Ever since I devoted dozens of hours to my brother’s hand-me-down copy of Successful Put up for the Sega Saturn, I’ve had a comfortable spot for horse racing video games. It is a sports-sim subgenre that is been large in Japan for many years, however solely managed to realize recognition with abroad audiences following the 2025 launch of the hit cellular and PC recreation Umamusume: Fairly Derby. Now there is a new contender champing on the bit — solely this new racer would not star glamorous horse women, however smiling slabs of pixel-art sushi.
Developed by ITAMAE Studio and printed by Kodansha Ltd., Wabisabi SushiDerby is an off-the-cuff racing sim the place you prepare sushi to win races. No, it would not make any sense, however simply go together with it. These smiley little guys zip round conveyor-belt eating places, fancy conventional eateries, and informal cafeterias. The detailed environments and cheerful character designs are an enormous a part of the attraction right here.
As racers navigate the course, all types of hazards pop up, from soy sauce spills that obscure the display to bursting bubbles of salmon roe that carry a racer to a halt. Like in Umamusume, you’ll be able to’t management each side of the race, however you’ll be able to unlock expertise and stat boosts between rounds to provide your self a bonus. For essentially the most half, it is the preparation you do earlier than a race that determines your efficiency.
Since these are eating places you are racing in, you will additionally must regulate the order tracker within the high left. In case your sort of sushi is on the menu, you will must cheer in your racer with a easy button press. That prompts a pace increase that may hopefully get them out of the best way of a lethal pair of chopsticks — and maintain them out of a buyer’s mouth. Simply be sure you do not spam these cheers although — Wabisabi SushiDerby‘s pace boosts are on a cooldown timer, and if you happen to’re not cautious, you will get wolfed up when you’re ready for the gauge to refill.
Whereas most tracks are open to any sort of sushi, some are particular to sure components, like variations of salmon or nori rolls. With a view to progress, you will must make quite a lot of completely different racers, slightly than simply sticking to at least one sort constantly. Every bit of sushi has a brief shelf life — simply 4 races — however as you retain taking part in, you will unlock extra luxurious forms of fish, meat, and veggies that may assist you to tackle higher challenges. As you ascend the 5 racing ranks of Wabisabi SushiDerby, the forms of sushi you may make will develop extra elaborate. For example, profitable just a few races with Salmon permits you to unlock Fireplace-Grilled Salmon, then Salmon Roe, and so forth. Higher components yield racers with greater base stats and splashier expertise. Finally, your purpose is to win the coveted S1 Galaxy Cup.
Wabisabi SushiDerby would not have a sprawling ensemble solid and an ongoing story like Umamusume, nevertheless it additionally would not have a gacha element, both. As a substitute, the main target right here is extra on the talent development and informal business-sim parts of horse racing. If you happen to loved Umamusume however have hit the free-to-play progress wall, Wabisabi SushiDerby gives lots of the similar pleasures in a much less daunting bundle, with an endearing artwork fashion, fast little races, and a satisfying but easy development system. Better of all, it is simply $5 on Steam and Change. Heck, that is lower than the value of a California roll nowadays.
