UMAMI Review (PC)
Summary: A beautifully crafted 3D puzzle game that has a high chance of making you hungry when playing.
3.3
Mouth-watering.
UMAMI, the debut title from indie studio Mimmox, is a food-themed 3D puzzle game residing inside a cosy, hand-painted world inhabited by cute creatures. Players are tasked with rotating and tinkering with wooden blocks to form elaborate dioramas. These dioramas consist of mouth-watering, hand-painted dishes, from berries-and-cream-filled cakes to crispy waffles and glazed donuts.
Each level begins with a bare wooden base, studded with connection nodes and dozens of loose pieces surrounding it. Your task is to grab the blocks, rotate them, and snap them into their correct positions to match the final design. The game-play is straightforward, and there are no timers, so you are free to take as long as you need to complete the puzzle. Camera controls are generally solid, as you can zoom and pan around the diorama to inspect awkward angles, which is crucial for a 3D puzzle game.
There’s no denying that the art style in UMAMI is what stands out the most and is ultimately the main appeal of this game. The hand-painted textures give everything an expensive toy-box quality feel. The drawings on the puzzle select screen alone will appeal to anybody who loves cute creatures in their games. Each of these creatures are collectible, too. By interacting with objects scattered around the wooden blocks, you can find a hidden collectible card on each level, and an achievement is awarded for finding every card in the game. (What’s even better is that you can pet these creatures, too.)
The audio design is equally impressive. The soundtrack leans heavily into mellow lo-fi sounds. Every interaction has been given an audio identity, with the most satisfying awarded to the soft chime when finally fitting a block into its correct place. A delicate wooden clank can be heard every time a block is selected. These audio cues reinforce the illusion that you’re playing with real wooden blocks on a table. Nothing in the sound mix is harsh, either. There are no cues for making the “wrong” moves or for taking too long. UMAMI keeps everything in the same cosy, mellow beat, encouraging players to take their time solving each puzzle
With 15 puzzles in total, the game can easily be completed in around 4-8 hours. It raises a question mark over the longevity of this game, and it may well end up being a short and sweet visit rather than a staple in players’ Steam libraries. As there are currently no additional challenges or optional increases in difficulty, if you’re someone who is looking for a groundbreaking experience with brain-busting puzzles that provide dozens of hours of content, truthfully, this game may not hit the mark for you.
But UMAMI does exactly what it sets out to do: provide a relaxing environment to finish puzzles, admire the gorgeous, finished dioramas, and pet some cute animals along the way. Mimmox themselves say that their mission is to “create playful, soulful games that comfort the spirit”, and it’s safe to say that with their debut title now in players’ hands, that mission is off to a promising start.
About the Author
Jade Darton Jade is a web developer and Computer Science BSc student from Suffolk, UK with a passion for games and writing about them.
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