At long last, every Umihara Kawase game is officially released internationally and in one place too. It may be a 21 year old series, but it was worth the wait.

Originally released in 1997 for the PS1 in Japan, Umihara Kawase Shun is the sequel to the phenominal 1994 Super Famicom game Umihara Kawase where you play as Umihara Kawase, a 20 something Japanese sushi chef who uses her reliable fishing rod to get aross levels by flinging, propelling and grappling around, over and under plenty of platforms and walking fish enemies with the occasional boss fight or two depending on the path you take.

Here's a little more history. There were a few versions/ports of Shun. The PSP version, aplty titled "Umihara Kawase Portable", was going to be the first entry of the series to have a North American release back in 2008, and it was going to be titled "Yumi's Odd Odyssey", but it didn't happen since this version of the game had a lot of bugs and it was impossible to complete at times thus people consider it the black sheep of the series (when Sayonara came out in the US in 2013 on the 3DS eshop it was titled Yumis Odd Odyssey).
Another notable version of Shun, the DS port titled "Umihara Kawase Shun ~second edition~ Kanzenban" from 2009 was a compilation of the first two games with extra stuff like more levels and other stuff.

As for the actual game, the presentation has more to offer than in the original game. This time, 3D was incorporated into the graphics so the fields themselves are more lively and the layouts more complex. All the sprites appear to be hand drawn too. This time around, the fishing line is a bit shorter, but more elastic and springy so it might be easier for someone to traverse levels.

Music is still nice like the rest of the games in the series.

After playing the 1st and 3rd games using keyboard controls for several weeks, I can say that it's doable once you get used to it. Probably best to use a controller since all 3 have controller support but it's up to you :^)

Not much else I can think of now so here comes the closing statement. Whether you're a veteran gamer or just getting into it, this game is challenging regardless. Anyone can pick up and play this game, but it takes skill to get far and master it. It's Umihara Kawase Shun.

At long last, every Umihara Kawase game is officially released internationally and in one place too. It may be a 21 year old series, but it was worth the wait. Originally released in 1997 for the PS1 in Japan, Umihara Kawase Shun is the sequel to the phenominal 1994 Super Famicom game Umihara Kawase where you play as Umihara Kawase, a 20 something Japanese sushi chef who uses her reliable fishing rod to get aross levels by flinging, propelling and grappling around, over and under plenty of platforms and walking fish enemies with the occasional boss fight or two depending on the path you take. Here's a little more history. There were a few versions/ports of Shun. The PSP version, aplty titled "Umihara Kawase Portable", was going to be the first entry of the series to have a North American release back in 2008, and it was going to be titled "Yumi's Odd Odyssey", but it didn't happen since this version of the game had a lot of bugs and it was impossible to complete at times thus people consider it the black sheep of the series (when Sayonara came out in the US in 2013 on the 3DS eshop it was titled Yumis Odd Odyssey). Another notable version of Shun, the DS port titled "Umihara Kawase Shun ~second edition~ Kanzenban" from 2009 was a compilation of the first two games with extra stuff like more levels and other stuff. As for the actual game, the presentation has more to offer than in the original game. This time, 3D was incorporated into the graphics so the fields themselves are more lively and the layouts more complex. All the sprites appear to be hand drawn too. This time around, the fishing line is a bit shorter, but more elastic and springy so it might be easier for someone to traverse levels. Music is still nice like the rest of the games in the series. After playing the 1st and 3rd games using keyboard controls for several weeks, I can say that it's doable once you get used to it. Probably best to use a controller since all 3 have controller support but it's up to you :^) Not much else I can think of now so here comes the closing statement. Whether you're a veteran gamer or just getting into it, this game is challenging regardless. Anyone can pick up and play this game, but it takes skill to get far and master it. It's Umihara Kawase Shun.