The Umihara Kawase series is to me the most genius example of how it is possible to merge cerebral puzzles with very active, somatic and intense gameplay.
This is a game that actually requires you to practice each level - the sheer amount of physical dexterity needed to make difficult maneuvers is outstanding. Yet it will develop in you just from playing this game, over and over, persevering through the countless frustrations. This is what I mean by practice.
At the same time, there are numerous pathways in each level, which is where strategically figuring out the most optimized pathway to the exit comes in handy. It's no wonder this game has a following among speedrunners. Since this is a game you can either complete it in say, about 4 minutes (for the best speedrunners, or less: https://www.speedrun.com/umi), or a year.
It brings me back to my time learning (and I'm still always learning) a musical instrument, or perhaps even learning a new language. The pure joy of practicing, pushing through the frustrations and pure joy and triumph at those small hurdles you manage to pass. That, I think, encapsulates the joy of Umihara Kawase. As anecdotal evidence, I will say that when I was playing "Sayonara, Umihara Kawase!", I literally yelled for joy (the same way a dad yells at the sports game on TV when his team scores) when I managed to reach a difficult platform.
In fact, I played this game last year, when I was picking up a musical instrument again after a few months - and I can say I saw significant parallels in the process of learning this game, that I did in the process of learning my instrument again.
This is a game that actually requires you to practice each level - the sheer amount of physical dexterity needed to make difficult maneuvers is outstanding. Yet it will develop in you just from playing this game, over and over, persevering through the countless frustrations. This is what I mean by practice.
At the same time, there are numerous pathways in each level, which is where strategically figuring out the most optimized pathway to the exit comes in handy. It's no wonder this game has a following among speedrunners. Since this is a game you can either complete it in say, about 4 minutes (for the best speedrunners, or less: https://www.speedrun.com/umi), or a year.
It brings me back to my time learning (and I'm still always learning) a musical instrument, or perhaps even learning a new language. The pure joy of practicing, pushing through the frustrations and pure joy and triumph at those small hurdles you manage to pass. That, I think, encapsulates the joy of Umihara Kawase. As anecdotal evidence, I will say that when I was playing "Sayonara, Umihara Kawase!", I literally yelled for joy (the same way a dad yells at the sports game on TV when his team scores) when I managed to reach a difficult platform.
In fact, I played this game last year, when I was picking up a musical instrument again after a few months - and I can say I saw significant parallels in the process of learning this game, that I did in the process of learning my instrument again.