We store cookies, you can get more info from our privacy policy.
3DS

The Odd Odyssey of Yumi: What the Heck Is Umihara Kawase?

by Neal Ronaghan - February 25, 2014, 7:23 am EST
Discuss in talkback!

Ahead of its first western release, we delve into the history of the weird series.

Umihara Kawase is a very odd game, which is why the 3DS version’s localized title of Yumi’s Odd Odyssey is so fitting. You play as Umihara Kawase (or Yumi, here in North America), a little girl who, for some reason, wields a fishing line that has more in common with the mechanical arm of Bionic Commando than anything else. It’s a side-scrolling platformer where you inexplicably fight sea creatures and junk.

The series auspiciously started on the Super Famicom in 1994 from a small developer called TNN that didn’t last too much longer after the Super Famicom release, which was brutally challenging and reliant on the sometimes harsh physics-based mechanics of the fishing line and, over time, became a cult classic.

10.png

The developer was bought out by another company and changed their name to Jackpot. In 1997, they returned to their beloved Umihara Kawase with Umihara Kawase Shun, which was an expanded sequel on the PlayStation that focused more on puzzle elements than the original. The fishing line physics were also altered to be tighter, making it a little more challenging to maneuver. Shun received a second edition in 2000, once again on the PlayStation, that removed some product placement (yep, that was a thing in the first version) and added a few new levels. Like everything else in the series to date, it stayed in Japan.

The series was dormant for eight years until a fan studio partnered with Marvelous to create a PSP remake of Shun. The remake wasn’t well received, and even though Natsume announced Yumi’s Odd Odyssey as coming out in North America, it never happened. According to Natsume, the company “ran into some red tape” when trying to bring the PSP game over.

17.jpg

A remake of both the Super Famicom and PlayStation games showed up on DS in 2009. Fortunately, the game’s original designer, Sakai Kiyoshi, came back to work on the remake. It fared much better than the maligned PSP version. There was a thought the series might end there, with a loving remake of the two games being the curtain call. Fortunately for us, that’s not what happened. In early 2013, Agatsuma, the developers of Code of Princess, announced they were working with Kiyoshi to make a third entry in the series, titled Sayonara Umihara Kawase, which our own Danny Bivens really enjoyed. It is, according to Kiyoshi, going to be the final game in the series. However, thanks to Natsume, the 3DS game is coming over to North America in the next few weeks as Yumi’s Odd Odyssey.

The third game has players once again control Umihara/Yumi as well as other characters including a younger Yumi, her descendant, and her childhood friend. The other characters function as a somewhat easier mode, as they allow players to start at checkpoints in the level. All I know is one of the bosses is a giant, flopping tadpole, and that sounds ridiculous. Also, the fishing line physics seem really awesome. I can’t wait to check out Yumi’s Odd Odyssey when it comes to the eShop any week now.

Share + Bookmark





Got a news tip? Send it in!
Advertisement
Advertisement