Umurangi Generation

Umurangi Generation
84
Metacritic
92
Steam
87.42
xDR
Our rating is calculated based on the reviews and popularity of the game.
Price
$14.99
Release date
19 May 2020
Developers
Publishers
Steam reviews score
Total
92 (838 votes)

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. Throughout the game you will unlock a variety of lenses and equipment.

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Umurangi Generation system requirements

Minimum:

  • OS: Windows 10
  • Processor: Intel® Core™ i3-4130
  • Memory: 8 GB RAM
  • Storage: 2 GB available space
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RoomRar
RoomRar

Glitches everywhere. But non of them matter.

Umarangi generation is a game filled with heart, anger, hope and everything in between.
A game in which you register their world and in turn capture our world.
There is so much passion in this that it just makes you want to create yourself.
Am I gonna be able to shut up about this game?? idk.

A very phenomenal game it is.

captainbozo01
captainbozo01

This game is beautiful, atmospheric, innovative and manages to tell an interesting story without any narration. The camera mechanics are incredibly fun, and even though the parkour elements can be a bit tedious due to the dodgy collision detection (prepare yourself for regularly glitching through stairs or out of the map) and the ultra low mouse sensitivity, exploring the levels and taking your time to explore all the details feels great. I'd definitely recommend it if you want something to relax that is unlike any other game out there, and if you have a creative side.

HippoChippies
HippoChippies

A game made for me, Umurangi Generation is about vibing with your cool friends and taking pictures, and is secretly the best I Spy game since Spooky Mansion 1 and 2. I showed this game to anyone who would watch. Pretty rad.

Cobra Lazer Face
Cobra Lazer Face

An incredibly thoughtful and relevant game. Well worth your time with its fun gameplay and interesting narrative.

Elizabert
Elizabert

Neat looking and sounding, but everything gameplay related is really janky from movement to subject detection in photos. The frustration from the constant issues like getting stuck in corners and the lackluster gameplay loop itself takes so much away from the overall experience IMO.

Saint Grim
Saint Grim

Great vibes, love the music. Wish I could free roam though.

Sleppy
Sleppy

Very vibe, very unexpected story when going in blind. Music is a vibe, visuals are a vibe, all your dear friends are a vibe. A very aesthetic game.
Sometimes the mechanics can feel clunky and I feel like thats mostly a result of the confusing objectives of each level, I went in without playing the tutorial so I'm not sure if that would have cleared it up at least in learning the mechanics and what your objectives are, I feel like making that mandatory would help but even then it doesn't bother the feeling of this game with it's quite short runtime so any frustration is not all that bothering.

All in all excellent game well worth picking up if aesthetic punk photography sounds fun to you

Edit: get the dlc

ionesco
ionesco

Short and sweet review for a short and sweet game. Loved the concept. Loved the art direction. Loved the unique storytelling approach. I beat it and unlocked everything in about 3 hours, but I still feel compelled to go back to mess around and take some more pictures. I honestly struggle to think of someone who wouldn't enjoy this at least a little. If you're looking for a chill game, this is for you. If you're looking for a fast paced speedrun type game this is (surprisingly) also for you. Highly recommended.

Abca
Abca

BIG WOW was this the sleeper hit I love to find. Might be my G.O.A.T. if you factor in replayability, O.S.T., and theme. So wonderfully thought-provoking with the messages on display while jammed pack with the most minute detail among the clutter. Something keeps me coming back to this bad boy.

Please give this a try.

aidalgol
aidalgol

I really wanted to like this game, but it is plagued with technical issues from the get go. There is no slider for mouse sensitivity, only four presets; you can clip through walls and into objects just walking and looking around normally; and you frequently bounce off of objects to find yourself launched up into the air far above the level, which is especially bad for the required platforming.

Beyond these technical issues, I have more subjective complaints. The art direction is terrible once you are in the game. The screenshots and trailer make the game look like it has a cohesive, 3D comic-book look, like Tiny and Big from Black Pants Studio, but the actual in-game art looks more like placeholder art. The film canisters that you have to find to earn upgrades blend in to the environment far too easily, looking more like black amorphous blobs than cylinders with a cap, and the aforementioned physics issues (randomly bouncing) make searching around the maps rather unpleasant. But I think worst of all, given the game's unique photography mechanic, is the starting lens you are given: some kind of telephoto lens with a narrow depth of field, in a very cramped map with all but one of the subjects of interest nearby, making taking the photos feel awkward and making it difficult to get everything you want in frame.

It saddens me to give this a thumbs down, because the concept is delightful, but this game needed more polish before release. As it stands, it feels like playing a beta for something grander that never was and likely never will be.

Raloire
Raloire

I bought this game knowing nothing more about it other than you can take photographs and that I loved the art direction it has.

Umurangi Generation portrays a bleak dystopian sci-fi future through the lens of a young courier working for the Tauranga Express. You’re given a list of things to photograph each level but you’re free to take as many pictures as you like and as someone who has a casual interest in photography I really enjoy this part of the game!

There is a time limit set for each level to deliver your package however you can ignore this as it’s only for a bonus. I definitely don’t recommend rushing through things on your first playthrough.

The environmental storytelling in this game is expertly crafted and is worth experiencing for yourself firsthand. I’d also recommend buying this along with its Macro DLC as that provides extra levels that expand on the game’s themes.

A refreshingly angry and passionate game with heavy social commentary. It’s worth sticking around until the final shot.

Model
Model

Way to artsy for my stupid self but i can understand how people can get enjoyment out of it. niche but it does niche well

Rad Dashi
Rad Dashi

Ohhh, so this is why Shinji didn't want to get in the f***ing robot. I see, I see.

Blake
Blake

not only a really good game, but an excellent example of visual storytelling, and a love letter to photography and visual expression

worth every penny despite the low playtime.

AwfulFries
AwfulFries

Great game with fantastic environmental storytelling and an excellent OST.

plyr0
plyr0

Broken. Unplayable.
GUI renders fine, but there is only one color on the whole screen, constantly flashing and changing, no textures, no geometry, no nothing. Radeon 6600 XT, the newest drivers, Win 10.

Impulse
Impulse

---{ Graphics }---
☐ You forget what reality is
☐ Beautiful
☑ Good
☐ Decent
☐ Bad
☐ Don‘t look too long at it
☐ MS-DOS

---{ Gameplay }---
☐ Very good
☑ Good
☐ It's just gameplay
☐ Mehh
☐ Watch paint dry instead
☐ Just don't

---{ Audio }---
☐ Eargasm
☑ Very good
☐ Good
☐ Not too bad
☐ Bad
☐ I'm now deaf

---{ Audience }---
☐ Kids
☑ Teens
☑ Adults
☐ Grandma

---{ PC Requirements }---
☐ Check if you can run paint
☑ Potato
☐ Decent
☐ Fast
☐ Rich boi
☐ Ask NASA if they have a spare computer

---{ Difficulty }---
☐ Just press 'W'
☑ Easy
☐ Easy to learn / Hard to master
☐ Significant brain usage
☐ Difficult
☐ Dark Souls

---{ Grind }---
☐ Nothing to grind
☐ Only if u care about leaderboards/ranks
☑ Isn't necessary to progress
☐ Average grind level
☐ Too much grind
☐ You'll need a second life for grinding

---{ Story }---
☐ No Story
☐ Some lore
☐ Average
☑ Good
☐ Lovely
☐ It'll replace your life

---{ Game Time }---
☐ Long enough for a cup of coffee
☑ Short
☐ Average
☐ Long
☐ To infinity and beyond

---{ Price }---
☐ It's free!
☐ Worth the price
☑ If it's on sale
☐ If u have some spare money left
☐ Not recommended
☐ You could also just burn your money

---{ Bugs }---
☐ Never heard of
☑ Minor bugs
☐ Can get annoying
☐ ARK: Survival Evolved
☐ The game itself is a big terrarium for bugs

---{ ? / 10 }---
☐ 1
☐ 2
☐ 3
☐ 4
☐ 5
☐ 6
☐ 7
☐ 8
☑ 9
☐ 10

bakkaman
bakkaman

Umurangi Generation, and its expansion Umurangi Generation Macro, are a testament to the statement, "Video games are art". Flawlessly, Origame Digital presents a mechanically satisfying and enjoyable experience while weaving in an emotionally impactful and relevant story. Simultaneously the artistic style, both visually and audibly, is unique and poignant...mystical and grounded. Umurangi Generation and its expansion are not only worth the time you spend with them, but the time you spend enraptured in their creative/photo mode as well. Do yourself a favor and give this is a go! Highly recommend, especially if you enjoy similar games such as Broken Reality and Assemble With Care.

brain.
brain.

Relaxing photography game set in a futuristic setting with a top tier OST (think Breakcore/Early 90s-retro game OSTs). No need to say anything else.

Pizza Skeeter
Pizza Skeeter

If there's a game that captures the themes and emotions of the 2020s, it'll be this one.

cchq12
cchq12

it's unreal how a photography sim can be this angry, this bold, this potent, and this breathtakingly harrowing. umurangi generation is a piercing shout from the rooftop of a ruined home and it demands to be heard. the Macro DLC is absolutely essential to the message

+CynicalNoodle
+CynicalNoodle

A truly underrated game with unique gameplay mechanics and an interesting story.

heendog
heendog

Hang out with your friends in the cyberpunk future! Neon lights! Violent displacement of people! Penguin friend! Game has it all.

Nintendon't
Nintendon't

Jet Set Radio meets Evangelion meets photography

poopmonster420
poopmonster420

Giving this a thumbs down but will say there is a lot that i like about it. The general idea, the gameplay and the art are all really good. Unfortunately, the objectives are usually extremely nebulous, requiring shots that are extremely specific, even when there appears to be alternate ways of getting the same shot (see 15 Candles and Cat & Bird objective on the 4th level). It's a bummer that a game that ostensibly encourages experimentation can't recognize when the player experiments. The ten minute time limit on every level doesn't matter at all except for completionists, but still gives me anxiety seeing it tick away, feeling like I'm not fast enough or smart enough. Maybe the sequel will be better. If you want a better, much chiller photography adventure experience I recommend Toem, and Alba: A Wildlife Adventure.

davepdotorg
davepdotorg

This won't be for everyone, but this was totally for me. It's kinda short, it's kinda buggy in places (but not in a game-breaking way), it's kinda rough around the edges, and all these things, and more, made it really compelling.

At a basic level it's what it says: a game about photography. Wander around 8 different levels and take photos, either trying to hit all the achievements or not. But there's also a story here, one that, for me anyway, was told in a perfect way. It's not spoon-fed, it leaves a lot of wiggle room for your own take on it, yet there's a pretty clear message as well.

The soundtrack really worked for me too.

Do I recommend it? Yup, no question. Will you, the reader, like it? I have no clue; but you might thank yourself for trying it.

Dr Jiro
Dr Jiro

Be friends with a penguin, take sweet photos (and fuck with the settings), and stay true to you while the world ends. Umurangi Generation is style and substance despite being short and sweet. Take a moment to see things through a different lens; you might be surprised by what you find.

Pastel Catboi
Pastel Catboi

I totally adore this game so much, the OST is spot on awesome, as someone who loves to take pictures in videos and IRL this fills my love for photography and it makes me so happy! The level of control you have and the almost endless amount of different types and levels of photos you can take is truly great, I love it so and i would recommend it 100%. Im gonna be taking lots of pictures and i wont ever stop here!

LilClown
LilClown

This is a great environmental storytelling photography game. It's very unique, and worth your time.

davidrobots
davidrobots

a resonant story told entirely through level design and environmental clues, the music goes really hard, and it's impossible to take a bad photo. fantastic game.

BT
BT

As a photographer myself, I've really enjoyed seeing the world of Umurangi Generation ending through the multitude of lenses.

It's a densely packed story, primarily told through environments, about the response of the current political-economic system in times of crisis. Definitely, the best photography game I ever played, 10 Red Skyes out of Human Instrumentality Project.

Proxy
Proxy

Umurangi Generation is a game I didn't have any expectations for when booting it up for the first time. Not high expectations, not low expectations, just a complete blank slate. I ended up being blown away by the experience, which is probably why I felt compelled enough to write a Steam review.

The core gameplay loop is satisfying; sure, you can boil it down to "just taking pictures", but given the variety of tools at your disposal even from the start (that expand as you complete sets of photo bounties) you start to consider the actual compositions of your shots. It never feels like a game where you're expected to know how to actually do photography -- I sure as hell don't -- but it rewards you for experimenting. Being able to save the photos you take into a folder after playing is a nice touch, too.

The entire vibe of this game is probably the strongest selling point, though. Despite there being a time limit to "do well" on your photo deliveries, if you ended up exceeding that time limit it doesn't automatically boot you from the stage. This allows you to actually examine your environment, pick up on the details of what's going on in this world, getting a sense of the injustices that the people you are alongside throughout the entire game are going through. All the while, a varied soundtrack that embraces so many varieties of influences (from microtonal jazz to rough analogue house and many more) matches and enhances the vibe. The stylish low-poly graphics add to this charm, and even help bring the experiences that much more down to earth during its shift in its final act.

Despite the fact that there's no dialogue in the game, you really get a strong sense of what's going on through its environmental storytelling. In fact, taking on the role of a photographer encourages this fact, having you consider your surroundings both from a gameplay perspective and from a human perspective.

TL;DR: Umurangi Generation is a great game, balancing appreciation of photography with a story about indigenous resistance against their oppressors. Fuck yeah. More games by indigenous developers need to be celebrated, this one included.

PUMPG33K
PUMPG33K

Admittedly I don't believe this game is for everyone; if you lack of patience then this game isn't for you. It is more of a game that you go about finding spots to take pictures of, simple task yes? well to be frank it is simple but also not that simple. The game is very easy to understand that it plays out like 'Hide-N-Seek'; you gotta find place's to take pictures that are easy to find; while some more challenging to find (It does make the game more fun due to this).

If you get lost for a bit by being overwhelmed by the limited time you have; my suggestion on the first run of the game is to not worried about the timer-! There is no game over. You will not get punished even if you stayed in for a hour or so like I have. After your first run, you shouldn't be lost at all if you want to 100% run the game; even with a 10 minute run in each level that it really isn't that hard to get below the 10 minute mark to beat each level. Just do not do it in your first run since the new areas gets you more lost rather than just confused. Only problem I had about playing the game is finding Film Canisters that are spread across the game; but other than that I had no real issues trying to get each level done.

If you are into Interactive Visual Storytelling while playing a genre of video games that plays out more niche from other games. Then this game is for you. It is a beautiful game with a wonderful soundtrack! Is it worth every penny? Of course, every bit of it that it comes with multiple modes after beating it; with many other things you can do with your camera. It even has creative mode that allows you to do whatever you please. I won't speak to much on the story, because it is a visual experience; but I will say that it was a beautiful one.

Hiroshi Mishima
Hiroshi Mishima

This is a difficult game to review, partly cause Steam does not offer an Undecided/Middle of the Road/Sideways Hand option, but also due to the nature of the game's narrative. These are just my feelings, so take it with a grain of salt where applicable.

Let's start with the gameplay. Someone originally pitched it to me as an avant-garde Pokemon Snap, albeit with more freedom, and I can certainly see the parallels. You roam around in artistic 3D environments taking pictures, unlocking new camera features as you go. While you can snap photos of whatever, there's a limited amount of film and objectives to complete in order to finish a given level. Unlike the Nintendo game, however, Umurangi has somewhat unorthodox methods for judging your photos. I still do not have a firm grasp on what constitutes a "great" scoring photo as the game's tutorial explicitly states such things are subjective. This sounds great on paper, but as an actual mechanic it could certainly stand to be better defined since score is tied to a stage's bonus objectives.

The stages themselves range from cramped, difficult to navigate mazes to open (in a limited way) areas that, nonetheless, still manage to be difficult to navigate for different reasons. You can jump twice, but the second is not terribly effective, and you can crouch. I assume the latter is just for taking variations on a given shot cause I never found it useful in the game itself. I did, on the other hand, get caught on the level geometry repeatedly throughout the game! Sometimes a jump would leave me on an undefined edge where I could slide along but not jump the last few pixels to the spot I was hoping to reach. Other times, I had to shake my character loose from a pipe or other obstruction I'd somehow gotten caught on.

I said you had limited film, and this is true, but it's also somewhat misleading! Every level has a number of tiny, frequently hard to see film canisters hidden throughout, and picking one up will refresh your photo count. Very handy in the few levels with an absurdly high bonus score objective, not that the game informs you of this. Collecting all the film in a level counts as one of the bonus conditions towards unlocking a second camera ability if you do them all in one go. Unfortunately, this means everything from the necessary photos to optional ones and picking up all the hidden film capsules, to boot. They're devilishly easy to overlook. Good luck finding them without a guide!

I'm not trying to be hard on the game, I just personally found it to be as aggravating as it was fun to play. That's ultimately part of my problem with there being a 10-minute time limit being present as part of the bonus conditions. On the surface, it appears to be a game about taking your time, soaking up the atmosphere, and doing your own thing. Yet at the same time it has photo limits, a timer, and a score count.

It also has a neat "recreate the postcard" bonus objective! It's a nice idea. It's also somewhat frustrating. I can take 10 nearly identical photos that don't count but apparently another one will count. Was I slightly to the side? Was my zoom a little different? I have no idea. It's possible to select the pause menu's postcard and get a larger view, but the sometimes dark look of the photo means it's not much help.

This is, unfortunately, another of the game's problems for me; the user interface isn't terribly helpful. The tutorial has a yellow text with no bordering that makes it very difficult to read. The menu options are black text on a white rectangle, like something out of MS Paint; it stands out as odd in an otherwise artistic looking game. There is also the fact that exiting a level takes you back to the title screen instead of the level selection screen. If you're struggling to do everything in 10 minutes, this will become very tedious.

I want to stress that the game is fun to play, it's just that there is plenty which could have done with some more polishing. Gameplay quirks or hang-ups that, while sometimes minor, nonetheless got in the way of my overall enjoyment. If you just wanna run around the environments, taking pictures, and making your way through the unspoken narrative, you will probably enjoy this game.

My other problem with Umurangi, however, has to do with the DLC. This is a lot more subjective than the rest of my review because the additional levels are a lot more aggressive from a narrative standpoint. I don't want to get into it for risk of spoiler, but I certainly found them to be less enjoyable, especially the last two levels. They are all fairly large compared to the main game's level design, and if I understand it right the developer was in an angrier frame of mind when they made them. It uh.. shows. They're visually impressive, as is most of the game, but there is a very distinct mood change from the regular portion of the game.

The last thing I'll comment on is the music. As I played the first few levels I kept thinking, "Gee, all it's missing is some Jet Set Radio-esque music!" because it was just sorta inoffensive, generic background music. Then I heard TARIQ talk during one level and immediately longed for that boring, lifeless music from the earlier stages. I think TARIQ is meant to be memes, or social commentary, I don't know. I just know I did not like TARIQ, Dolphins are neat, though, I appreciated the idea.

I'm bad at summarization, this is far longer than I'd like it to be, and it doesn't feature a handy bullet-point list like some folks use. If you read all of this, I thank you. These are just my thoughts on Umurangi, not a professional review. It's a very interesting game with a unique premise and gameplay we don't see often. I got it on sale; I don't know if I think it's worth the full price. I'd love to see another game that plays similar to it, though!

Youtube.com/Four Years Wasted
Youtube.com/Fo…

I haven't felt the need to 100% a game in a while

Umurangi Generation is a must experience if you are a photographer or artist. Even if it's just once.

Konjus
Konjus

this game slaps what are you doing not playing it right now go play it dummy

dog
dog

Good late-night experience. Looking forward to what is coming next from the people behind this.

Mr Bubbles
Mr Bubbles

At first glance Umurangi Generation is a chill photography game with artstyle similiar to Jet Set Radio, but once you look closely there is much more depth here. Its environmental story telling is top notch, providing social commentary through its setting of "shitty futute" that doesn't seem that far off from our own crappy reality. I highly recommend you watch Errant Signal and Super Bunnyhop essays about this game on youtube, they are amazing.
Gameplay wise its very simple. You are equipped with a camera and have to complete photo bounties in each mission by taking photos of specific objects, sometimes with extra requirements, such as using fish eye lense. There are eight levels, each being a small sandbox for you to express yourself creatively.
You start with your basic camera and unlock more specialized lenses, filters and settings for it as you progress through the game and complete extra challenges. I recommend you ingore the time limit and collectibles on your first playthrough and just immerse yourself in this world and try to piece together what's going on. There are many ways to accomplish each bounty and express yourself. Just go wild and experiment with perspective and your equipment!
Music and overall soundscape of Umurangi Generation is one of its strongest points. Its a very unique mix of electronic and hip hop music, which suits the setting perfectly. There are no voices in here, but this game's graffiti and propaganda posters speak volumes.
I have only a few small gripes with Umurangi Generation. Biggest of them being the controls. Movement feels stiff and unresponsive, I also gut stuck on geometry a few times. However, considering that you can't really fail in this game and it doesn't require fast movement its not a big deal. I also found it a bit annoying that you have to manually scroll through your entire selection of lenses and can't just pick it using for example a radial menu. Its a bit tedious, but again, no biggie.
I highly recommend Umurangi Generation if you like photography and enjoy slow paced, chill games with extra depth. For me it was such a nice change of pace from what I usually play. It succeds in almost everything it sets out to do and you owe it to yourself to give it a go. Big kudos to this game's creator Origame Digital!

Miniike
Miniike

many thoughts, most of which have been better articulated by other people. but ig i will say that, being the perhaps Undue optimist that i am, i appreciate some of the little things which convey some kind of Meaning, or at least a gleeful embrace of its own nihilism, beyond the absolutely crushing content of the world around you. mostly i appreciate that your friend group stays together , they never say a single word but their presence, and taking the bonus group photo, is always a weird source of comfort. this very easily could have been a lonely story, but ig its not called Umurangi One Single Dude. we are all in this together

A Big Guy
A Big Guy

Raw. Close-to-home. Uncomfortable. A little bit of art game jank. It's unsubtle and wears its references on its sleeve and is as much a vision of a shitty present as a shitty future.

TheYangoose
TheYangoose

This game is more relevant now than when it released last year. I highly recommend purchasing the Macro DLC as well, it takes a good experience to a fantastic experience.

SIMPSONWΛVΞ
SIMPSONWΛVΞ

If you live in Australia, you've seen the Umurangi (Red Sky) during the Bushfires early 2020.
It sure made me feel like the world was ending.

SmanDaMan
SmanDaMan

A beautifully stylized game that, despite it's shortness, showcases amazing vibrance and imagery, contrasted with the darkness of the world around you and your friends. And even if you may ignore it at first, at the end, you have to see what is happening around you and accept it.

Noise Tank
Noise Tank

One of my personal favorite games of all time.

I've always had a love of photography, dystopian cities and neon lights, so Umurangi hits all the right notes for me.

aeiou
aeiou

chill game, and after you unlock free mode its 500 percent more chill

Colelayli
Colelayli

Umurangi is the kind of game where you get out of it what you put in.
As an objective based game, it tends to be somewhat lackluster. How interesting someone finds this is entirely dependant on their interest in treating the world as a canvas. The main content of the 'story mode' is a list of levels with photo objectives. Capture a few birds in one shot, do a close up on a skateboard, that sort of thing. The joy is in capturing the details of the world through photography.
Stylistically, Umurangi shines with art direction, music, and environmental design that I can only describe as powerfully bold and authoritatively subversive. The whole game feels like a rejection to authority and abuses of power.
I feel the game is at its best when you immerse yourself in the atmosphere it creates, as Umurangi is not carried by the depth of gameplay, rather the mood and story that is conveyed by your own capturing of said atmosphere.
You keep the pictures you take too, which is really cool.
I can say with absolute certainty that this game will not appeal to those solely seeking extrinsic motivation. For those who want a game for style and atmosphere, Umurangi will more than provide if you are willing to look.

Get Mad!!!
Get Mad!!!

Newspaper photographer sim 10/10

Satellite
Satellite

it's like jet set radio but it makes you sad

Dr.Cassnoi
Dr.Cassnoi

Incredible game. Original, beautiful, fun and with a lot of personality

kovasz
kovasz

Okay, so someone who usually spends hours taking photos in any game which includes a photo mode I really liked the base idea of this game. But this is the only positive thing in this game. The graphics is god awful. Why'd want to take photos of ugly things? Also, the really low detail sometimes makes it really hard to spot the things you're looking for. The UI is awful. Why it prompts the keyboard bindings when I'm using a controller? Why it's impossible to tell which button does what on the help screen? This was literally the first time I've went to check the key bindings, and I was unable to tell which text points to which button. The controls/movement is like playing an alpha version of an fps. Furthermore, it happened to me several times that the game just wouldn't recognized my achievements. Take a photo of a skull and a knife. Photo taken, Nothing happens. Found another skull and a knife, it was working.

This could have been a game I love, but there are just too many cons to enjoy it.

Sappho guide my aim!
Sappho guide my aim!

All Kaiju are bad.

All cops are ba

david.lees78
david.lees78

An interesting game that doesn't quite work for me. A game about photography feels like it should be slow-paced and allow you to explore at your leisure but all the tasks - find 10 of these, get this very specific photo, do it all within ten minutes - makes it feel rushed and stressful. The telephoto tasks are a particular headache as you run around each level trying to find one awkward spot where you can get the right items in frame. It's as if they felt they had to gamify what is essentially a walking simulator and the two approaches grate against each other badly.

I'd still say it's worth getting, but with the benefit of hindsight I would have enjoyed it far more if I'd just ignored all the secondary tasks and spent more time with each level, just poking about and entertaining myself first and foremost, and I'd suggest anyone buying it play it that way first too.

Lapis
Lapis

Umurangi Generation is genuinely one of the best games ever made.

Mettle Meek
Mettle Meek

In a low-income neighborhood stacked full of shipping containers branded as "UN Temporary Emergency Shelters", you find candle-lit memorials and graffiti murals in memory of a local girl who died defending her hometown from the first wave of Kaiju attacks. One of the memorials has a picture of her with a bird on her head. She has an annoyed look on her face, like her friend just told her to hold still for the picture. Another picture shows her fishing. She's wearing the same baseball cap in a lot of her pictures. There's a picture of her as a baby, and a picture of her in a UN pilot uniform.

After squeezing through a narrow alley and around some fences, you find a memorial installed by the city, commemorating "those lost in the first wave", no specific names given.

Roro
Roro

2hs in review:
Game is kind of simple and sometimes surprisingly frustrating, yet it's in that simplicity and the urge of finding what to shoot with your camera where the game shines.
You have to complete some photo requests to continue to another level. Most are really funny and light, yet at least one per level is cryptic in some way! So you have to really keep looking. And trying to fulfill that requirement you spend time in game's level design details.

boombapqaz
boombapqaz

Umurangi Generation serves not only as a really cute photo-sim game, but also a really subtle political commentary on New Zealand/Australian Politics. As an Australian, it makes me feel heard in a way no other game has with its direct criticisms of our Prime Minister. It's art style is between Jet Set Radio and a Playstation 1 Game, which fits it's tone perfectly alongside the quirky lofi/breakbeat soundtrack, capped off with a really intriguing cyberpunk aesthetic that rejects some of its core tenants for Maori folklore, which is incredibly fresh and welcoming. The base game I found incredibly enjoyable, if brief, akin to something on Itch.io. The soundtrack is excellent, funny in some places. My only reservation is again the length, and how unless you've been paying attention, it's over-arching narrative comes at you incredibly fast, confusing to some degree. Despite, I wholeheartedly recommend it!! Mad props to the sole dev behind this. Tends to be one of those "you either love it or you don't" games, but I think it could be a lot of people's 'thing'.

The DLC is really where the potential of the game comes out. It's also short, slightly shorter than the main-game. However, it retains its subtle storytelling in a way that comes together a lot better, feeling a lot of Neon Genesis Evangelion, which the Dev has stated is an inspiration. Highly recommend the DLC.

gtaplayer96
gtaplayer96

neoPOLITICAL PHOTOGRAPHY and a PENGUIN

Marked One
Marked One

A great photography indie game that's extremely under appreciated given how well the game presents its themes of war & change. A delightful audio treat to experience as well. It's a unique gaming experience for sure but if you're into weird niche indie art games and like doing photography in games, this is well worth your time and money.

RedDelly
RedDelly

If you like Neon Genesis Evangelion, Akira and Colors this is the right game for you.

Shalogna
Shalogna

I liked taking pictures. If you like taking pictures, you will like this game.

ambient+
ambient+

Umurangi Generation is a really strange but cool game. It's a photography game with a really neat style. The music is fantastic and worth listening to even if you don't play the game. UG is short and sweet but allows you to be creative in a really abstract world. This is a great game for just hanging out and exploring in a low stakes setting. Can't wait to see what this dev does next

V.Aria
V.Aria

Proof that video games are art.

AddistWasHere
AddistWasHere

*Snap* Yep, this ones going in my public freakout compilation #34 (Black people edition)

hdefined
hdefined

Have you played a first person game? Not a first person shooter, just literally any game in a first person perspective, or where you could switch to one?

Then you don't need to play this. It's literally just a "look at the environment in first person game."

Seraaron
Seraaron

Have you ever watched Neon Genesis Evangelion, or any other Kaiju-fighting show, and wondered what happens to the citizens of the cities that are destroyed by the collateral damage? When the giant mech shoots it's 1400 mm calibre rounds at the monster, the cartidges have got to land somewhere right? Wouldn't they destroy buildings and cars? Have you ever thought about what it would be like to actually live in a worn-torn cyberpunk city, like Tokyo-3? Do you really think that if an alien invasion ever happened, for real, or any other apocalypse for that matter, that our governments would handle the situation appropriately? If the sea turned to blood, how would you survive, let alone the economy? Umurangi Generation explores those questions, and more, through the medium of photography, exploration, and quiet contemplation.

You play as a young photographer, vibing with your friends and making art, in the last days of earth's existence. Because what else are you gunna do? What else *can* you do?

This game was made initially after the 2019 fires in Australia destroyed so much life, after the direct results of climate change were laid bare for all to see, and no-one seemed to care. Since then, we've seen a similarly tepid response to the Covid pandemic, and I think the DLC (Macro) explores those aspects of generational frustration more than the original game did.

If you're worried about there being 'lame social commentary', or if you think the game might be 'too preachy', then I'd say you can lay those fears to rest -- mostly. The game doesn't have any explicit message, it's objectives simply ask you to look at the environment, and to see the implicit damage for yourself. There's no dialogue even, just diagetic storytelling, through the art direction, clothing, graffiti, music, billboards, and stray newspapers.

Ultimately, this is a game about finding meaning in the end times. Something I'm struggling with a lot at the moment. If you are too, then this is an easy recommendation. The 'red sky generation' are the last people who'll ever live. I'm not sure if *we* are that generation, you and I, that is, but it sure feels like it sometimes...

I also think it's neat that the game saves every photo you take to your harddrive and opens that folder for you when you quit the game. It means that you can literally take something away from the game, as well as metaphorically. In some ways it's also an educational game about photography, and may be a gateway to making art by yourself.

It's art. In every sense of the word.

Oh, and the soundtrack kicks ass too!

omega_love
omega_love

This is our future and also our present. What a nightmare.

floralbuzz
floralbuzz

This is a phenomenal game, and a testament to the capacity of video games to operate as directly political media. For the most part, the game is simply a heap of fun. The photography mechanics work great, the levels are vibrant, and the music slaps. Political commentary is peppered throughout out this on colonialism, the nature of international institutions like the UN, and the environmental crisis. As this is all achieved through environmental storytelling, none of it comes off as heavy-handed, and the player is left with a lot of room to think about things without being forced to. This gives the game's final moments some frankly *incredible* tension and political commentary, as the final levels of both the main game and the DLC are the only times it works in more direct political messaging. The impact of this combo is breathtaking.

I love Umurangi Generation. It has advanced the medium of video games as a whole.

RedKnight
RedKnight

A photography focused game that tasks you with taking pictures of various things around the different locations in the city. There's plenty of other things to see in each location however and you're free to take as many pictures as your film will allow. You'll also get more ways to play around with the photography as you progress if you're into that sort of thing. The game has basically no dialogue or exposition, so looking around the different areas is how you'll find out about what's going on. You'll also get to appreciate the game's brand of somewhat dark humour. The simplistic artstyle is pretty endearing and you get to listen to a nice, chill soundtrack while you take your photoes. Overall I recommend it to anyone who wants to take it easy and take in the sights.

RPGFan2000
RPGFan2000

A few technical problems, but this is overall a very creative game with something to say.

Snowdrama
Snowdrama

This game is the ultimate masterclass example of "Show don't tell", the game and soundtrack has a great story, world building, and atmosphere, without practically saying a single word the entire game.

Gameplay boils down to essentially a first person "I Spy" game where you have to take a photo containing the complete request like "Take a photo with a zoom lens that has 5 birds in it" This is a lot of fun as you scour the level not just for the items in question, but a good place to take the photo so you can get just the right angle.

The clever bit is that asking you to take time to look at everything to find the items forces you to look at things that aren't the item you're looking for, but identifying the environment around you gives you a ton of insight into the world, the people, and what's happening.

The game is super fun, and all the unlockable lenses and upgrades are fun to take back into previous levels to get more creative photos and find new secrets. It's worth picking up and experiencing it for yourself, at least the base game, though if you like the base game, I'd recommend the DLC as it adds new lens options for really interesting photos.

michaelmcd64
michaelmcd64

this game is a great artistic experience

DolphinZero27
DolphinZero27

Very neat little game that's overflowing with creativity and style, some things are left vague (however I feel this is by choice) and the community has you covered for anything you may have trouble with

spinalope
spinalope

an excellent photography game and a very bitter comedy

40GallonTophat
40GallonTophat

I like games like this because I can tell they have a lot of heart and a lot of people love it, so I don't have to feel like I'm hurting the dev with my bad review. This was an extremely boring game that rarely had me feel anything except "eventually I'll get to the part that everyone loves, surely". The story happening in the background of the game is far more interesting than the game itself and it's almost a bummer that there were no real consequences to photographing the jellies and no chance to really unearth any hidden agenda to reveal the truth to the masses or anything like that.

Anyway, most people love this game and I'm clearly in the minority here, but I didn't find anything to enjoy.

nucleargrizzly
nucleargrizzly

I've played this on steam and switch and it's one of my favorite experiences in gaming. The world, the music, the story, everything. Immaculate.

PastramiOrigami
PastramiOrigami

I had a phenomenal time with this game and the dlc I also listen to the soundtrack regularly. I think about my time playing it from time to time with fondness and know its something I need to replay soon, I just love the art style, music, and atmosphere in this world it inspires creativity and made me want to really explore what I could do with the camera and explore for secrets within and out of the boundaries of the maps. The game also has a good sense of progression as you unlock different lenses and such through out the game. This one is a 10/10 for me highly recommend the dlc as well.

Ayam XII
Ayam XII

If you're looking at your games library and making raspberry noises with your lips, please try this for something different. It's a photo-take-athon and the adjustments you can make to your photos are pretty cool, although I'm not into social media so I bet the options pale in comparison to image filters on whatever social media platform you're desperately trying to get noticed on. However, for ignorant sods like me, if you feel like you have a vague creative streak but haven't really had the time to go down that path, I recommend this to dip your toes into some crazy photo taking opportunities. Choose the lens, tilt the camera, choose some egregious or muted colour settings, the game saves them for you in a folder and then, like me, set them as your desktop background if you can navigate Windows 10 settings better than I...

Umurangi Generation has a very interesting setting, and the anti-UN sentiment, as a failing to a fictional world catastrophe, or as a statement from the game producers, is pretty cool. Oh yeah, NATO can suck deez cashew nuts too. That one's from me.

simpjkee
simpjkee

Interesting idea. Interesting to play. I liked the theme of the game. The music was cool. The only thing I didn't like was that it often felt like I was banging my head in to invisible ceilings when jumping. That was slightly annoying, but not enough for me to not reccomend the game.

Stonego
Stonego

Can we take notes from games like these? They are arful without sacrifcing what make games games

Thespeedyraisin
Thespeedyraisin

I finally fulfilled my life long dream of becoming a photographer!

and I didn't even have to spend thousands of dollars on a DSLR camera and lenses

bug
bug

An amazing loveletter to photography with its own story to tell, all without words.
There's a lil penguin in the game (I love that lil man!) and a ton of unlockables.

Admittedly, I've had a little trouble finding some objectives and needed a guide to know what certain things were, but I still enjoyed the experience (and the Macro DLC) despite the occassional frustrations. I just had to sleep on it a few times, I guess.

I definitely reccomend it, though!

Super Alpha T-posing Yoshi
Super Alpha T-…

I don't know between me having a bug where it takes 50 seconds to get past the press button to start screen, and the game being super short even taking my sweet ass time, I would say its not worth it even on sale imo.

I like the idea just needs to be way more fleshed and and polished.

paimona
paimona

I bought this game without reading the description or watching the trailers and thought it was just a game about taking photos of your friends. It ended up being a dystopian sci-fi narrative with heavy social commentary. Loved it. Great photography gameplay mechanics.

Rushmore Miles
Rushmore Miles

It's neat, doesn't outstay its welcome.
very interesting concept backed up with well produced visuals and strong soundtrack.
You play through a sequence of ISPY puzzles for hipsters with a funky beat playin over em, strung together by a subtle story told through visuals about the last generation of smelly kids gettin pissy about the world bein destroyed.
it's prolly tryin to say something, or just jerking off to evangelion, either way its fun.

worth the price of admission.

skael
skael

one of the very few games that get it.
will get more real with every passing year.

Spartan660
Spartan660

Every once in a while, a game comes along that captivates me and I loose track of time playing it. The experience of playing the game is just a joy. This is one of those games for me. As I get older these types of games where I can just loose myself in are becoming fewer and fewer. This may be a shorter game, but i thoroughly enjoyed it. It reminds me of when I would loose myself in the world of Jet Set Radio and Pokemon as a kid. Defiantly worth the money.

Anarchangel
Anarchangel

Fun and quick game of exploration, creativity, and a broken society.

SOBRRDOSIS
SOBRRDOSIS

no saco buenas fotos en la vida real, pero tampoco saco fotos buenas en este juego. 8/10, perderia el tiempo buscando el pinguino 20 veces mas

masuat
masuat

In this game, explore a stylish, edgy world where you slowly realize that everything has gone wrong.

Your only goal is to take photos of certain things like "7 birds" or "a shotgun, a pistol, and a rifle". Fill the list, and you can move on to the next level. While hunting for the correct angles to grab these photos, you take in more and more of the messed-up world and gradually figure out what's really going on.

In one level, a discarded newspaper reports that the prime minister is on vacation while alien invaders are at the nation's doorstep. The wall next to it is plastered with army recruitment posters, advertisements, and propaganda informing you that yes, we're winning the war.

That's not to say that this is a downer of a game. For all the cynicism and despair evident in the world, there runs a theme of youthful rebellion and even hope and a call to action, because sometimes in the end all you get is one shot. Let your camera be your lens.

Simply put, a collectathon should not have lore this good. Make sure to get the DLC as well.

Moooniper
Moooniper

Everything about this game is great. Make sure you buy the dlc too. It adds a nice bit extra and builds on the story a lot

avie deluxe
avie deluxe

good tunes, cool visuals, neat gameplay. would be excellent if it werent for the incredibly picky object detection in photos and the utterly atrocious collision detection and platforming physics that make manoeuvring around the levels an ungodly pain in the ass. i cant personally recommend it purely because of how unfun it is to play despite everything else being pretty good.

dragonflute
dragonflute

this is the first time im ever reviewing a game on here but legitimately this game is so so so good. i just bought the dlc, so i have not seen that yet, but the way this game shows its story with no dialogue is just amazing. the bounties urge you to explore all of your surroundings thoroughly + all of the areas have a distinct feel and the messages within the game in regards to the occupation of aotearoa are very blatant and transparent. its really nice to see a game focus on the topics that this one does without sugarcoating anything. my only complaint honestly is just sometimes the platforming is a little janky, but it doesnt take away from the experience of this game too much. 100% recommend.

goopbeast
goopbeast

the only bad part of UMURANGI GENERATION is that it eventually ends, and you have to accept that nothing can fill the penguin shaped void inside.

seneca3191
seneca3191

The game has potential but it's too picky when it comes to qualifiers. I spent more than an hour trying to photograph ten solar panels from God only knows how many vantage points. There were ten solar panels in the photograph on numerous occasions but none of them counted because I didn't have the EXACT angle the developers were looking for. I watched a walk-through and the host had a hard time too but finally got it. But in the photo, two of the solar panels were barely showing...it's like, how could that possibly count?? Lol. I will say the soundtrack is good and the controls seem to work fine. It's a good idea, overall, and I could see how people would like this. But I can tell already, I'm not going to have the patience required in order to play this. If you take a chance on this, be prepared to consult how-to guides, etc. It might be up your alley but it requires a lot of fiddling around.

Hatsuna
Hatsuna

I hate taking pictures. Written words have always suited me better.

When the approximately four hour Umurangi Generation released in the midst of the reverberating COVID-19 pandemic and Black Lives Matter protests of 2020, I felt extremely ill-equipped to talk about its place in these contexts. A photography game set amidst the collapse and hubris of institutions in the face of existential catastrophe was so unintentionally and yet perfectly timely that I was stopped in my tracks. The words never came.

But in the months and years since, the pictures that I tried to take there haunt me still.

In that “pointless” pursuit of capturing something just out of reach; in doing enough to get to the next day; in framing those moments of peace, of levity, of kindness, of hope; while still confined in an environment that felt inescapable.

In the countless cynical and hopeless moments that have existed between then and now, I needed this practice as a kindling reminder:

To persist.

Part of a collection of short game diary entries from https://mattpon.medium.com/games-that-arent-elden-ring-c803d29df10

DimitrisYellingPlaya
DimitrisYellingPlaya

This is one of the most unique videogames that have come out in recent years. A game whose core gameplay is about photography and tasks you have to do based on the tools your camera has. Many people compare this game to Pokemon Snap, but there's a significant difference to that game: Umurangi Generation, for one, isn't on rails and the levels have lots of verticality. Plus, as mentioned before, you can take pictures and use different filters, effects etc.
The other part of this game which is very well thought out, is the environmental storytelling. There are so many things going on as you proceed and the game encourages you to explore the curiosity the levels may cause you. Why there are so many propaganda posters everywhere? Why there are so many cops and troops around? Who is that enemy we're fighting against? Are the authorities showing any competence during the crisis? You see, this is a dystopian game and I would argue that it's one of the best in this category. In fact, I would go as far as to say that, as a sci-fi dystopian game taking place in the real world, Umurangi Generation is the best game of that kind since Deus Ex. Don't let the Jet Set Radio inspired aesthetics fool you, the game is actually very bleak.
Yet even with all its bleakness going on, it serves as a sign of hope in modern gaming. Many people argue nowadays that games don't try enough to be unique or engaging, and that the developers are not as passionate as they used to be. Well, I use this gem right here as my disagreement to such statements. Especially since the developer behind this is still supporting his work 2 years after its release. Did I also mention that Umurangi Generation is DRM free? Yeah, you can buy it here on Steam, but Steam isn't required to get the game running.
With all that said. my final verdict is: This is the real Cyberpunk game of 2020/10

iios
iios

a lot to love here but gave me pretty bad motion sickness

Furryhellcore69
Furryhellcore69

My only criticism of this game is that sometimes it doesn't accurately detect what you've taken a picture of. 9/10

Brianag010
Brianag010

One of the most realistic photography video games I have ever played. Just remember to ignore the men of war.

Swash
Swash

manual controls beyond zoom and focus are locked behind playtime, which makes for an unenjoyable lack of freedom

K;
K;

its more of a puzzle game than a photography game so its not really what i was looking for, but i see the appeal.