Smushi Come Home

Probably as a result of our troubling times, there has been a sharp increase in the number of games being released that lack a sense of urgency or violence. These new games have been dubbed “cozy games”, and they are the perfect remedy to a stressful day. One member of the cozy game family is a PlayStation One-style 3D adventure game entitled Shumi Come Home.

In it, you play as a minuscule mushroom person who finds themselves lost in an impossibly large forest. It’s up to you to help Shumi find their way back to their family. Along the way, you will explore the vast forest, meet the friendly creatures who call that forest home, and go on adventures that will get you closer to finding your way home.

If you feel compelled to aid this tiny fungus on its quest, then here is everything you need to know about Shumi Come Home.

Modern Gameplay, Retro Visuals

Shumi Come Home makes great use of the pixelated 3D aesthetic that was so popular on consoles like the N64 and the original PlayStation console. If you grew up with Mario 64, Banjo Kazooie, or Spyro the Dragon, you’ll feel right at home in Shumi Come Home.

While the aesthetics will take you back, the gameplay mechanics and controls are firmly steeped in the modern day. Shumi can run, jump, and even climb their way through the environment. There is even a nod to The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild with a makeshift parachute using a leaf!

One Forest, Multiple Areas

The forest you’ll explore in Shumi Come Home consists of the large overworld and several smaller areas that offer up unique gameplay and visuals. Use a candle stuck into your head as a lamp to navigate dark caves, carefully platform and descend through sewers filled with broken pipes, and brave a rushing river.

There is so much to do in this forest, but you don’t have to feel rushed. Shumi Comes Home fully adopts the cozy game concept by making the entire game freely explorable with no time limits or added stressors. Just play, explore, and interact to your heart’s content.

New Friends Around Every Corner

Shumi isn’t the only living thing in this forest. In their adventure, they will come across all kinds of plants and animals that will be happy to chat and help Shumi in any way they can. This forest is also a community, and everything in it wants to help you succeed rather than tear you down.

Pros

• Pixel art aesthetic is both nostalgic and effective
• Fantastic platforming gameplay
• Lots of unique environments to explore
• Fun interactions with all kinds of entities within the forest
• Shumi is so cute!

Cons

• The camera can sometimes get in the way of effective platforming
• Game can be short if you rush through it