Sumire Review: Let's Have the Perfect Day

Let's hark back to my adolescence. I spent most of my days convincing friends to skip school and embark on adventures across the streets of New York City. We would spend these carefree days commenting on life and social norms, and discussing how we were the masters of our destiny. Sounds great, right? Nah, I'm just exaggerating—I may have skipped school once or twice, but I’m not Ferris Bueller.

For most of us, our adolescence is an emotional cherry bomb. It's a time of growth, loss, and self-discovery, of trying to learn how to navigate an ever-changing world and find our place in it. As an adult, these are still lessons I'm learning. But that emotionally charged time between childhood and truly growing up is precisely what Sumire captures through its gripping story and beautiful visual design.

Originally released in 2021 and developed by GameTomo, Sumire tells the story of Sumire, a young teenage girl recently coping with the loss of her friends, her parents’ separation, and, as if this wasn't enough emotional fodder to get a reaction, the death of her grandmother. After waking up from a dream about her granny, who was just short of delivering an important message, a seed crashes through the window, which Sumire plants near her grandma's memorial. After waking up the next day, the story's objective becomes clearer: That seed has sprouted into a talking flower and only has one day to experience the human world. Hence, your mission is to have the perfect day with the promise of seeing your grandmother again and learning her final message.

Although simple in premise, the game takes you through an engrossing narrative experience where Sumire learns to overcome her burdens, say goodbye, and most importantly, live life to the fullest. This message didn’t strike me as something completely new or revolutionary, but I was hooked well before I reached the end of the four hours I spent on this short, interactive journey.

Sumire’s music is absolutely incredible, and even without the accompanying visuals, you can tell the tone that the game is going for. It uses acoustic instruments and piano to drive home the narrative. Each of the eight areas has its own tone and feel that is reflected and developed in the music. The town square is light and upbeat, while the rice fields give the sense of an epic journey, even though they’re technically still part of this small Japanese town.

If the music is above average, the visuals take Sumire to a whole new level. Seeing the colors of the wisteria tree or the various contrasts between nature and town really made me feel like I was in a Japanese anime. Although two-dimensional in scope, I could walk between the back, fore, and middle grounds. The curved background also makes it so nothing seemed flat during my playthrough. Sumire takes place in a rural Japanese village, and the art really makes this location come to life.

Being mostly narrative-driven, Sumire’s gameplay isn't the selling point, but some interactive elements still kept me engaged. Sumire wisely uses its environment to hide coins and other trinkets, which can then be used to purchase items at the shop or help characters along the way. The controls for the mobile are simple to grasp, and I also had fun participating in a red-light/green-light-style game against some crows. There was even a dramatic escalation where I had to dodge attacks from the crafty birds. Small, surprising instances like this were enough to keep me absorbed.

Sumire also introduces some light interactivity to its story via instances where I was able to choose the main character’s actions or responses to other characters. For example, at one point, I was given a choice to steal money out of my mother's purse. Of course, I said no! But, choices like these dictate the story and its conclusion. Karma is real in Sumire, and your actions have consequences. The game makes those consequences quite visible too: Sumire’s flower buddy loses petals or changes color according to the karma she puts out in the world. The impact of subtle changes like that speaks to the power of the writing in Sumire. Ultimately, there are no real bonuses to be gained from helping characters along the way. Still, each person or animal you meet has such a personality. I wanted to help them just because I felt an emotional connection. Maybe this is what GameTomo's ultimate message is for the player: You shouldn't need a reward to help people. While playing as Sumire, I was able to speak with many people, but also random objects and animals, thanks to newly granted powers from the plant. As I played, I wondered if this ability to communicate with inanimate objects and non-human creatures was a larger metaphor about imaginary friends and kids seeking answers to big questions like love and loss.  That Sumire even had me considering the depth of its metaphors is a sign of how great its writing is.

With its short length, Sumire can easily be played multiple times. One might want to play with all good choices in one go, and all bad in another, and see how they affect the environment. That being said, there's no way to skip dialogue or scenes. Even when I left my phone for a few moments, I would be taken through a long dialogue with my new plant buddy explaining what our current mission was, even if I wasn't asking! Elements like this can slow the pacing down.

Nevertheless, through its beautiful artwork, powerful music, and impressive writing, Sumire tackles a range of complicated questions and issues that made me reflect even as an adult. It's a wonderful story about cherishing the small moments, learning to let go, and living life to the fullest. And even though I got

plenty out of it as an adult, Sumire's content is totally appropriate for kids as young as nine years old. That Sumire presents a powerful, must-play story for fans of narrative games is impressive enough; that it can speak to gamers across generations is something altogether more stunning.

SCORE: 4 STARS OUT OF 5

PLAY IF YOU LIKE:

• We'll Always Have Paris. If you've read my review and played this game, or

are just in love with story-based games, then Sumire won't disappoint.

• Interactive stories. If you grew up reading Choose Your Own Adventure books, you'll appreciate the choices in Sumire.