UMAMI

UMAMI is a delightful building-block puzzle game where you assemble 3D jigsaw structures of yummy dishes. Each puzzle is hand-crafted with care and with lots of small details that help you match the pieces more easily. Be warned, though: do not play this game when you’re hungry, as the completed structure is mouth-watering.

The gameplay is pretty much what you’d expect from a jigsaw puzzle game: simple yet relaxing and satisfying. The pieces have very different shapes. You can rotate them to find the right angles and then snap them into place. Whenever a piece is correctly placed, there’s a subtle jiggle animation to communicate that you found the right spot for it. To help solve the puzzle, an image displaying the front and the back of the completed structure can be accessed anytime. The chill soundtrack completes the atmosphere, making UMAMI as relaxing as it is visually appetizing.

The game offers 15 puzzles or roughly 20 minutes each, and every one hides a small collectible somewhere in the background. It’s a fun, light layer of exploration that encourages you to slow down and appreciate even the little decorations scattered in the environment. There’s also a very cute animal sitting on the food in each level, and petting all of them awards an achievement.

Unfortunately, my experience wasn’t entirely smooth. I did encounter a couple of technical issues, but none of them hindered my enjoyment. For one puzzle, a piece got stuck in the wrong place and couldn’t be removed, requiring playing the level from scratch once again. Other times, misplaced pieces bounce outside the playable area or become a tad difficult to find in the environment. For these cases, it would be great to have a way to rearrange pieces that are not yet attached to the puzzle.

All-in-all, UMAMI is a unique, charming puzzle game with satisfying mechanics, lovely art, and a soothing vibe. If you enjoy 3D jigsaw puzzles with a dash of deliciousness, this one is definitely worth a taste.