I don't know how people speedrun this, let alone complete it at all without savestates. Very surreal and dreamlike, which I always really love! But GOD it is nightmarishly hard. So many failed stunts at the hands of enemies that just...randomly spawn while I'm trying to do my shit. The enemies are probably my only major complaint, aside from a small amount of lives and no continues (which on emulator is like, no problem right? but it still makes me wonder like how the fuck do people sit down and complete this on original hardware)

To sum up I guess it's honestly just not a fun experience due to the sheer difficulty, but it gets several brownie points from me bc i love the visuals and the strange aura it has as a whole i dunno

i be havin the best time, then BAM, a fish spawns on top of me randomly and i die

basically the first rage game? outside of maybe Top Banana it's the 90s game that's reminded me most of ArmorGames-tier flash platformers: bizarre aesthetics in a platformer based around one central gimmick that's often brutally hard. however, unlike all of those games (and top banana, which is basically just similar on aesthetics), this game's rock solid in how it implements its fishing hook mechanics, with umihara being an absolute blast to control through the cleverly designed levels, i'd def have finished it in one sitting if playing on legitimate nintendo hardware didnt hurt the fuck out of my thumb. would be a solid contender for my favorite platformer if it wasn't for how fucking annoying the enemies are. the stationary ones that are always there are fine, but when a fuckin salmon or whatever randomly decides to spawn next to me and knock me into spikes that shit aint good. also, the bosses are fucking terrible!

Umihara Kawase is a platforming game about a girl on the lookout for sushi ingredients through almost 50 different (and quite abstract) stages with the help of her elastic fishing line. Level progression is not linear and many stages have more than a single exit, giving the game an exploration aspect to it. The levels are quite varied too, there are different "worlds", so to speak, which introduce new mechanics such as moving platforms, new enemies, conveyor belts, spikes, ice, etc.
Despite the cutesy graphics, the difficulty is psychotic and a lot of practice and advanced techniques are required to consistently beat most levels. There are also no continues so a game over means you are back to square one. This is definitely a niche game for people who are really into platformers. However, since I generally suck at platformers, I was only able to get one of the ending exits.
Ultimately, I'm a bit conflicted about Umihara Kawase, it's definitely a good game with a lot going for it, but it's also aimed at a very specific market. You either love it or hate it.

Definitely the best and worst video game at the same time. It's got some issues with the randomly spawning enemies, annoying bosses, and such, but ooooh the movement I love the movement. Getting to grips with the grappling hook is just so rewarding, and makes you think how much more fun the earlier levels would be. Despite my first playthrough being a bit bumpy (Field 42 is certainly something), I ended up coming out of this with a pretty positive opinion.

This game lets you overcome that challenge in not just platforming, but controlling the platforming itself, in a way that feels pretty special (maybe like Getting Over It? Haven't tried that one). For as much as I think Field 42 says a lot about our society, forcing you to really try messing around with reeling in your line while swinging shows you a whole new world of complexity. It just feels like I've scratched the surface, and that the game could get even better on repeat playthroughs.

The aesthetics are nice too, with a soft look similar to Dream Land 3, and plenty of nice locations and music. I like how the bass almost has a bit of a Genesis twang to it.

This is on the Japanese Switch Online app, which is how I tried it. It's a lot more palatable at first with rewinds (don't tell anyone I said this 🤫). Don't play it with joycons though. That was a mistake. oof ow ouch my thumbs

Umihara Kawase is a platformer centered around your ability to use an elastic fishing hook to navigate levels and defeat fish. That sounds simple, but the amount of nuance this hook requires is absolutely insane. Applying pendulum physics with a standard rope would already be tricky, so the movement and complexity created by its elasticity quickly pushes you to the limit. Luckily, the way you progress through the game is designed with that difficulty in mind. There are about 50 stages, but you only need to beat about 10 to finish the game. Most have multiple exits, so you can plan your route through based on the specific skills each one expects from you. You also start with ten lives, which will get blown through extremely quickly in your first couple hours, but feels generous once you get the hang of it. It can be frustrating at first, but it’s a great game to keep installed and visit when you have a few free minutes.

Impeccable game to play while listening to Anri's Timely!!, barely managing to get through a level or two more than you did previously before rage-quitting due to the outrageous enemy placement, and then picking it back up again the next day because the central mechanic is just that well designed. Might be ignorant on my part but honestly the fact that the designers were able to implement such complex physics for the hook on the Super Famicom blows my mind, and I imagine they had to calculate all that themselves, none of that ripping kinematic code from github or toying with pre-built engine physics or whatever. Great stuff even with all the frustrations regarding enemy/level-design.

Also speedrunners again demonstrating they're gods among men: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vxdFixwMCpA&t=101s

Played on the Super Famicom Switch release. Pretty fun little game! Kinda impressive how fun the physics are for a Super Famicom title too. Has a nice soundtrack that reminds me a lot of Kirby’s Dreamland 3. Biggest flaw though is the amount of BS spawning that randomly kills you and the lives system. A game like this in modern age would be a lot funner without lives threatening to destroy all your progress, allowing the player to go for some sick moves. I just used the rewind feature on the game app to simulate this though, whenever something I felt unfair happened.