Wabisabi SushiDerby Review

I haven't even started playing, and I am already in love with the running sushi character and the whimsical music on the title screen. Wabisabi SushiDerby was developed by Itamae Studio and published by Kodansha and looks to be one of the most unique racing games to have been released. 

Before running into the race, we have to select the difficulty from four different options: Easy is for children and beginners, Normal is for players who are making sushi for the first time, Hard is for people who want to challenge themselves, and Catastrophe is for pros. You know this last one is going to be evil with a name like that; plus, it isn't unlocked until you complete the game.

Sushi is the most popular food in the whole galaxy; even aliens are coming to Earth to get some. As such, sushi chefs are in demand, and that is where our apprentice comes in. To become successful in this culinary world, you don’t only have to make sushi, but you also need to race your creation to win against the other sushi pieces and win the S1 Galaxy Cup.

The first thing that you need to do is mould a sushi with a topping of your choice to create your “vehicle”, so you can enter it in a race. There are three choices to select from: Tuna, Salmon, or Corn to use as a topper. They all start at level one and cost 100 gold to purchase. Then, as you play with that ingredient, you will earn experience points and level up as you play. Each item has different stats in five areas: Acceleration, Top Speed, Explosive Power, Willpower, and Potential. With that selected, all you need is to name your masterpiece. 

Since we are dealing with food, your creation has a limited amount of shelf life: the fish is four days and the corn is five. The closer your sushi gets to the end of its shelf life, the more its stats will drop. You will continuously be moulding new sushi to take the place of the ones that spoil, especially since you will be unlocking new ingredients to use as you play. 

It is now time to race! Or rather, learn how to. I should rephrase that; you are watching the race, since Wabisabi SushiDerby is an auto runner. The length of the lap is measured in centimetres, which makes it feel quite tiny — 420 cm, which is 14 feet. Your prize money is a meagre 10 G. The game also lets you know what your odds of winning are; for the tutorial, it says they're pretty good.

When the race starts, all six of the racing sushi take off. Since the race takes place in a restaurant, orders are constantly coming in. Chopsticks appear in the order area of the screen as they try to pick up their order. Try to avoid being caught; if you are, you are out of the race and in the belly of a restaurant patron.

When chopsticks get near you, hit the cheer button to use your explosive power to escape. Cheering is also used to encourage your racer to boost past its rivals, though remember that there is a brief cooldown period before using it again. If you are caught and eaten, you won't win any prize money. At least, Hana the kindergartener thought it was the yummiest sushi ever! 

There is a Topping Book that lets you unlock more topping types. Unlocking them does not cost money, so you can unlock as many as you want. Some of these new toppings require you to be a certain rank; they may also have a special skill, like Conceal, to hide you from incoming chopsticks. This may give you the edge over an opponent in a race. 

As you play, you unlock the Dojo, which is the training area where you upgrade your sushi before you put it into the next race. The player can choose from four regiments to upgrade the corresponding stat, with the exception of Potential. 

Before selecting the exercise you plan to do from the five available options, you can see what the sushi's stats are currently at, so you know which areas you should focus on. Don't forget the freshness of your piece, as the longer you have it, the more its stats drop. At some point, it makes more sense to mould a new sushi and sell off your existing one to improve your chances for the next race. 

There are four different ranks to play through: Apprentice, Plum, Bamboo, and Pine. Ranking up to Plum Rank lets you enter your sushi into higher-ranked races and unlocks the Shigaraki Store to get new toppings and training regimes. 

Control-wise, Wabisabi SushiDerby is very easy to learn, as you aren't in control of where your sushi goes; the only thing you do is hit the button assigned to each of your skills to try and outmanoeuvre the chopsticks that are trying to grab you. You sit back and watch the chaos unfold, as obstacles on the track, like utensils, bowls of ramen, and soy sauce, along with other racers, can slow your sushi down as you try to win. It can be incredibly stressful!

However, getting caught isn't the worst thing ever; you still get some experience points and gold based on the meal price. Because your sushi is fresh for a limited amount of time, it will slow down as said freshness decreases, no matter how trained it may be. This happens at the end of a race. You can train to try to improve stats, but make sure to mould new sushi.

Ranking up also gives you access to new types of toppings that you can unlock in the Topping Book. When you start as an Apprentice, you can get Flounder Edge, Egg, Shrimp, and others are unlocked as you level up the existing toppings that you have. Plum Rank gives you access to 10 additional types. Be sure to check the book often as you race and level up, as there may be other ingredients unlocked that you can use.

Wabisabi SushiDerby reminds you that no matter how attached you get to the adorable sushi that you have created, it is food, and it is meant to be eaten; that’s just how it is. It’s sad, but that just means that you will be creating many types of sushi to run for you, and they are all super cute. 

This game looks incredibly vibrant and playful, along with a catchy and upbeat soundtrack. All the sushi characters you create and race against are so adorable! It is so hard to not get attached to your little racer. I was surprised at how positive the game is considering the characters you are making are destined to be eaten. 

I am having a great time playing Wabisabi SushiDerby; it is teeming with personality and is one of the most unique racing games I have played! Watching your sushi race against all the other pieces, while you hope that the next order in the restaurant isn't for your type. It is scary to see the chopsticks coming for you and trying to use all your skills to avoid getting grabbed and devoured!