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Umurangi Generation

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Umurangi Generation
Developer(s)Origame Digital
Publisher(s)
Director(s)Tali Faulkner
Composer(s)ThorHighHeels
EngineUnity
Platform(s)
ReleaseWindows
19 May 2020
Switch
5 June 2021
Xbox One
17 May 2022
PS4, PS5, Quest 2, Quest 3
18 April 2024
Genre(s)Photography
Mode(s)Single-player

Umurangi Generation is a first-person photography simulation video game developed by Origame Digital and released for Microsoft Windows in May 2020. Ports for Nintendo Switch and Xbox One followed in June 2021 and May 2022, respectively. Versions for PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5 released in April 2024, alongside a virtual reality version for the PlayStation VR2 and Meta Quest platforms.

Gameplay

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Umurangi Generation is a first-person photography game. The player is tasked with taking photos meeting specific conditions (such as photographing a particular piece of graffiti with a specific camera lens) but is otherwise free to exercise their creativity. The game allows the player multiple methods, techniques and opportunities for achieving their photography bounties, as well as complete freedom over any editing or effects put on photos.[1] The player unlocks camera and lens attachments to achieve different effects, such as telephoto and fisheye lenses.[citation needed]

Umurangi Generation Macro

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A DLC titled Umurangi Generation Macro was released on 7 November 2020. It adds four new levels and new camera systems, such as shutter speed, apertures and ISO adjustments, as well as a selfie camera and an attachment stylized after the Game Boy Camera that produces low resolution photos. Roller skates were also added, enabling the player to traverse around the world more quickly, as well as a spray can for the player to paint objects in the world.[2]

Plot

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Umurangi Generation takes place in Tauranga, New Zealand, in the near future during a time of crisis. The player takes the role of a Māori courier for the Tauranga Express. The United Nations has deployed soldiers and towering mecha to defend the island nation against alien invaders which resemble bluebottle jellyfish. The player travels around settings such as a rooftop party, a military checkpoint, a battle and an evacuation train to take pictures along with their friends, Micah, Atarau, Kete, and a chinstrap penguin named Pengi.[3]

In-game advertisements and images provide further context, such as local resistance against the UN occupation, the prime minister being away on holiday during the crisis, and a dangerous contagious parasite epidemic. The player is punished for taking pictures of jellyfish but is otherwise free to roam and photograph.

The game ends with a cataclysmic scene of a shadowy creature perched over a mountain as the player walks towards a beach where several spirits of Māori people, mud crabs and Huia overlook the catastrophe. The game ends dedicating itself to the "Umurangi Generation: The last generation who has to watch the world die."

Development and release

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Umurangi Generation was developed by a Māori developer, Naphtali Faulkner. Faulkner developed the game in Unity in 10 months, starting full-time work on the project at the start of 2020.[4] Before development, Faulkner worked on community apps with local Aboriginal groups, and would dabble in smaller projects in his free time. Faulkner says that Umurangi Generation is the first "real" game he's made.[5]

Faulkner was inspired to make the game's photography system after teaching their younger cousin how to use a DSLR camera, and noting that explaining it to him felt like a video game tutorial. The gameplay was also inspired by the item management of the Arma series noting that the loadouts for characters in Arma felt like accessories that the player gets to play with minute to minute.[5]

The concept of the game's world and themes stemmed from the Australian government's response to the 2020 bushfires, as well as the COVID-19 pandemic, and Faulkner's frustration at both crises being mishandled, despite the knowledge that the government had about climate change and virus control.[5][6] Faulker views the game as a criticism of neoliberalism, stating that the goal of the political system is to comfort people in the face of elements that serve to harm them.[6]

Faulkner's inspiration for the game's philosophy came from his history with Respectful Design, a design philosophy with an emphasis on decolonization of art.[5][7] Faulkner is a member of the Ngāi Te Rangi iwi of New Zealand, and Māori culture can be seen throughout the game. "Umurangi" is Te Reo for "Red Sky," and feathers of the Huia, a traditional bird used in Māori ritual that was hunted to extinction, appear throughout the game.[5]

Further inspiration for the setting and visual style included Neon Genesis Evangelion, Jet Set Radio, Shin Godzilla, and the designs of Yoji Shinkawa.[5] Cyberpunk themes were also influential, but Faulkner became frustrated with the aesthetic refusing to evolve and continuing to be a reflection of the 1980s, when the genre had first developed. Faulkner's goal was to have Umurangi Generation be a reflection of the modern era,[6] and has opted to use the term "shitty future" to categorize the game.[8]

Umurangi Generation was published by Playism, a subsidiary of Active Gaming Media.[9] It was released for PC on 19 May 2020.[10] A set of DLC levels titled Umurangi Generation Macro was released on 7 November 2020. A Nintendo Switch port including the Macro DLC subtitled Special Edition was released on 5 June 2021.[11] This version was later ported to Xbox One on 17 May 2022.[12] Versions for PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5 released on 18 April 2024, alongside a VR version of the game for PlayStation VR2 and Meta Quest devices.[13]

Reception

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Umurangi Generation received "generally favorable reviews" according to review aggregator Metacritic.[14][15]

Khee Hoon Chan gave the game a 9/10 for GameSpot, and praised its beautiful environments and engaging photography mechanic, as well as its biting social commentary that served to reinvigorate the ideas behind cyberpunk from a new perspective.[18]

Mikhail Klimentov writing for The Washington Post also noted the game's unambiguous and sincere storytelling, and how the game forced the player to confront the realities of the fictional universe in-game as well as our own world, by exploring to document it.[22]

The game won the Seumas McNally Grand Prize and the Excellence in Narrative awards at the Independent Games Festival Awards,[23] whereas its other nomination was for the Nuovo Award.[24]

References

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  1. ^ "Umurangi Generation Release Date Announced: 19th of May. Japanese and Chinese localisation handled by Playism". Steam Community. 2 May 2020. Retrieved 27 December 2020.
  2. ^ Clayton, Natalie (7 November 2020). "From graffiti to giant robots, Umurangi Generation's Macro DLC isn't messing around". Rock, Paper, Shotgun. Retrieved 27 December 2020.
  3. ^ "Steam Points Shop". Steam. Retrieved 9 May 2021.
  4. ^ Couture, Joel (16 July 2021). "Using photography to document the end of the world in Umurangi Gene". Game Developer. Retrieved 9 December 2023.
  5. ^ a b c d e f Sims, Daniel (5 June 2020). "Talking Climate Change And Maōri Culture With Umurangi Generation". The Indie Game Website. Retrieved 27 December 2020.
  6. ^ a b c Sinclair, Brendan (26 June 2020). "Umurangi Generation's approach to modernizing cyberpunk". GamesIndustry.biz. Retrieved 27 December 2020.
  7. ^ Reitsma, Lizette; Light, Ann; Zaman, Tariq; Rodgers, Paul (1 April 2019). "A Respectful Design Framework. Incorporating indigenous knowledge in the design process". The Design Journal. 22 (sup1): 1555–1570. doi:10.1080/14606925.2019.1594991. ISSN 1460-6925.
  8. ^ "Umurangi Generation". umurangi.tapiki.io. Retrieved 27 December 2020.
  9. ^ Ikemi, Maho (7 July 2021). "10 things that photography sim Umurangi Generation gets right, according to a real photographer". AUTOMATON WEST. Retrieved 9 December 2023.
  10. ^ Comments, Gavin Sheehan | (2 May 2020). "Playism Announces A Release Date For Umurangi Generation". bleedingcool.com. Retrieved 9 December 2023.
  11. ^ "Umurangi Generation for Switch launches June 5". Gematsu. 15 May 2021. Retrieved 9 December 2023.
  12. ^ "Umurangi Generation Special Edition coming to Xbox One on May 17". Gematsu. 6 May 2022. Retrieved 9 December 2023.
  13. ^ GamingLyfe.com (7 December 2023). "Umurangi Generation Levels Up: VR Edition Launching on Meta Quest & PSVR2!". G-LYFE Nation – Gaming News, Esports News, Gaming Community. Retrieved 9 December 2023.
  14. ^ a b "Umuragi Generation for PC Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved 20 June 2021.
  15. ^ a b "Umuragi Generation for Nintendo Switch Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved 20 June 2021.
  16. ^ Holmes, Jonathan (24 June 2021). "Review: Umurangi Generation Special Edition". Destructoid. Retrieved 25 June 2021.
  17. ^ Donlan, Christian (7 August 2020). "Umurangi Generation Special Edition review – a uniquely thoughtful game about crisis". Eurogamer. Retrieved 22 June 2021.
  18. ^ a b Hoon Chan, Khee (7 August 2020). "Umurangi Generation Review – Cyberpunk Snap". GameSpot. Retrieved 27 December 2020.
  19. ^ Hilhorst, Willem (14 June 2021). "Umurangi Generation (Switch) Review". Nintendo World Report. Retrieved 20 June 2021.
  20. ^ Parkin, Simon (3 July 2021). "Umurangi Generation review – chic photographic hide-and-seek". The Guardian. Retrieved 28 April 2022.
  21. ^ Musgrave, Shaun (21 June 2021). "Umurangi Generation ($24.99)". TouchArcade. Retrieved 21 June 2021.
  22. ^ Klimentov, Mikhail (10 July 2020). "'Umurangi Generation': A photography game that urges you to look closer". The Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved 27 December 2020.
  23. ^ "Umurangi Generation Wins the Seumas McNally Grand Prize at the 23rd Annual Independent Games Festival Awards". Business Wire (Press release). 22 July 2021.
  24. ^ Fusci, Preston (9 May 2021). "Independent Games Festival Announces 2021 Awards Nominees". Game Rant.
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