Eat sushi or die! Frenetic Japanese indie game gets sequel  

SUSHI SOUL UNIVERSE is the crazy new game from Japanese indie developer Tadasumen. It is an expanded sequel to 2021’s cult hit “I’m going to die if I don’t eat sushi!” The game is scheduled to release on Steam on December 10 and will be available in English.

In this fast-paced 3D action game, you play as a highly motivated sushi lover who sets out on an adventure to battle against the evil forces who wish to change the food’s very concept. The protagonist loves sushi so much he will die if he does not keep eating it. To keep him alive, you must frantically grab as much sushi as possible as you parkour through cities, parks and even oversized sushi restaurants. The game is filled with a whacky, in-your-face energy which is somewhere between Crazy Taxi and Katamari Damacy.  

In this stage-based game, the player must perform various jumps and movements to achieve each goal and clear the level, all while gobbling down the pieces of sushi scattered all over the level. Players can equip the main character with various skills to match their play style. These skills include “Jet Zenshin,”which allows the player to speed through the air, “Healing Hitoyasumi,” which sets up a life gauge healing spot, and “Memory Sakanobori,” which lets the player rewind time back to the place where they last ate sushi. 

SUSHI SOUL UNIVERSE is the second game of its kind developed by Tadasumen. This latest release is more varied and easier to play than its predecessor, 2021’s manic “I’m going to die if I don’t eat sushi!”. It features over 60 stages, which range from battles against sports- or technology-obsessed sushi lovers to eating contests with other macho sushi dudes. You will also come across numerous types of enemy sushi – one promotional screenshot even shows weaponized exploding sushi. From the trailer, it seems like the game will have a suitably hyper soundtrack. 

The previous title is known for its dramatic catchphrases like “Sushi it’s too delicious! You should repent!”. The sequel adds extra voices, and other outlandish reaction phrases can be bought with in-game currency. There’s also a sushi-stacking minigame and an “Otasuke Tamago” option that helps you out if you make a lot of mistakes.  

This unusual game is the brainchild of the Japanese developer Tadasumen. His previous creations include “A game that saves the muscles caught in the ceiling of the gymnasium” and the horror game “PIEN,” which were distributed on his website (Kusoi Site), as well as on Steam. The prequel to SUSHI SOUL UNIVERSE, “I’m going to die if I don’t eat sushi!” was initially released as a free PC game in 2021, and then added to Steam in June 2022. The Steam version has a “Very Positive” rating with 97% of the 125 reviews being positive at the time of writing. Reviewers cite the frantic gameplay, goofy premise and hilarious sushi-eating reactions as the game’s selling points. 

The sequel SUSHI SOUL UNIVERSE has attracted a lot of attention, with 739 people donating a total of over 3 million yen to the project in a crowdfunding campaign back in April 2023. 

The indie game is set to be released via Steam on December 10 and for free on the developer’s website on December 11. According to the crowdfunding campaign’s description, the content of both releases will be the same, but the Steam version will have a ranking scoreboard for each stage and minigame. An early access version was made available to pledgers from December 3. 

Written by. Verity Townsend based on the original Japanese article (original article’s publication date: 2023-12-02 17:06 JST)