Umurangi Generation Special Edition - Review

Umurangi Generation Special Edition is a photography game hot on the heels of New Pokemon Snap (and has already come out on the PC in 2020), only these games couldn’t be any more different. It’s a game I heard about through last year, but by the time I started really looking into it a Switch version was announced. For the last few months I have had to wait patiently, being careful to not find out too much about the game so I could discover it all fresh. Was Umurangi Generation worth the wait? It was, but keep reading!

Umurangi Generation is a first person photography game set in a cyberpunk-esque future, where the skies are red and there's blue bottle jellyfish everywhere. There isn’t an immediate story present, just that you’ve been given bounties of pictures to take around the future Tauranga, Aotearoa. Something has happened to the world. The tutorial hints towards some strange goings on that only become more apparent further in. There are (almost) no cutscenes or dialogue scenes so you’ll need to pay attention to what’s happening, although it’s hard to ignore once you look at what’s around. Posters and graffiti around the area clue you in that something isn’t right. Seeing the public mistrust of the UN involvement, militarised units, warzones, cities walled off, and a lot of blue bottle jellyfish you are advised against photographing. 

Living in Australia being very aware of the 2019-20 bushfires (which helped inspire elements of this game), and the Australian government’s response to the increasing disasters of climate change and callous rush to return to normal as a global pandemic continues to rage on, it all feels a little too close to home. There’s plenty here that I couldn’t even begin to imagine or speak to the feelings it could stir, as the included Macro DLC is inspired by the Black Lives Matter protests against police brutality. While it’s set in a not too distant Cyberpunk (emphasis on punk) themed future, you only need to look at the world now to see it’s much closer than you’d like. For a game where no one talks, there is a lot to say. 

While the people and animals all move on the spot, everything is essentially frozen as a moment in time. This means you can move around without fear of scaring off bounty subjects, everything remains where you last saw it. I enjoyed soaking in the scene, exploring and trying to find out anything and everything about what isn’t being said or shown. 

Being a photographer, you have your list of subjects to capture on camera. There’s a main list and a bonus list to find and immortalise. Once you take photos of all the main objectives you can either deliver them or stick around to get all the bonus photos too. There is a good mix of hunting for the right combination of items or text you’ve been asked to capture, as well as objectives that ask you to look deeper into what you see around you.

While Pokémon Snap judged you for how well you framed the Pokémon and capturing unique actions, Umurangi takes a more relaxed and freeing approach. What will be judged here are the 3 C’s; Colour, Content and Composition. You can get artistic with your shots, whether it’s for objectives or capturing a moment, the game won’t tell you off because your framing wasn’t good enough. 

You’ll be given some unique photo requests, along with plenty of “multiples of the same object in frame”. When given a few of the more mundane objectives, it made me think about what I should do with the sliders to get the most interesting picture of two boomboxes in one shot. It wasn’t very far in before I got the groove the game intended, once I got out of the traditional expectations of photography in games and just tried to capture images that I liked. The more you get used to the fact that the game won’t penalise you (unless you take a pic of a jellyfish), the more freeing it becomes. While the main bounty subjects move the game along, you can spend as long as you want capturing whatever stands out to you. As the game progresses you unlock more lenses for different framed shots, as well as filters to give you even more options when messing with the post processing elements. Completing a level rewards you with one new piece of equipment or upgrade, and if you complete the bonus bounties you get an extra one. By the end of the game I wanted to go back and unlock the bonus items, with all the extra lenses and post processing tools I’d gained along the way to do the early areas justice.

There is some frustration when very thin platforms are needed to reach the harder, out of the way areas. While the ability to double jump is always welcome, I often found it not letting me get much extra height. I would also get stuck on the architecture, sometimes I would clip through parts of it. There’s no punishment to falling out of the area besides respawning at the start again. At times it’s unclear where is safe to stand or what will send you respawning. Because the Macro DLC is included as part of the Special Edition, these levels follow after the main game. This results in the speed increasing roller skates unlockable until right near the end of the game. Some levels are small and cozy and they aren’t needed, but for the larger areas it would have helped.

The frame rate can dip well below 30fps, and the developer already posted about this pre-release. Further in the game is when it is at its roughest. It’s always manageable given everything stays put, but it’s impossible to not notice. Just before I finished the game there was a patch released which did help improve the performance on some of the levels. 

Umurangi Generations looks like it would have appeared on the Sega Dreamcast. The Jet Set Radio series is one of my favourites, developer Origame Digital really nailed the look and feel of games of the time. Then throw in some inspiration like Neon Genesis Evangelion and it makes for a combination I am 100% on board with.

The music is a mix of lo fi chill, vaporwave and trip hop, complementing the cyberpunk visuals. It really does add to the atmosphere. Without being able to truly interact with the areas you visit, it can feel like you’re alone with your camera and some beats to get into the moment with. I would also recommend checking out the soundtrack for both the main game and ‘Macro’ DLC, it’s great in game and outside of it. 

When you play Umurangi Generations it doesn’t take long to see why people talk highly of it. It is one of the most timely games you’ll play in 2021. It’s a game which will sit with you, it would be hard for it to not resonate or even confront you and generally make you wonder what our future will be. If you can overlook some minor performance issues, the Switch is a great place to experience the game and the included DLC. 

The Score

9.5

Review code provided by Origame Digital

The Pros

+A great approach to photography within a game

+Very relevent and timely messages within the game when you look past the surface

+Visuals and sound are a perfect fit

The Cons

-Jumping isn't always reliable

-A little rough around the edges

-Let me use the roller skates sooner please