Umamusume: Pretty Derby
Cygames, the studio behind the hugely successful Granblue Fantasy mobile game, has finally created the one thing that may put an end to the horse racing industry. What if you could continue to have the satisfying thrill of watching horses race around a track with zero cruelty? And what if those horses were anime girls?
Umamusume puts you in the shoes of an anime horse girl trainer at the prestigious Tracen Academy. Via a gacha game loop, you’ll train, entertain, and nurture Uma–horse girls emboldened with the spirit of real-life racehorses–overseeing their ambitions of reaching the loftiest heights of the URA Finale competition. At the culmination of each stage of the league, there’s an adorable music performance from the winning Uma.
Each Uma’s story and goals differ–Vodka wants to win the Japanese Derby after being motivated by her father, and she’ll only accomplish that if you train her properly, landing you with a sense of responsibility. Deny Vodka her dreams? Unthinkable. You’re limited by a set number of turns, the stamina your Uma has, and a series of ailments that require spending turns in order to remedy them.
Umamusume is a gacha game, but calling it such almost discredits it. The voice acting, animations, music, and mechanics are all exemplary, but it’s the adrenaline rush from the hyped-up commentators observing a nail-bitingly close race that makes Umamusume a must-play, even if you’re not one for gacha games. — Cheri Faulkner
