Umihara Kawase Fresh! (2019)
Nicalis, Inc., Studio Saizensen, Success Corporation
Umihara Kawase is an action game series where the player controls protagonist Umihara Kawase to reach the end of each level. The game is highlighted by its rubber ring action in which the player uses an elastic rope to progress.
About the story
Kawase is a wandering chef in the magical world of Michelana. This time she ended up in a remote town called “Kingness,” where she starts working for a hamburger restaurant called “Tadaima Tavern.” For the time being, Umihara Kawase seems set on helping out Tadaima Tavern. Why? Because Kingness is the spitting image of a town that always appears in her dreams… There are mysterious things for sure. But since talking about them might make people look at her funny, it seems like she will keep them to herself. World: The Surface The area where Tadaima Tavern is located. All sorts of people live here. If you head to the sky, there are gates protected by guards.
Platforms
Switch PC PS4Genres
Adventure PlatformThemes
Action
Languages: English and 4 more
| Interface | Audio | Subtitles | |
|---|---|---|---|
| English | |||
| Japanese | |||
| Chinese (Traditional) | |||
| Korean | |||
| Chinese (Simplified) |
Media
Critic Reviews
Nintendo Life
By Roland IngramAll in all, Umihara Kawase Fresh! is presented smartly, if quite bizarrely. Its movement system is fiendish, sometimes frustrating, sometimes free-flowing. Unfortunately, it asks a lot of the player and manages to hide its best bits. The level and boss design are unlikely to inspire anyone, especially when already taken to wit's end by the stuttering difficulty, but that's not enough to undo the game's unique charm. If you're already an Umihara fan then Umihara Kawase Fresh! will give you your fix like nothing else. For anyone else, it's harder to love – but not impossible.
oprainfall
By Justin GuillouBetween the two story modes, hidden items and the bonus modes, Umihara Kawase Fresh! has a solid amount of replay value and if you really enjoyed playing the story mode, the game gives you a lot of reasons to come back to it. Long-time Umihara Kawase fans may find this one a bit weird and even alienating at first with all of the modifications to the gameplay and feel, but change isn’t always a bad thing and I think they did a solid job working with those changes. It’s still an Umihara Kawase title, which means it’s still an enjoyable time despite its flaws. If this is your first time jumping into Umihara Kawase and you find the fishing lure mechanics interesting, I highly recommend you check out some of the older games as well, especially Sayonara Umihara Kawase.
Destructoid
By AdzukenUmihara Kawase Fresh! is easily my favorite entry thus far. I hope that the changes to the framework and the added accessibility manage to hook some new fans. Maybe this really is a fresh start for the series.
