umihara-kawase
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Nautical grappling platformer Umihara Kawase returns on 3DS
Umihara Kawase is a bizarre series about a young girl with a fishing line. It's been released on Super Famicom, PlayStation, DS and PSP in Japan, and nowhere here – though there are ways to get it. It's the kind of gameplay you know from Bionic Commando, but focused entirely on the grappling.Members of the original team have reunited for a sequel on 3DS, Famitsu reports. Called Sayonara Umihara Kawase, the latest release appears to maintain everything that makes the series what it is: insanely complex grappling/line physics, weird fish enemies, and abstract level designs.The new version adds multiple versions of the main character, including a 20-year-old Umihara, and unlockable costume items for completed levels. The 3D character models don't look great, but this game was never much to look at anyway.A new Umihara game is exciting in its own right, but it's also another opportunity for someone to localize it. Natsume tried with the PSP version, but it never happened – and that was probably a wise choice given how that game turned out.
An elusive PlayStation classic is yours for the grappling
Welcome to Living in the Past, a weekly column about what's new in old games. Now get off our lawn. What if, in a parallel universe, Bionic Commando's ideas were expanded not into a behind-the-back 3D action game, but into a quieter, more puzzle-oriented game focused entirely on the mechanics of the grappling hook? And, instead of a nonsensical storyline and big environments, the developer put all of its effort into making the grappling hook more complex?And then, instead of a resurrected Hitler and his army of pseudo-Nazis, all the enemies were giant fish.
Umihara Kawase DS: not ruined yet!
We are pleased to report that the DS remake of Umihara Kawase Shun Second Edition is real, and we have Famitsu screens to prove it. If this news strikes you as underwhelming, then you haven't played Umihara Kawase, a game whose physics-based grappling (the line is stretchy and bouncy) is so cool that we don't even mind that all the enemies are creepy walking fish. In this puzzle-platformer, a girl with a backpack and a fishing line must climb and swing across a variety of platform-filled stages, avoiding fish monsters or tossing them over her shoulder with the fishing line, on the way to an exit.Since this is a new port, we're confident that Genterprise's DS release will actually get the fishing line physics right, unlike the PSP version. In addition to probably working okay, the DS game adds a new stage and the ability to save and share replays. The graphics seem a bit fuzzy on the DS screen, but we are entirely capable of looking past that. As of now, it just looks like Umihara Kawase, which is the best we can expect -- the article doesn't even say anything about touchscreen controls! If they were to implement something like that, it would probably warrant mention in the preview. Whew.
Rumor: Umihara Kawase swinging to DS?
NeoGAFfer duckroll spotted a mysterious, and potentially interesting, new DS game listing on Amazon.co.jp: Umihara Kawase Shun Second Edition: Complete Version, due out March 26. In case the name doesn't ring any bells, Umihara Kawase was a Super Famicom platformer similar to Bionic Commando, but with a young girl in the place of the beefy military dude, and a heavier emphasis on self-contained, small levels, technical grappling, and ... fish. We adore the game.Unfortunately, if this is true, we're unlikely to adore the result. Umihara Kawase was recently released in Japan on the PSP (a US release is planned as well), and it's a mess. Basically, the rope doesn't work right at all, failing to hook when it's supposed to, swing the way it's supposed to, or let go when it's supposed to. And if the PSP port (of the PlayStation version of the Super Famicom game) was so lazily and poorly made, what chance does the DS version have? Not to mention that the DS release is in extra danger of touch screen controls.[Via NeoGAF]
Umihara Kawase becomes Yumi's Odd Odyssey
Who knew that such a strange, quirky PSP game would move from the realm of "import-only" to a wide American release? That's exactly what's happening as Marvelous brings Umihara Kawase to America as Yumi's Odd Odyssey. The press release explains it all:"Trapped in a bizarre world filled with spikes, pitfalls, and giant, hostile fish with nothing but her wits and her trusty rubber fishing line, Yumi will have to run, jump, climb, and swing her way to freedom. Yumi's fishing line isn't just handy for fending off fish--it also works like a grappling hook, allowing Yumi to latch onto and swing from just about any part of the environment. The game's advanced physics allow players to pull off remarkable feats of grappling acrobatics and find new, creative ways through the open-ended levels."Check out Japanese demo to get a (very small) idea of how the game plays.
Umihara Kawase downloadable demo
What is Umihara Kawase? It's a platformer "starring a nineteen year old Japanese school girl of the same name, who has somehow become lost in a world of mutated salt-water and fresh-water creatures." And it's coming to PSP.1. Download the demo zip file. [Click here for direct download from PSP.]2. Extract the contents of the zip file.3. Connect your PSP to your computer using a USB cable.4. Go to the PSP/GAME folder.5. Copy ULJS00137 folder into the GAME directory. Make sure there are no sub-directories in this folder. Check out our demos site:demos.pspfanboy.com
Umihara Kawase playable in Flash demo
What is Umihara Kawase? It's a platformer "starring a nineteen year old Japanese school girl of the same name, who has somehow become lost in a world of mutated salt-water and fresh-water creatures." And it's coming to PSP.Considering a release stateside is unlikely, you can try out the Bionic Commando-styled gameplay by playing the online Flash demo. Use the NUMPAD to move around, and press Enter when you want to swing around. If you enjoy it, you may want to consider importing it.[Via PSPHyper]
Little known game, Umihara Kawase, getting PSP release
Umihara Kawase is getting a PSP release next Spring. What is it? Well, according to NeoGAF member D2M15, it is "the best game ever." Looking at a Wikipedia entry tells us that it is a platformer "starring a nineteen year old Japanese school girl of the same name, who has somehow become lost in a world of mutated salt-water and fresh-water creatures." Intriguing.This retro revival will likely not find its way out of Japan. However, hardcore gamers might be interested by the game's unique premise and old school gameplay. For more images, head to Dengeki.
Virtually Overlooked: Umihara Kawase
Welcome to our weekly feature, Virtually Overlooked, wherein we talk about games that aren't on the Virtual Console yet, but should be. Call it a retro-speculative.The recent reveal of a new Bionic Commando game for the PS3 and Xbox 360 got us very excited. Not about the new game, which looks heartbreakingly bland, but about old grappling hook games. But we can't exactly detail the NES Bionic Commando here. You've all searched for Super Joe, accidentally fired off shots in neutral zones, and blown up Hitler Master D. And the arcade version isn't as awesome. But there's another grappling game, for the Super Nintendo, that is even more grappling-focused than Bionic Commando.
