Umihara Kawase, originally released in 1994 on the Super Famicom, is a 2D side-scrolling platformer that is unusual for a number of reasons. You control the eponymous protagonist, a young girl who is somehow transported into a strange world, one dominated by giant plants and vegetables sitting in the backdrops, and your main adversaries consist of water-related creatures that are somehow enlarged and mutated. Here, you have to traverse a series of platforms across 50-plus stages, which are constructed in a maze-like, puzzle-esque manner. Typical of platform games, you must carefully climb up or hop down ledges, all while confronting koi fish with legs and flying clams, as well as snails that crawl on all surfaces.
The catch here is that most platforms are inaccessible through normal means. Your character can jump, sure, but it is a tiny jump. However, you have something that can help... a fishing lure attached to an exceptionally durable line! With this utility, you can reach high platforms by latching onto their surfaces, then propel towards said locations. Also, you can use it as a swinging device, launching from one spot to the next like Tarzan. But this is much more trickier than it sounds, as you must contend with the line's intentional rubber band physics, thus lending to the game's main source of challenge. There are so many areas where you must navigate across large gaps and perform the following: swing a little bit, detach the line, quickly latch onto the next portion of a surface, and repeat.
Credit: Agatsuma Entertainment
Credit: Agatsuma EntertainmentThis sounds simple, but the actual execution can be devastating if you don't perform it right. After latching, in order to "swing," you must first make sure your line is at the correct length based on each scenario. You adjust by holding up for down and down for up. Afterwards, the act of swinging is a battle itself, timing the motions when moving the d-pad left and right while contending with its physics. Once you think the angle is correct, you then have to detach and then quickly latch, usually in a diagonally-upward position, to the next portion. Now here's the thing: in order to latch again, the line animation must be completely retracted. So if your line happened to be extended too much as you detach, you just might fall to your death. Keep in mind all this happens within the span of a second.
That's a lot to process, right? It's something that can easily overwhelm many playing the game for the first time and it doesn't help that you're going in not fully grasping how the line mechanic works. The latter is more the fault of the PC port not providing details, since the original Super Famicom release explained the line functions in its physical manual. Granted, you'll understand after a few sessions, but it's recommended you check out a guide. Still, even after you learn how to use it, Umihara Kawase is a challenging experience that will likely frustrate those who are impatient; if you're wanting something more simple and pleasant, this is not the game for you.
Here is another reason why it's challenging: you die in one hit, have a limited number of lives, and there's no continue method. So you have to complete all 50-plus stages in one sitting? Not quite! Progress is nontraditional as certain stages have more than a single exit, with the more-rewarding ones being harder to attain. If you succeed with those, you'll sometimes leap over dozens of stages. There's even an instance where, if you fail to reach the tougher exit in a specific "unique" stage, you get knocked back to an early stage. It's one of those situations where, through memorization and replays, Umihara Kawase can be casually completed in less than 20 minutes if you skillfully go through certain paths. Graciously, the devs even included a practice mode where you can replay stages you've set foot in to hone your skills.
Credit: Agatsuma Entertainment
Credit: Agatsuma EntertainmentWhile the game is hard, it is an interestingly-designed one. The way stages are constructed with their labyrinth-like structures ensured many players didn't experience something like it back on release. One stage starts out with simple swinging sets on ground level, but on the top level you have to swing all the way to the exit with no "safety nets;" a single error will result in falling all the way back to ground level or, worse, into a death pit. Another stage has you basically doing a lap around a layout, walking left, climbing up, heading right, and then dropping down to the exit hiding behind two sensor doors. If you fail to "sling" through those doors, you'll drop down to the starting area. Mind you, these are just mild examples.
Umihara Kawase makes you work for a victory. Yet, it's designed to do so in a fair way, in spite of having to wrestle with a "hook" mechanic that feels like it has a mind of its own at times. If there's one actual complaint, it's that some of the boss "fights" are obnoxiously lengthy scripted events. The giant crab encounter comes to mind in which you must wait for it to destroy six platforms so you can exit the stage. This... takes nearly five minutes; more if you die and restart the stage. But bosses are few and far between, so they're not something that ruin the overall challenging yet entertaining design. If you have an open mind and willing to fight work with an unconventional mechanic, Umihara Kawase's nature will satisfy with every small win towards one of its many climaxes.
