Umurangi Generation is a first person photography game in the shitty future. Set in Tauranga Aotearoa off the back of an impending crisis you are a courier for the Tauranga Express. Along the way you take photos to make ends meet. Throughout the game you will unlock a variety of lenses and equipment.
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The perfect vibe
Shelving this for now without a rating - I think it's a good game that, sadly, isn't really for me. I found the feel of moving around and exploring to be a bit too stiff, which was distracting for a game that's all about moving around, exploring, and taking photos.
conceptually very cool and it visually as well but it does suffer from a somewhat banal progression and mild annoyances that IMO could be easily fixed my two major gripes is 1 the time limit even though there is no major penalty for going over the 10min mark it does feel like the game really wants to insert some kind of hurry up mechanic and just does not fit the vibe 2 is just general bugginess on the objectives some of the objectives you just have to take really up close pics for it to even register you are trying to do the objective and its annoying because you end spending a lot of your film role on it and having to be so up close does not really induce much creativity which again very against the vibe of the game. but still a nice fairly short experience
Sep 9th, 2024
This is by no means me putting the game down for good just yet. I played through both the base game, and Macro DLC stages, unlocking every camera piece as I went along. Partially I did this so quickly so I could see the game, and then spend time with each of the levels at my own pace, and not focusing on the specific goals of the levels.
I now plan on reading interviews by the developer, and going through all the levels at least once more.
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This is by no means me putting the game down for good just yet. I played through both the base game, and Macro DLC stages, unlocking every camera piece as I went along. Partially I did this so quickly so I could see the game, and then spend time with each of the levels at my own pace, and not focusing on the specific goals of the levels.
I now plan on reading interviews by the developer, and going through all the levels at least once more.
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The concept at the heart of Umurangi Generation is that there will one day be a 'final' generation, one last set of people before the world ends; sometimes it feels like we can see them from here. The game isn't explicit in the telling of its plot or the characters within it, but the feel of spaces disintegrating as the 9-to-5s continue - of solidarity amongst the wreckage - saturates every moment.
As Umurangi Generation progresses, spaces shift from sunset cityscapes to urban decay, and then to warzones and wastelands. The most memorable moments are always the ones inbetween the destructive set pieces, where people recover, eat, socialize, open up shop and hope for a better day than yesterday.
Umurangi Generation is also a game about photography, although it's probably evident by my failing to mention anything about it in the above paragraphs that I'm too shit at photography to appreciate it. I'll say it now: Umurangi Generation is a really, really good photography game. You spend most of your time in this game navigating breathing 3D still lifes which are spackled with level designer-ly opportunities for evocative photographs. These spaces are optimized to ensure even the clumsiest photographer (re: me) will close out the game with some exquisite shots of the end times.
As Umurangi Generation progresses, spaces shift from sunset cityscapes to urban decay, and then to warzones and wastelands. The most memorable moments are always the ones inbetween the destructive set pieces, where people recover, eat, socialize, open up shop and hope for a better day than yesterday.
Umurangi Generation is also a game about photography, although it's probably evident by my failing to mention anything about it in the above paragraphs that I'm too shit at photography to appreciate it. I'll say it now: Umurangi Generation is a really, really good photography game. You spend most of your time in this game navigating breathing 3D still lifes which are spackled with level designer-ly opportunities for evocative photographs. These spaces are optimized to ensure even the clumsiest photographer (re: me) will close out the game with some exquisite shots of the end times.
The world is ending. Someone has to document it.
Umurangi Generation presents the player with a dying world. The New Zealand city of Tauranga, constantly under threat of a Kaiju attack. Your group of friends, trying to enjoy yourself in this difficult time. And of course you, the player, trying to make the most of the hard situation by taking photography requests.
I'd say finding beauty in the upcoming end is what the game wants the player to gear their thoughts towards first and foremost. Photography, even if virtual, is a form of expression and Umurangi Generation wants you to see the beauty in those mundane (or not so much) scenes, showing the emotion boiling inside you. The enjoyment of the game is dependent on how much the player themself is willing to engage with it. There are obviously specific goals to meet. They aren't all too creative I'd say, often times boiling down to taking a photo of a pretty specific thing. There are some standouts, where the subject is interesting enough to the point where you can play around with the photo, but often times the game asks you to take a closeup of something without a real ability to put your own spin on it. I think making the objectives either more broad or just making the actual window of error on the subject wider would help the goals much better.
And this I think is the reason why your enjoyment of the game will vary. It expects you to complete the sometimes boring goals while taking your own photos. And how much you are willing to insert your own creative process can make or break the game. It heavily depends on you making your own fun (and by that I mean taking your own photos) and truly engaging with the presented world and mechanics.
The developers supply you with a lot of tools for taking the exact picture you want, which is heavily appreciated. To get them all however, you have to complete the game first. I personally take it as an incentive to eventually replay the game, but I can see why it could be frustrating not to have the tools you want.
The game has little story. It mostly uses enviromental storytelling to convey the situation your friend group is in. It's really interesting to see the world change before your eyes, but don't expect any real characters.
The audiovisual side of the game feel perfect for the mood it wants to achieve. Slightly blocky models and low resolution textures, reminiscent of the Dreamcast. The music is rough and lo-fi. Polished and agressive. There's a lot of tracks and they're all quite unique, feeling almost like a pirate radio. (If you enjoy the OST I cannot recommend ThorHighHeels' album Coconuts. Great stuff from the composer of Umurangi.) Both of those aspects compliment each other and work together to create a great, unique vibe.
Umurangi Generation is an extremely bold, emotional and beautiful game. I heavily enjoyed my time taking photos in this world and taking in the atmosphere.
Huge recommend.
Umurangi Generation presents the player with a dying world. The New Zealand city of Tauranga, constantly under threat of a Kaiju attack. Your group of friends, trying to enjoy yourself in this difficult time. And of course you, the player, trying to make the most of the hard situation by taking photography requests.
I'd say finding beauty in the upcoming end is what the game wants the player to gear their thoughts towards first and foremost. Photography, even if virtual, is a form of expression and Umurangi Generation wants you to see the beauty in those mundane (or not so much) scenes, showing the emotion boiling inside you. The enjoyment of the game is dependent on how much the player themself is willing to engage with it. There are obviously specific goals to meet. They aren't all too creative I'd say, often times boiling down to taking a photo of a pretty specific thing. There are some standouts, where the subject is interesting enough to the point where you can play around with the photo, but often times the game asks you to take a closeup of something without a real ability to put your own spin on it. I think making the objectives either more broad or just making the actual window of error on the subject wider would help the goals much better.
And this I think is the reason why your enjoyment of the game will vary. It expects you to complete the sometimes boring goals while taking your own photos. And how much you are willing to insert your own creative process can make or break the game. It heavily depends on you making your own fun (and by that I mean taking your own photos) and truly engaging with the presented world and mechanics.
The developers supply you with a lot of tools for taking the exact picture you want, which is heavily appreciated. To get them all however, you have to complete the game first. I personally take it as an incentive to eventually replay the game, but I can see why it could be frustrating not to have the tools you want.
The game has little story. It mostly uses enviromental storytelling to convey the situation your friend group is in. It's really interesting to see the world change before your eyes, but don't expect any real characters.
The audiovisual side of the game feel perfect for the mood it wants to achieve. Slightly blocky models and low resolution textures, reminiscent of the Dreamcast. The music is rough and lo-fi. Polished and agressive. There's a lot of tracks and they're all quite unique, feeling almost like a pirate radio. (If you enjoy the OST I cannot recommend ThorHighHeels' album Coconuts. Great stuff from the composer of Umurangi.) Both of those aspects compliment each other and work together to create a great, unique vibe.
Umurangi Generation is an extremely bold, emotional and beautiful game. I heavily enjoyed my time taking photos in this world and taking in the atmosphere.
Huge recommend.