Origami Digital has a new game in the works called Umurangi Generation. It’s an alternative culture sim steeped in expressionist art about taking photographs. Yes, it’s a photography simulator set in New Zealand’s Tauranga Aotearoa following a global crisis.

The game sees you taking photos, earning bounties, and unlocking new equipment with every fantastic new photo you take.

The game sees you working as a courier for the Tauranga Express, as you freely take photos throughout the game world to complete photo bounties. You’ll need to snap the photos under certain lighting conditions and then edit their composition, modifying the light and saturation to capture the perfect photograph.

You’ll need to use the money you earn from bounties to purchase new filters for your camera and better equipment so that you can snap even more exquisite photos.

The game has that Jet Set Radio counter-culture vibe about it, as you scrum through the slums, the back-alleys, the rooftops, the U.N encampments, and the night culture.

The visual design is a mix of low-poly characters and cel-shaded graphics. It gives the game this somewhat grungy, lo-fi, high-saturation look that sets it apart from a lot of other games on the market.

I imagine it will be a polarizing game for many, as some might take to the minimalist motif while others will likely despise it.

I like the concept and the art-style, but I feel like they should have been two completely different games.

Using the counter-culture expressionist filter for the visuals would have been perfect for an extreme sports title or a rooftop adventure set across a platform-centric urban metropolis.

A photo-sim is an interesting concept for a game for sure, but I don’t know how well it melds with a minimalist art-style.

Then again maybe it’ll be a big hit with up-and-coming photographers?

If you’re interested in Umurangi Generation you can download the free demo or wishlist the game ahead of its April 28th release date by visiting the Steam store page.