Phrasemaker

UMAMI is the debut title from Mimmox, a brand new indie studio founded in 2024 with a clear and heartfelt goal: to create cozy, playful, soulful games that offer comfort without sacrificing creativity.

At its core, UMAMI is a 3D puzzle game featuring 15 handcrafted, hand-painted puzzle levels. Each one feels carefully considered, both functionally and visually. The game leans heavily on its tactile interaction, encouraging you to rotate, shimmy, and fiddle with charming food-themed objects that feel soft, squishy, and very satisfying. These qualities are only enhanced by the rewarding, tingly sound design.

Gameplay Approach – Adorable and Interactive Fun

The sound design in UMAMI plays a huge role. The little food items make soft, squishy, playful noises that scratched my brain in just the right way. There’s a sense of wonder baked into even the most inconsequential actions. More than once, I completely forgot what the actual puzzle objective was because I was too busy poking, spinning, and squishing everything in sight. It’s impossible not to smile when interacting with the world UMAMI has built.

One of UMAMI’s strongest design decisions is its complete lack of timers or pressure systems. There’s no countdown clock looming over you, no score chasing, and no penalty for taking your time. It’s just you and the puzzle in front of you that creates a rare sense of calm we are seeing becoming increasingly less common in modern games, even within the puzzle genre.

Umami doesn’t demand urgency; it encourages presence. You’re free to step away, experiment, make mistakes, and simply exist in the space without fear of failure.

Puzzle Dioramas That Balance Beauty with Enjoyment

Visually, UMAMI is an absolute delight. Everything in the game is designed to be adorable and easy to digest, and Mimmox nails it right on the head. The art direction has to be one of the strongest aspects of the game. The hand-painted aesthetic gives every level a warm, storybook quality, while the soft lighting and rounded edges reinforce the game’s cozy identity.

The food items themselves are bursting with personality. Cute without feeling childish, charming without being overdesigned. It’s the kind of art that had me stopping mid-puzzler just to admire how nice everything looked.

There’s also more to UMAMI than meets the eye. While the puzzles are the main focus, each small level rewards curiosity and exploration. If you take the time to poke around, you’ll find delightful little cards tucked away in corners. These aren’t required to solve the puzzles, but they add so much charm to the overall experience.

Despite having “only” 15 puzzles, UMAMI isn’t the kind of game you’ll blaze through in a single sitting. This isn’t due to difficulty spikes or artificial padding, but because the game naturally encourages a slower, more relaxed pace. I personally completed the puzzles over the course of a few days, and each time I returned, it felt just as calming and enjoyable as the first session. UMAMI is the kind of game that fits beautifully into small pockets of downtime, something you come back to after a long day or in between appointments.

What makes UMAMI especially impressive is the balance it strikes between being laid back and still mentally engaging. The puzzles are intuitive and approachable, but they don’t treat the player like they need their hand held. You’re encouraged to observe, think spatially, and experiment, all without ever feeling like your brain is being pushed into overdrive. It’s a perfect middle ground: stimulating enough to keep your mind active, but gentle enough that it never feels like work.

A Simple, Yet Charming Approach to Cozy Gaming

In a landscape where games often compete for attention through complexity, spectacle, or intensity, UMAMI stands out by doing the exact opposite. It’s soft, quiet, and unassuming, and that’s exactly what makes it special. UMAMI isn’t trying to be the biggest puzzle game you’ll ever play. It’s trying to be the one you remember fondly, the one you return to when you want to unwind, and the one that makes you feel a little bit better after playing.

Mimox’s debut with UMAMI is a strong, charming introduction to what they’re capable of as a studio. If Umami is any indication of the kinds of experiences they want to create going forward, then Mimmox is absolutely a name worth keeping an eye on. UMAMI may be small in scope, but it’s rich in warmth, care, and personality.