its pretty janky but the aesthetics and the music are awesome
and the fact that you can make pictures however you want and adjust them to your own liking is awesome
you can get some pretty interesting results out of it
and the fact that you can make pictures however you want and adjust them to your own liking is awesome
you can get some pretty interesting results out of it
post-apocalyptic games usually take on a much... darker tone. granted, that makes a hell of a lot of sense; the world ending isn't exactly a laughing matter. but it's interesting to take a look at a post-apocalyptic game that doesn't take on an explicitly grim view about the end of the world.
now, that's not to say umurangi generation isn't cynical; in fact, it's extremely extremely obvious that the collapse of society was accelerated due to poor decision making by the UN. but the game looks at the end of the world from a more reflective tone. what will the end of the world look like? how do people still manage to keep their lives somewhat together in a world falling apart?
umurangi generation has problems, sure. the game's physics are pretty janky, and the objectives feel... out of place, at times. but the game thrives where it needs to; creating an excellent atmosphere, better than almost any game i've played in a long, long time.
dedicated to the umurangi generation - the last generation who has to watch the world die.
now, that's not to say umurangi generation isn't cynical; in fact, it's extremely extremely obvious that the collapse of society was accelerated due to poor decision making by the UN. but the game looks at the end of the world from a more reflective tone. what will the end of the world look like? how do people still manage to keep their lives somewhat together in a world falling apart?
umurangi generation has problems, sure. the game's physics are pretty janky, and the objectives feel... out of place, at times. but the game thrives where it needs to; creating an excellent atmosphere, better than almost any game i've played in a long, long time.
dedicated to the umurangi generation - the last generation who has to watch the world die.
It's incredible how heavily the narrative of "for a game about observation the timer is really polluting the entire experience" as if the timer isn't only a necessity in the pursuit of a perfect file and as if the levels aren't designed with the intention of replayability. You are only as limited by the timer as you feel the need to be, and I think that speaks volumes more about the individual than the game's arbitrary score attack elements.
That said Umurangi Generation isn't a perfect game by any means, namely dragged down by jank controls and sometimes awkward placement of objectives that feel as if they intrinsically limit creativity behind the player's approach. Yet overall the game's stellar visuals, themes, and especially the soundtrack are indisputably all bangers. There's a clear Evangelion influence present that took me by surprise, but wholly welcomed, and I believe it's perfectly encapsulated by the set pieces in a way that generates an extremely eerie atmosphere that is wholly unique to itself. It provides the player with the inescapable sensation of being a spectator to something much greater, and Macro further expands upon that with some of the best levels of the entire game in my opinion.
It's a short, tight experience that I don't regret at all.
That said Umurangi Generation isn't a perfect game by any means, namely dragged down by jank controls and sometimes awkward placement of objectives that feel as if they intrinsically limit creativity behind the player's approach. Yet overall the game's stellar visuals, themes, and especially the soundtrack are indisputably all bangers. There's a clear Evangelion influence present that took me by surprise, but wholly welcomed, and I believe it's perfectly encapsulated by the set pieces in a way that generates an extremely eerie atmosphere that is wholly unique to itself. It provides the player with the inescapable sensation of being a spectator to something much greater, and Macro further expands upon that with some of the best levels of the entire game in my opinion.
It's a short, tight experience that I don't regret at all.
Hey could you shimmy your corpse over a couple feet i’m trying to get a good shot
A game about apocalyptic amateur photography. Honestly, how well you like the game depends on how much you vibe with the game's style, which is a main part of its appeal. The levels are fun to explore and jam packed with little details that drip feed you the overarching story of the world, from movie posters to discarded newspapers.
Mechanically, Umurangi is a photography game that plays a bit like a puzzle game. Sometimes taking the photos the game wants is like a game of Where's Waldo, but other times it's about figuring out where you need to be to line up the perfect shot. My only real complaint about the gameplay would be the timer. While it is easy to ignore and only impacts your bonus score, on a first playthrough it can really feel like the game is pushing you to rush from photo to photo, when it really needs you to slow down and soak in all the details.
Mechanically, Umurangi is a photography game that plays a bit like a puzzle game. Sometimes taking the photos the game wants is like a game of Where's Waldo, but other times it's about figuring out where you need to be to line up the perfect shot. My only real complaint about the gameplay would be the timer. While it is easy to ignore and only impacts your bonus score, on a first playthrough it can really feel like the game is pushing you to rush from photo to photo, when it really needs you to slow down and soak in all the details.
[Disclaimer: Ich steh in den Credits, hallo!]
Ich weiß bis heute nicht genau was ich von Umurangi Generation halten soll.
Ein Fotografie Spiel bei dem du deine Augen nach bestimmten Motiven offen halten und dich manchmal kreativ anstellen musst, um all die Aufgaben abzuarbeiten, ist das ideale Gameplay für ein Spiel dessen Storytelling ausschließlich durch visuelle Clues erzählt wird. Ob es das Level an sich ist, Veränderungen im Freundeskreis, oder auch mal der plumpe Klassiker: Der Zeitungsartikel auf der Frontpage.
Das Spiel hat damals einiges mit mir gemacht. Ein Fotografie Spiel von irgendso einem Youtuber den ich noch abonniert hatte. Inspiriert durch die "Australian bushfire season" 2018/2019 und wie, trotz der eindeutigen Umstände die Politik lieber alles mögliche dafür verantwortlich machen wollte, statt die Situation in der wir uns nunmal befinden, erschien dieses Spiel im Mai 2020 gleich inmitten der nächsten Krise.
Ein Spiel darüber wie die Politik uns versagt hat, mit Lebensmittelmängeln überall, Alltagsmasken, Leuten die auf den Straßen protestieren, Ordnungshütern die stärker bewaffnet sind als sie es sollten, während Politiker sich eine schöne Zeit im Urlaub gönnen.
All das während ich mir Sorgen machte, ob Familienmitglieder Covid überleben würden, während meine Twitter-Timeline voll mit Polizeigewalt in Amerika war.
Sehr viel Chaos auf der Welt, sehr viel Leid und Ungerechtigkeit, Freunden und Bekannten die am Anfang vom halbherzigen Lockdown fast durchgedreht sind - und ich hockte hier und durfte mir lustige Sätze ausdenken wieso irgendein Videospiel nicht so gut ist um über die Runden zu kommen.
Und der Fotograf des Spiels hockte da und hat sich lustige Motive ausgedacht um über die Runden zu kommen.
Diese Parallele hat Klick gemacht, so wie kaum ein Videospiel jemals Klick gemacht hat bei mir.
Das Spiel hat damals definitiv etwas mit mir gemacht, auch wenn ich nun vier Jahre später, diese Emotionen nicht mehr genau beschreiben kann.
Rückblickend war es wohl auch so ein bisschen der Auslöser, meine Attitude gegenüber Spielen allgemein zu ändern. Und das ist mir unendlich viel wert.
Das Spiel an sich allerdings... na ja. Ich sehe durchaus, dass die Emotionen die ein Spiel auslösen kann, deutlich mehr Wert haben können als die technische Umsetzung. Aber Umurangi Generation ist leider ein Wrack.
Der Player Controller ist so basic wie es nur irgendwie geht. Ständig bleibt man irgendwo hängen, oder rutscht irgendwo ab, oder verhakt sind in irgendeinem random Asset war auf dem Boden liegt.
Die Navigation ist so schlimm, wie es nur irgendwie sein kann. Die Tatsache, dass ein Doppelsprung eingebaut werden musste damit du aus bestimmten Ecken überhaupt wieder rauskommen kannst, ist da schon Hinweis genug.
Nicht selten springst du gegen ein Brett und machst danach einen Super Bounce, oder du rennst einfach nur eine Treppe hoch und fällst durch weil du zu schnell warst, oder oder oder.
Das ganze wird nur noch dann schlimmer, wenn du im DLC die Inline Skates freischaltest, weil du mit denen nun wirklich ÜBERALL festhängen wirst und dich kaum durch eine Gasse bewegen kannst, um durch die hauchdünnen Wände zu clippen. Im Grunde kannst du jedem Level durch jede Wand entkommen, indem du einfach nur kurz Shift drückst. Aber selbst ohne es zu provozieren, ist jede Form der Navigation hier unglaublich mies.
Fehlende Komfortfunktionen im Rest der Steuerung und die Tatsache, dass die Mausempfindlichkeit je nach Objektiv komplett broken ist, runden den Eindruck nur noch ab.
Auch die Aufgaben sind nie sonderlich interessant und wirklich nur ein abarbeiten von Dingen die du "sehen" musst. Klar sind diese nur Mittel zum Zweck, doch da du Missionen nicht beenden kannst ohne wirklich ALLES gemacht haben zu müssen, und du auch mitten im Level nicht speichern darfst, kann das halt sehr schnell sehr frustrierend sein.
Im Grunde wirkt alles in diesem Spiel nur wie ein sehr basic, sehr janky, aber auch sehr ein umständlicher Mittel zum Zweck für das, was das Spiel erzählen möchte.
Und das Leute das akzeptieren um den guten Kern hervorzuheben, kann ich gut nachvollziehen! Wie gesagt, ich glaub das Spiel war der Anstoß für mich zu lernen Videospiele doch ein bisschen anders zu betrachten.
Es macht das Gameplay nur nicht sonderlich viel erträglicher.
Ich weiß bis heute nicht genau was ich von Umurangi Generation halten soll.
Ein Fotografie Spiel bei dem du deine Augen nach bestimmten Motiven offen halten und dich manchmal kreativ anstellen musst, um all die Aufgaben abzuarbeiten, ist das ideale Gameplay für ein Spiel dessen Storytelling ausschließlich durch visuelle Clues erzählt wird. Ob es das Level an sich ist, Veränderungen im Freundeskreis, oder auch mal der plumpe Klassiker: Der Zeitungsartikel auf der Frontpage.
Das Spiel hat damals einiges mit mir gemacht. Ein Fotografie Spiel von irgendso einem Youtuber den ich noch abonniert hatte. Inspiriert durch die "Australian bushfire season" 2018/2019 und wie, trotz der eindeutigen Umstände die Politik lieber alles mögliche dafür verantwortlich machen wollte, statt die Situation in der wir uns nunmal befinden, erschien dieses Spiel im Mai 2020 gleich inmitten der nächsten Krise.
Ein Spiel darüber wie die Politik uns versagt hat, mit Lebensmittelmängeln überall, Alltagsmasken, Leuten die auf den Straßen protestieren, Ordnungshütern die stärker bewaffnet sind als sie es sollten, während Politiker sich eine schöne Zeit im Urlaub gönnen.
All das während ich mir Sorgen machte, ob Familienmitglieder Covid überleben würden, während meine Twitter-Timeline voll mit Polizeigewalt in Amerika war.
Sehr viel Chaos auf der Welt, sehr viel Leid und Ungerechtigkeit, Freunden und Bekannten die am Anfang vom halbherzigen Lockdown fast durchgedreht sind - und ich hockte hier und durfte mir lustige Sätze ausdenken wieso irgendein Videospiel nicht so gut ist um über die Runden zu kommen.
Und der Fotograf des Spiels hockte da und hat sich lustige Motive ausgedacht um über die Runden zu kommen.
Diese Parallele hat Klick gemacht, so wie kaum ein Videospiel jemals Klick gemacht hat bei mir.
Das Spiel hat damals definitiv etwas mit mir gemacht, auch wenn ich nun vier Jahre später, diese Emotionen nicht mehr genau beschreiben kann.
Rückblickend war es wohl auch so ein bisschen der Auslöser, meine Attitude gegenüber Spielen allgemein zu ändern. Und das ist mir unendlich viel wert.
Das Spiel an sich allerdings... na ja. Ich sehe durchaus, dass die Emotionen die ein Spiel auslösen kann, deutlich mehr Wert haben können als die technische Umsetzung. Aber Umurangi Generation ist leider ein Wrack.
Der Player Controller ist so basic wie es nur irgendwie geht. Ständig bleibt man irgendwo hängen, oder rutscht irgendwo ab, oder verhakt sind in irgendeinem random Asset war auf dem Boden liegt.
Die Navigation ist so schlimm, wie es nur irgendwie sein kann. Die Tatsache, dass ein Doppelsprung eingebaut werden musste damit du aus bestimmten Ecken überhaupt wieder rauskommen kannst, ist da schon Hinweis genug.
Nicht selten springst du gegen ein Brett und machst danach einen Super Bounce, oder du rennst einfach nur eine Treppe hoch und fällst durch weil du zu schnell warst, oder oder oder.
Das ganze wird nur noch dann schlimmer, wenn du im DLC die Inline Skates freischaltest, weil du mit denen nun wirklich ÜBERALL festhängen wirst und dich kaum durch eine Gasse bewegen kannst, um durch die hauchdünnen Wände zu clippen. Im Grunde kannst du jedem Level durch jede Wand entkommen, indem du einfach nur kurz Shift drückst. Aber selbst ohne es zu provozieren, ist jede Form der Navigation hier unglaublich mies.
Fehlende Komfortfunktionen im Rest der Steuerung und die Tatsache, dass die Mausempfindlichkeit je nach Objektiv komplett broken ist, runden den Eindruck nur noch ab.
Auch die Aufgaben sind nie sonderlich interessant und wirklich nur ein abarbeiten von Dingen die du "sehen" musst. Klar sind diese nur Mittel zum Zweck, doch da du Missionen nicht beenden kannst ohne wirklich ALLES gemacht haben zu müssen, und du auch mitten im Level nicht speichern darfst, kann das halt sehr schnell sehr frustrierend sein.
Im Grunde wirkt alles in diesem Spiel nur wie ein sehr basic, sehr janky, aber auch sehr ein umständlicher Mittel zum Zweck für das, was das Spiel erzählen möchte.
Und das Leute das akzeptieren um den guten Kern hervorzuheben, kann ich gut nachvollziehen! Wie gesagt, ich glaub das Spiel war der Anstoß für mich zu lernen Videospiele doch ein bisschen anders zu betrachten.
Es macht das Gameplay nur nicht sonderlich viel erträglicher.
Despite having a few bugs, and a few parts being a bit broken - I loved Umurangi Generation.
It's pretty much everything that I would personally want in a game. Beautiful Jet Set Radio-esque graphics, a kickass soundtrack, a variety of beautiful settings, and a general fun gameplay loop that's somewhat addicting. The progression in this game is great too, as you get more and more options, until you eventually can pretty much create any photo that you could ever dream of.
But it's the themes of this game that truly blew me away. So much fantastic visual storytelling, as we see a progression of a war from the perspective of a journalist, whose only voice in the world is the photos that they take. There are some seriously jaw-dropping moments throughout this game, and especially in the unreasonably good DLC, which has 4 of the largest levels in the game. The dedication at the end of the game is what really tied it all together for me, and made this into one of my favorite examples of 'games being art.'
Umurangi Generation is a game I will jump back into multiple times, but nothing can ever compare to the feeling of first exploring it's beautiful, yet tragic world - jank n' all.
10/10
Game #12 of 2024, February 18th
It's pretty much everything that I would personally want in a game. Beautiful Jet Set Radio-esque graphics, a kickass soundtrack, a variety of beautiful settings, and a general fun gameplay loop that's somewhat addicting. The progression in this game is great too, as you get more and more options, until you eventually can pretty much create any photo that you could ever dream of.
But it's the themes of this game that truly blew me away. So much fantastic visual storytelling, as we see a progression of a war from the perspective of a journalist, whose only voice in the world is the photos that they take. There are some seriously jaw-dropping moments throughout this game, and especially in the unreasonably good DLC, which has 4 of the largest levels in the game. The dedication at the end of the game is what really tied it all together for me, and made this into one of my favorite examples of 'games being art.'
Umurangi Generation is a game I will jump back into multiple times, but nothing can ever compare to the feeling of first exploring it's beautiful, yet tragic world - jank n' all.
10/10
Game #12 of 2024, February 18th
One of the most angry games I've ever played, but also one of the most chill. You can be pissed off that the world is ending and still find peace among your friends.
Caso você goste de fotografia, Umurangi Generation é um dos melhores produtos disponíveis na steam, todo um sistema de câmeras e edição robusto, cenários variados e criativos que contam uma história com o passar do tempo, além de toda uma estética unica e digna de comparações com Evangelion, Akira, Initial D, entre outros exemplos magníficos da cultura oriental.
Caso você não goste de fotografia, Umurangi é só um caça palavras 3D com alguns problemas técnicos.
Caso você não goste de fotografia, Umurangi é só um caça palavras 3D com alguns problemas técnicos.
Nunca pensei que iria gosta muito de um jogo sobre tirar fotos, manifestações contra forças militares e a guerra, junto com uma invasão alienígena. Toda a construção da historia através de detalhes e a fases sendo quase um convite para tu perder um bom tempo olhando cada detalhe como um expectador com a sua câmera me pegou de um jeito que eu não sei explicar.
A trilha sonora é fenomenal tbm.
A trilha sonora é fenomenal tbm.
o mundo ta acabando e a gente só pode trabalhar, registrar e sei la vibar sei la só escuta a musica ai e tire foto dos horrores ahahahahahahhhhhhh
really enjoyed this! i've been a massive kaiju fan pretty much my entire life and NGE means the world to me so when jacob geller talked about this game i knew i had to check it out. set pieces are beautiful (and evangelion inspired) and the whole aesthetic of the game is just so cool. only downside was how much time i spent wandering around the level looking for the objectives. taking cool pictures is so much fun and then once i've taken like 50 i have to spend another 15 minutes wandering around aimlessly :(. this might just be a me thing tho cause im not the most observant person and also have literally never played a photography game before, though i will have to check some more out after this one.
Eu adoro como registrar momentos é parte essencial da narrativa do jogo, e como a arte pode ser importante pra também registrar os momentos de crise e de luta de uma sociedade.
muito pog
muito pog
Umurangi Generation is a photography game that plays in a neon illuminated future and i love it. The artstyle got its own flair and photos you take in the game do look pretty good. Ive never seen Evangelion so i dont get the references but there sure are alot in the game. Recommend to anyone who like Games like Pokemon Snap or Toem!
A cool little photography game with an amateurish lo-fi vibe and musical accompaniment from the always wonderful ThorHighHeels. It feels personal, respectful, responsible. Experiencing the end of the world from the perspective of a Jet Set Radio character offers commentary that would not have been possible in a traditional action game from the perspective of a soldier.
UG has been a bit of a gamble for me. I’m not really into photography games and I’m not knowledgeable about the subject in real life either. Many games allow you to take pictures on the side, I tend to mostly ignore this function because it feels pointless without any objectives. The negative reviews focusing on the tight timer, unclear objectives, janky gameplay and bad controls also had me spooked. And yet I feel very happy for getting the game against all odds. It seems as if the game is misunderstood with some of the claims.
The game has 8 stages and 4 DLC stages. Each stage has a couple of main objectives that you have to do to complete a stage. The main objectives are taking pictures of something unique related to each stage. There are also optional objectives that are always the same regardless of the stage. You can think of earn x money with your pictures, find x amount of film canisters etc. Each stage has at least two camera tools to unlock. One is for completing the stage and the other is for completing everything, including the optional objectives, in one go. This means getting it done within 10 minutes. I usually HATE timers in games but it’s really not bad here. You can perfectly ignore the timer and take as long as you need. You can even turn it off from showing in the options menu. You can attempt it after exploring a stage thoroughly. It’s easier than it sounds because the stages are not big at all. It’s easy to get everything done quickly once you know where everything is. In fact, I’ve had instances where I’ve (almost) done everything on my first try once I understood how the game accepts the pictures taken. It’s also better to unlock some lenses early before attempting the timers because they will make things FAR easier.
This makes UG feel like an arcade game. None of the objectives you did before are remembered, so you’ll always have to do them again. But it works because you’ll always have the lenses and other tools you unlocked plus remembering what you did before. It also does an excellent job of giving you an idea of how actual photography works. This along with making the gameplay and progression system fun, while informative, impresses me a lot. Some people mentioned how the objectives can be unclear or how some screenshots are not being accepted while they should. This has not been my experience for the most part. Some of those pictures are required to be taken with certain lenses, you’re shown the icons in the objectives menu and it was mentioned in the tutorial. It makes it feel like those people missed these important aspects. The controls are also fine with mouse and keyboard. It’s similar to an FPS with some minor differences for the most part. The complaints were mostly about the controller, so do keep that in mind. The game looks and sounds like a Dreamcast game a bit. I’m slightly reminded of my time playing Jet Set Radio. The achievements are enjoyable to get too. There are some creative ones that might get annoying to figure out but the game has tons of guides to help out with that.
The criticisms regarding janky gameplay and a few bugs are valid. Sometimes you jump really high when you go up the stairs. Jumping can also not work when you’re too close to objects. These are the kind of janky gameplay problems that can be dealt with and avoided once you know how they trigger. The UI is not the best. It feels clunky but it can get the job done. In terms of bugs, the speedrun achievement does not work. Right now you can either go back to an older version (it’s introduced with the last update), use SAM or pray the devs will patch it at some point. It doesn’t seem like the latter will happen since the last patch we got was in 2022. The game also has weird performance issues but it’s not something I’ve seen others mention. So it might be my set-up in combination with the changes I’ve made in the options menu. The game has a kind of annoying and pretty constant stuttering. It’s worse in certain stages and can disappear after a while. None of this is solved by forcing 60fps through Nvidia.
UG is a required taste. Not everyone is going to put up with the lack of polish. But what it does is unique and it does it really well. I paid €1,85 for the game and DLC when it was on sale. It’s definitely worth it. The normal price for both is too high but they’re worth considering when they’re cheaper.
The game has 8 stages and 4 DLC stages. Each stage has a couple of main objectives that you have to do to complete a stage. The main objectives are taking pictures of something unique related to each stage. There are also optional objectives that are always the same regardless of the stage. You can think of earn x money with your pictures, find x amount of film canisters etc. Each stage has at least two camera tools to unlock. One is for completing the stage and the other is for completing everything, including the optional objectives, in one go. This means getting it done within 10 minutes. I usually HATE timers in games but it’s really not bad here. You can perfectly ignore the timer and take as long as you need. You can even turn it off from showing in the options menu. You can attempt it after exploring a stage thoroughly. It’s easier than it sounds because the stages are not big at all. It’s easy to get everything done quickly once you know where everything is. In fact, I’ve had instances where I’ve (almost) done everything on my first try once I understood how the game accepts the pictures taken. It’s also better to unlock some lenses early before attempting the timers because they will make things FAR easier.
This makes UG feel like an arcade game. None of the objectives you did before are remembered, so you’ll always have to do them again. But it works because you’ll always have the lenses and other tools you unlocked plus remembering what you did before. It also does an excellent job of giving you an idea of how actual photography works. This along with making the gameplay and progression system fun, while informative, impresses me a lot. Some people mentioned how the objectives can be unclear or how some screenshots are not being accepted while they should. This has not been my experience for the most part. Some of those pictures are required to be taken with certain lenses, you’re shown the icons in the objectives menu and it was mentioned in the tutorial. It makes it feel like those people missed these important aspects. The controls are also fine with mouse and keyboard. It’s similar to an FPS with some minor differences for the most part. The complaints were mostly about the controller, so do keep that in mind. The game looks and sounds like a Dreamcast game a bit. I’m slightly reminded of my time playing Jet Set Radio. The achievements are enjoyable to get too. There are some creative ones that might get annoying to figure out but the game has tons of guides to help out with that.
The criticisms regarding janky gameplay and a few bugs are valid. Sometimes you jump really high when you go up the stairs. Jumping can also not work when you’re too close to objects. These are the kind of janky gameplay problems that can be dealt with and avoided once you know how they trigger. The UI is not the best. It feels clunky but it can get the job done. In terms of bugs, the speedrun achievement does not work. Right now you can either go back to an older version (it’s introduced with the last update), use SAM or pray the devs will patch it at some point. It doesn’t seem like the latter will happen since the last patch we got was in 2022. The game also has weird performance issues but it’s not something I’ve seen others mention. So it might be my set-up in combination with the changes I’ve made in the options menu. The game has a kind of annoying and pretty constant stuttering. It’s worse in certain stages and can disappear after a while. None of this is solved by forcing 60fps through Nvidia.
UG is a required taste. Not everyone is going to put up with the lack of polish. But what it does is unique and it does it really well. I paid €1,85 for the game and DLC when it was on sale. It’s definitely worth it. The normal price for both is too high but they’re worth considering when they’re cheaper.
It's pretty cool but I kept having a bug of stuff not spawning so I couldn't complete the objectives
I really dig the aesthetic but the janky controls and clumsy movement really make this game hard to enjoy. Played the game without the Macro expansion so I was a bit disappointed by the impossibility to tweak your aperture, shutter speed and ISO, as it's a photography game, so to speak. I also found the post-processing options really lackluster. Moreover, the first two levels are absurdly small and can be traversed in their entirety in a matter of seconds. First impression was kind of terrible, so I preferred to refund the game and move on rather than sticking to it and waiting for it to reedem itself.
I am so confused about this game.
On one hand, it's not what I wanted. My superficial expectations for the game were for it to be a photo sim set in a cyberpunk dystopia.
But on the other hand, what I ended up getting was a photo sim set in a cyberpunk dystopia using environmental storytelling from the perspective of a photographer... With arcade goals and a timer that lock a lot of the tools for photography.
It's this weird clash where the music is incredible, the art direction can be stunning, the details and on the nose commentary gel soooooo well together. The mission goals are a cool way to force you to go around and get creative taking pictures while exploring the levels. But that timer encourages to do all that as fast as possible. Which discouraged me from really settling in and taking everything in.
Not to mention the score system is fairly arbitrary. I had instances where taking a photo of a wall would earn me tons more than one that was significantly more detailed, complex and difficult. So I didn't have much reason to not take pics that just earned me the most points as opposed to what I thought looked better.
Also the game is big jank. I would get launched 400 feet up in the air just by climbing up the stairs, go at mach 5 by slightly touching a rail, clipping under the map just because i walked forward.
That said play it because the cool stuff IS REALLY COOL.
On one hand, it's not what I wanted. My superficial expectations for the game were for it to be a photo sim set in a cyberpunk dystopia.
But on the other hand, what I ended up getting was a photo sim set in a cyberpunk dystopia using environmental storytelling from the perspective of a photographer... With arcade goals and a timer that lock a lot of the tools for photography.
It's this weird clash where the music is incredible, the art direction can be stunning, the details and on the nose commentary gel soooooo well together. The mission goals are a cool way to force you to go around and get creative taking pictures while exploring the levels. But that timer encourages to do all that as fast as possible. Which discouraged me from really settling in and taking everything in.
Not to mention the score system is fairly arbitrary. I had instances where taking a photo of a wall would earn me tons more than one that was significantly more detailed, complex and difficult. So I didn't have much reason to not take pics that just earned me the most points as opposed to what I thought looked better.
Also the game is big jank. I would get launched 400 feet up in the air just by climbing up the stairs, go at mach 5 by slightly touching a rail, clipping under the map just because i walked forward.
That said play it because the cool stuff IS REALLY COOL.
Huh, some cool vibes here... but I can't just go around taking pictures!?
I REALLY liked this, the way you learn about the world is super cool and it's a game with a lot of generational anger that deserves to be seen. The gameplay is stylish and taking pictures is fun, some stuff is a bit janky at times but that's not a big deal.
I have one small and incredibly stupid nitpick that I need to rant about so here it goes:
part of me feels like the game wouldn't be the same without the timer, that it would lack difficulty without it
...But another part of me wishes it wasn't in the game and really doesn't like that stuff is locked behind having to replay the level again but faster.
I think I might've enjoyed my time with the game even more if they either:
did away with the timer entirely
-or-
had failing to deliver in time result in a game over (ofc this would require redesigning the game significantly)
I have one small and incredibly stupid nitpick that I need to rant about so here it goes:
part of me feels like the game wouldn't be the same without the timer, that it would lack difficulty without it
...But another part of me wishes it wasn't in the game and really doesn't like that stuff is locked behind having to replay the level again but faster.
I think I might've enjoyed my time with the game even more if they either:
did away with the timer entirely
-or-
had failing to deliver in time result in a game over (ofc this would require redesigning the game significantly)
Please, please, PLEASE. Don't sleep on Umurangi Generation. It is one of my favourite games of the year, and the amount of punch this game packs is unbelievable
Slowly piecing things together about the world and it's people through nothing but a camera lens was such a fun journey and I wish I could experience something like that again. Despite some of the issues or the janky controls, I feel like it's hard to give it anything less than 5 stars because of how much it's inspired me as an artist (and how much it stuck with me days after I finished playing). This game makes me wanna make cool art and let my feelings be known!!!
ALSO THE MUSICS GREAT THANK YOU THORHIGHHEELS
ALSO THE MUSICS GREAT THANK YOU THORHIGHHEELS
Being someone who loves the practice and execution of photography, this game scratched an itch that most games can't. The idea of a photography game in this specific style, taking place in the shitty future on the verge of impending doom, absolutely ROCKS. Even with no dialogue, the game conveys its message and atmosphere strongly through effective world-building and interesting imagery. Every corner has something new to see, making for some incredibly cool pictures in the process. The amount of familiar camera add-ons makes for great variety in your pictures, along with every single useful editing tool to give them that extra flair. I will say that the camera did bug out for me at times, refusing to switch lenses after activating the flash, but other than that the UI is super easy and intuitive for beginners and seasoned photographers.
For me, photography has always been important in capturing specific moments, memorable moments that you will look back on and happily cherish for the rest of your life. This game is easily the closest thing to replicate this feeling, as the more I capture Umurangi, the more and more I fall in love with it. I couldn't recommend this enough.
For me, photography has always been important in capturing specific moments, memorable moments that you will look back on and happily cherish for the rest of your life. This game is easily the closest thing to replicate this feeling, as the more I capture Umurangi, the more and more I fall in love with it. I couldn't recommend this enough.
An underrated game. Pokemon Snap meets Jet Set, take photos of a depressing war-torn future. It's good. The music slaps, the style is neat, sometimes finding some of the photography material is a bit fiddly, but it's still ultimately enjoyable.
Excellent as a photography sim but horrendous as a functional game. The amount of times I clipped through the wall while trying to line up a shot was obscene. The parkour is dysfunctional and the collision is near non-existent. There was never a point where I didn't walk through the fences, stairs are unusable without mashing jump. I didn't even know you could jump until Area 3 because stuff kept flinging me in the air. It sucks because the world looks cool as hell, holds a ton of political allegory and you're given a ton of freedom to capture it in the best light possible. Plus music by ThorHighHeels? I might come back one day for a more scenic, casual exploration, but aspects of the game baffled me.
I Spy, but with a camera!
A clever photography game that uses environmental storytelling to explore an apocalyptic future. It’s a game of style over substance, and while it has style to spare, the mechanics and objectives are rough around the edges.
Such amazing world building. I'll probably load it up again to finish the achievements and take some better photos now that I'm not limited to the 10 minute time frame.
It gave me some intense motion sickness when I first started playing, but changing the FOV to 75 mostly took care of it.
It gave me some intense motion sickness when I first started playing, but changing the FOV to 75 mostly took care of it.
really great camera game that captures the mood of the 2020s perfectly
Main campaign drags just a little bit imo, the DLC is fucking perfect tho
Main campaign drags just a little bit imo, the DLC is fucking perfect tho