is that one of the levels may actually be impossible to clear using Umihara afaik. The level is submerged and there's a certain spot where the duration required to be underwater is far beyond the air you have, even going as fast as possible. Update: I beat it, you just have to plan ahead well and be really fast ^^. This challenge mode is a lot of fun, and will test even the more seasoned umihara players. One last thing, the game obviously has a very hefty price tag not seen often of niche indie games such as this. It's a lot, but often goes on 85% discount, which I can easily recommend it for. I really had a lot of fun with this entry to the series, and I hope this isn't the end for Kawase. It's sad that this game got so overlooked, mostly because of a rough English release and being pricey. (Sorry if this got a bit rambly, I just wrote what came to mind while on my phone)

・同じようなクエスト、道を何度も通る事になり退屈 ・敵を捕らえようとして食材が引っ掛かることがよくあり邪魔 ・空腹や料理のシステムが面倒 旧作が好きだったので購入したが、期待してたほど面白くなかった ストーリーもなんだか、ない方が良かった

ルアーの挙動はさよならと旬の中間くらい。さよならをやりこんだ身としては非常に動かし辛い。 ...なんて話はレビューを見る人には何のことやらで。Switch版を購入済みだがファンなのでSteamでも購入。よってプレイ時間は未だ僅か。今のところローディングが早い以外の違いは見当たらず。EXキャラが居るか否かの違いがあるんだっけ？ 歴代川背に比べると体力ゲージがあり即死もなく、ゆるーく遊べるラバーリングアクションゲーム。やりこみ要素で川背の世界に足を踏み入れて欲しい。チャレンジモードはエグめの印象、ハマった人には最高のご褒美かと。

海腹川背シリーズは全部プレイしてきて、まさか新作が出るとは、うれしい限りです。 15時間ほどで、ストーリークリアしたのでレビュー。 ※これまでのシリーズプレイ者からは、ストーリー？？と思うかもですが・・ △これまでのシリーズプレイ者としては、かなり簡単に感じるかもしれません。 　何といっても、敵に当たっても即死しない。ごり押しで進むことができます。 〇ですが、アクションの感覚は変わらないまま。そして時折イラつかされるのも変わらないまま。 　ビヨンビヨンと走り回ることができます。 　新要素として「料理」があり、ジャンプ力が上がったり、ルアーが伸びたりします。 　これも新しい要素としてgood。欲を言えば、もう少し効果の種類が多ければよかったかも。 〇絵柄もホンワカとしていて、子供でも楽しめるように作ったんだな～と感心しました。 ◎総じて、やはり海腹川背は楽しい。チャレンジモードはこれからプレイしますが、きっと地獄 　を見せてくれることでしょう。アップデートで新ステージにも期待です。

良かった点と良くなかった点は割と表裏一体なものが多いです。 新システムがゲーム性と噛み合っていないので余計な要素に思えてしまいます。 <良かった点> ・オープンワールドのようになり、クエストと関係ない所でも自由に行ける ・旧作にはない素材集めやクラフト要素が追加された ・慣れてくるとプレイの自由度が上がり、上達も実感できる ・敵に触れても即死しないので気楽にプレイできる…時もある <良くなかった点> ・早くリトライしたいのにいちいち「よろしいですか？」のデフォルトが「いいえ」なので操作が煩わしい ・タイムと素材のどちらを優先していいか分からない (クエストにタイムアタックはいらなかったと思いますし、どちらを優先するか葛藤させるならタイムアップを設ける方が良いと思いました) ・定期的に空腹になるので難所の攻略中などに集中が阻害される (満腹度はなくても成り立ったと思います) ・敵に触れたり落下しても即死しないが、リカバリーが面倒なことも多い (特に深い水中に落ちるとギブアップした方がマシで、いっそのこと即死して欲しい) まずは旧作からプレイして、それらで満足したならこれを買う必要はないと思います。 全部やっても飽き足らない、味変が欲しいという人の中には刺さる人もいるかと思います。

Just perfected this game and Im gonna say, it's not as bad as people say. Even as a huge fan of the original trilogy, I liked the approach they had on the series with this title. The movement mechanics are super solid as expected, the entire map is a lot fun to explore, is full of secrets places to reach, and I loved the fact it has some really hard to get items scattered all over it. This game also has Cotton as a playable character, and that's always a plus 🍬 The translation could be much better tho.