Smushi Come Home is a 3D platformer by SomeHumbleOnion in which you play as Smushi, a little mushroom jumping their way home.
For the most part, you jump around a series of modestly sized environments and solve problems for the other forest creatures you find as you explore. For example, a bug needs something, but it’s high up, and so you get it for them by platforming. Once you solve a few specific problems, you’ll get what you need to unlock the next area and get closer to home.
Smushi can run and jump and quickly acquires a glide, accessed by holding the jump button, and climbing gear, which lets you double jump once you latch onto a wall. It’s a simple moveset, but it provides a feeling of freedom while also making you use the environment to gain height.
Smushi does feature a few puzzles, but they’re mostly exploration-based. You need to find a thing by platforming and exploring the area, then carry the thing to the place it obviously goes. Though they’re technically puzzles, they mostly feel like a reason to do the exploration and jumping, which was fine by me.
A lot of the game is designed to elicit a cozy vibe; chill music plays in the background, and you run into creatures that all talk to you in a charming, funny way. Nothing is all that difficult, nothing bad is waiting around the corner, and there’s no combat.
A lot of the optional content will give you different skins for Smushi, and some collectibles will increase your gliding or sprinting time. When you encounter different types of mushrooms, you unlock codex entries on their real world counterparts, as well as Smushi’s opinions on them, which is cute. Overall there’s a nice sense of exploration here. The 3D environments are crafted to feel large, but understandable in a way that makes it fun to explore, even if you know the game is ultimately a short, 3-hour-ish experience.
There’s enough variety in those three hours to keep the game interesting. The colors you see and platforms you have to work with change as you move through the areas, and upgrades to your glider and climbing gear make previously enormous jumps a breeze. You can also sail a capybara across a lake, which is rad.
Ultimately, your feelings on Smushi are going to be defined by its difficulty and length. The fun here is in exploring and enjoying the platforming, rather than high difficulty. Most players should have no trouble completing the game, especially given its short length. In a way it reminded me of A Short Hike — short, but a fun little world to explore on a lazy afternoon.
If you’re looking for a lengthy, difficult platformer, this isn’t it. But if you’re looking for a cozy 3D platformer where you play as a mushroom, this does all of that really well.
Smushi Come Home is out now on Nintendo Switch and PC for $19.99 with a 20% launch discount.
Watch the Review in 3 Minutes for Smushi Come Home.
