Muy buen plataformas 2D basado en los DK Country.

El juego tiene una dificultad buena, varios niveles se pueden hacer complicados, pero realmente a menos que vayas al 100% no son un dolor de cabeza.
El nivel final es jodidisimo eso sí.

Visualmente llamativo, aunque un tanto repetitivo, sé que hay diferentes secciones, pero no le noté un cambio increíble a cada zona.

Al igual que los DKC, si te golpean, pierdes a tu compañero, Laylee, pero aquí se te da la oportunidad de recuperarlo en unos segundos al contrario de con Diddy, Dixie o Kidie, haciendo que puedas enmendar el error si eres capaz de tocar al murciélago.

Me podría quejar de que no tiene jefes, cosa que me molesta un poco, pero realmente no se me hace que el juego pierda algo por no tenerlos, los niveles se sirven de su propia creatividad para hacer que no pierdas el interés.

Umurangi Generation is a declaration of dismay against the government and corporations that have failed to save the world. It burns brightly and there's nothing we can do but watch. This is the central premise of Umurangi Generation, one of the few games that spoke loudest to the COVID Generation.

Umurangi Generation is a first person photography game. You play the role of a photographer, who documents the chaotic end of New Zealand. Beautiful landscapes are replaced with dystopian cities, ruins, and a red sky. These are the subjects of your photos, a world gone to hell because of government failure. Anger and frustration flow through many of the game's levels.

I feel that Umurangi and I share the same anger against government incompetence. In 2020, the world shut down as COVID ruined everything. I saw neighbors die, businesses shut down, and the corrupt thrive. The country suffered as we watched our geriatric government leadership conduct the most useless nightly “talk shows”. All talk, no game. Millions infected, and thousands dead in the nation. It was the most powerless I have ever felt and I wasn't alone. Perhaps you feel the same, reader?

It's okay, the world can't kill us yet. However, I can't say the same for Umurangi’s end times.

It's very easy to see that Origame Digital experienced the same revolting feelings we all did. All the revulsion and anger against the status quo that keeps us down. Besides, the game was released in the middle of the chaos in 2020. What resulted is a generational piece of art that expresses the same powerlessness we felt then and now. Umurangi speaks to the times.

The game evokes this punk-rock aesthetic in this near future setting. There’s a fury seeping through its tone, but there’s also a chill hangout vibe that flows against it. Yes, the end of the world is here and we can’t do anything but take pictures and hangout with the crew. These are the last days of a chaotic world.

However, I will not speak of what ails the setting of Umurangi Generation, doing so would only ruin half the fun. What is obvious from the beginning is there’s something that dooms the world and there is nothing you can do but watch.

As the game continues, the player slowly takes the role of a historian of sorts, documenting a crisis in progress. In light of this, Umurangi tasks you with taking photos of… Cats, birds, candles, graffiti, and much more. The subjects of your photos feel normal, which adds to the initially chill vibes. However, this ordinary set up eventually contributes to an entirely different tone, a feeling of desperation to hold onto normalcy. It’s a relatable feeling because we did that during the pandemic and even today.

The gameplay is very good and simple to pick up. As mentioned earlier, the game tasks you with capturing photos of several things such as cats or cars. There’s a ten minute timer, but it feels inconsequential. There is nothing stopping you from taking your time, exploring the level, and getting the best shots possible.

Umurangi Generation doesn’t make use of cutscenes or dialogue to tell a story. Instead, it uses environmental storytelling to great effect. The game invites the player to assemble its story, creating an engaging narrative experience that forces its players to seek out pieces of story. Throughout the levels, you’ll come across newspapers, graffiti, television sets, and posters that each detail the maddening situation that afflicts the world. As a result, the narrative never feels disruptive and the player is always in the middle of things. It's an immersive way to tell this story and the most fitting way to do so.

The OST by the magnificent ThorHighHeels should be praised. Not only does this man make banger video essays, but he’s also creating banger music as well. The music of Umurangi Generation is nothing short of fantastic, always expressing this “Sophistifuture” tone (as he would say) that really adds to the atmosphere. The music always feels nostalgic, relaxing, and also disruptive in some tracks due to the presence of robotic sounding voices. It all fits perfectly with the game.

The game also shows a unique Maori perspective that I would love to see more in video games. Diversity is the spice of life after all. While I can’t speak much to its Maori identity as I’m not one myself, I can definitely say its expression of identity and culture adds so much humanity and creativity to the game.

Umurangi Generation is a protest in the guise of a video game. It’s never shy about its disruptive and frustrated attitude. There's a lot of righteous anger that the story directs straight at its in-game governments as they continue to fumble important work. Thanks to its solid gameplay loop, great environmental storytelling, and a fantastic soundtrack, Umurangi Generation is able to lift a mirror that lets us see the madness.

crack

crunch

crick

crok crok

PAAAAAAAAAAAAM

...

pam

Hoo boy, this is a fun one to talk about. I have lots of fond memories with Smash Crusade, and I still like to revisit it from time to time, especially whenever there is a major update.

Talking from a purely gameplay perspective, I'm not sure if this is any better or worse than some of the better official Smash entries, or even other notable fan games like Flash 2. It strikes me as a lot looser and less precise at times, but I don't find this to be a bad thing. Really, it strikes me as an offshoot of its inherent goofiness, and I mean that in a good way.

One fair criticism I know for the game is that it has a lot of "relics" of older, less polished versions, and I get that. There's more of a "quantity over quality" thing going on with the roster, but again, I don't mind it on the grounds that the game is already really silly, and the devs are slowly working on polishing a lot the characters at least.

OK yeah, I keep bringing it up, let me address it directly: I love how dumb this game is. It really does strike me as a "classic internet fangame with some polish"; The roster is weird but has lots of fun & unique choices (many of which were characters I so happen wanted in official games at one point in time), including the meme character Weegee. Come on, Weegee's here, that's how you know it's old school.

Now I'm just reminiscing at this point, but I remember when a lot of the characters were more like MUGEN ports. Like, I'm pretty sure the Evil Ryu they used before resprite was just Reuben Kee's version, and Goku used the arcade game sprites that I'm sure was actually just from Choujin's Goku. Good times... like I said, I just love the old internet vibes this has.

This game also happens to be a nice free alternative to Rivals, having good mod support and a large community taking advantage of that. So, you can make this crazy big roster even stupider and more fun.

Really, despite whatever polish issues it may have, I love this doofy little fangame for what it is. In recent years, it really does seem to be embracing that silly nature as well (like bringing back Weegee after briefly removing him, or even having mod support in the first place), which is something I highly appreciate. I wish the devs good luck on future updates.

Long live the meme choices of Tingle, Weegee, & this particular characterization of the Duck Hunt Dog from early 2010s internet culture.