Umihara Kawase Kanzenban: 95/128

I note that I last posted at 83/128 and was about to start tickling away at F45.  I suppose I went back and unlocked some alternate paths after that, because my counter was sitting at 87 for a spell.  Had a burst today and cleared F45 then 46, 53 and 54 in the same game.  Worked out the trick to F55 in practice mode, so I’ll be able to pass that in my next full play too.

Progress updates are a pretty tedious way to read about a game.  A bit of trivia about the way exits and clears work does not rise much above that level.  It’s kind of a crime to have written more than a paragraph about Umihara without reference to bounce.

The big factor that separates Umihara from your other various ninja-rope action games is that Umihara’s fishing line is elastic.  That’s completely confounding at first, since your initial ineptitude gives the impression that the swing system is weak.  Experience overcomes, fortunately.

With a little practice, the bouncy rope means new tricks are possible, unseen in other wire-action games.  I mentioned that I had to dust off my boost jumping for F45.  The stage starts with a pit filled with glass shards that is wider than you can leap.  There are no ledges above you to anchor to, so swings are impossible.

The trick is to anchor your hook on the ground, then walk away from the pit, stretching your fishing line.  Use that spring to speed up your jump, almost doubling your distance and clearing the pit.  It’s actually pretty easy to time, and once you’ve got it down, you can work boost jumps into other stages where it’s not actually required.  Just fun.

Combining a stretched line and the momentum gained from reeling in creates a lot of speed, allowing for all sorts of slingshot moves.  Only once you have those under your belt will some of the alternate exits begin to seem possible.

And that paragraph is the kind of condescending pablum that means I need to stop writing for today.