Umihara Kawase was released in 1994 for the Super Famicom in Japan but unfortunately was never seen stateside. The game is a very good example of a platformer that allows the player a wide range of moves with simple and easy to master controls. The basic gameplay involves the player controlling a fishing pole that can be cast to different platforms and reeled in to grapple the player to that platform. The physics of the game allow the player to use the fishing line as a rubber like grapple that can move the player in a variety of movements such as swinging, repelling, and any combination of jumping with these movements as well.

The gameplay movements are shown to the player in a series of short animations that play before starting some of the levels. The level structure is very unique, the levels are called fields and are non linear; meaning that some fields have warps that can send a player forward in the game or even back to another field. This structure allows the player a lot of exploring and hunting to find the warp doors that are in most levels allowing for many hours of fun gameplay. The level structure and controls give the game a great depth as the player has the freedom to play each level in a variety of ways, using warps to advance to later levels quickly or playing the game through field by field. The gameplay in Umihara Kawase is fun and strangely addicting as the player advances or uses warps to access some of the later fields where moving ‘objects’ can be targeted and cast upon allowing the player a variety of possible routes to any specific area or platform. To better explain the gameplay, PG has edited the short intro clips together to help showcase the variety of moves that can be done with the fishing pole:

As you can see in the video, the game’s physics are very advanced so the player seems to really bounce around on the fishing line. The intro clips are useful to show that the game is a true ''platformer,' but has adapted the use of grappling to provide a fair amount of freedom to the player to move around each field. Half the fun of playing Umihara Kawase is to try out the variety of moves that the player can perform and then to try the same moves while jumping from different platforms. The amount of freedom the player is given with the fishing pole and the amount of warps has made Umihara Kawase a favorite amount speedrun enthusiasts. Some of the moves are incredible to watch as stages are completed in seconds and the game is ‘finish’ in less than 2 minutes! Here is a tool assisted speedrun where the last field is cleared in 1:46 using the warps throughout some of the fields:

In the video the games physics are very impressively shown off; the game does slow down at times when the Super Famicom’s hardware is put to the test, usually when the player falls and casts at the last minute to grapple to a platform to save from falling in the water. For all of the great sound, graphics and physics that the game is known for, the game is still extremely fun to play. The game is great for a few minutes of just casting around to explore new areas and trying to get experience on the controls; and is still fun for an hour sit down trying to complete each field, or use warps to try later fields quickly.

The sequel to Umihara Kawase, Umihara Kawase Shun, was released for the PlayStation in 1997 and was later re-issued in 2000 as Umihara Kawase Shun, Second Edition with a few changes. Umihara Kawase is written as four kanji characters: umi, hara, kawa, se meaning sea, belly, river, and back. The name is a reference to a Japanese fishing saying "Sea fishes are fat in the belly; river fishes are fat in the back." The recently announced PSP port is a remake of Umihara Kawase Shun but will feature new maps and illustrations by the original artist Toshinobu Kondo. The game series is a favorite among Japanese gamers and had become a cult classic, and was featured on GameCenter CX in Season 5.

Overall, the game is a great action-puzzler-platformer that can be played for just a few minutes, but holds up after hours of play. The replay value is almost timeless as each field can be played in order or using warps to try just a few at a time. The game is one of the true classics on the Super Famicom and is simply fun to play. It is a shame that such a great game, like so many others, was never released in America for so many gamers’ to enjoy. Umihara Kawase is a great game to add to your collection for use as a casual pick up and play game that still holds up for hours of play for many years. For those interested in the gameplay, here is a longer gameplay clip showcasing some of the fields: