Fumiko is the new release from Fumiko Game Studio for the PC. After 3 years of development time by one guy, the game is finally here. I found it by just randomly browsing the Steam storefront and was instantly drawn in by it’s unique visuals and interesting concept. Is this game as intelligent as it seems? Or is the enjoyment it promises to provide artificial? Let’s find out in my Mighty Review of… Fumiko!

Fumiko is a story-driven platformer. And the story here doesn’t disappoint. In the year 2080, you play as an artificial intelligence named Fumiko. You manage to escape the testing grounds and voices are telling you where to go. As the story goes on, you’ll learn more about the world, the people in it, and Fumiko herself. Being an AI, Fumiko isn’t given much of an identity to start off with, but as she frees herself from the system she does develop some interesting characteristics. And the more you learn about her past and her creation, the more invested in her story you become.

I don’t want to spoil too much, but just know the story is intriguing, at times emotional, and has a satisfying conclusion. It does have some weaker moments, but overall the main portion of the game is thoroughly entertaining with deep themes and ambiguous morals throughout its 5 to 6 hour playtime.

Aiding in the storytelling is the beautiful world you explore. The entire game takes place inside computer networks and the interpretation of what this looks like is simply beautiful. It’s a style that’s both simplistic and minimal, while at the same time grand and detailed. With vibrant colors and quirky character designs this is one game you won’t want to look away from. That being said there were a few times that the pixilated and particle-filled look make things like walls and lasers a bit less clear than they probably should have been.

On top of this, the music is such a treat. An excellent choice of ambient electronic music that makes everything come to life in just the right way. Some are a bit generic, but for the most part the soundtrack is solid and fits the setting.

So the story is great, the world is great, and the presentation is great. The gameplay however, is a complete mixed bag. At its core, Fumiko is a platformer. And the most important aspect of a platformer is the controls. And Fumiko doesn’t control all that well… Most of the time. Let me explain.

Fumiko is very floaty in how she jumps. For the majority of the game Fumiko can perform multiple jumps and dash to increase speed. When moving, it feels a bit odd as she accelerates slowly and has wide turns. This makes precision platforming very difficult. The key word here being precision.

The parts of the game that have you jumping from tiny platform to tiny platform are tedious due to these control issues, but this works perfectly for other parts of the game that are more open-ended and allow for exploration. It’s incredibly exhilarating to fly around the world and see what’s in store for Fumiko next. I just wish more of the game took that approach instead of going for pure platforming.

This is mitigated a bit by the large number of checkpoints scattered throughout the game and a lack of any kind of game over screen, but I’d be lying if I said I didn’t want to throw my keyboard across the room at times. Giving the player an infinite number of retries doesn’t make up for a lack of smooth controls.

There are also portions of the game in which Fumiko has to collect a glowing object and use its power to light objects below her. The problem here is that she’s being chased and there’s no way for her to drop downwards any faster, making it incredibly frustrating to try and fall to the goal before getting killed. And while it’s normally okay, the camera does have its moments that can cause an otherwise perfect run go haywire.

So yes, there is a lot of frustration, but those moments do tend to be short lived and are made up for in spades when the game makes you think while playing. Whether it’s the actual in-game puzzles or figuring out how to defeat a boss, the game always gives you just enough to figure out how to resolve the issue without making things too easy. 

Also fun is collecting the hidden artifacts around the various levels. Most are incredibly well-hidden, making the hunt to find them entertaining, and pausing the game reveals how many are left to find within a certain area preventing any kind of wild goose chase. When collected, each piece reveals more details about Fumiko and they combine to tell a truly heartfelt story of their own. I just wish I could go back to an individual level to collect the ones I missed.

Fumiko is a difficult game to review. Being a platformer, the weak controls should mean that the game isn’t fun to play, but as a story-driven game with a fulfilling plot and rich world I can’t deny thoroughly enjoying my time with the game. Overall, it’s a great experience that I think deserves more attention than it’s currently getting, which is why I’m giving Fumiko for the PC a 7.5 out of 10. It has all of the drawbacks you might expect from a first game developed by one person, but in the same vein exceeds expectations at every turn. If you enjoy story-driven games, this is definitely one to add to your collection especially since it’s only thirteen bucks on Steam. That being said I hope you enjoyed this review. If you did, be sure to like and subscribe to see more mighty reviews, dissections, and other gaming content. And as always, have a mighty nifty day today!