Port of Jumanah Review: The Fish Have Escalated Things
Pearl diving sounds like a perfectly respectable occupation until a clam turns the surrounding waters into a combat situation. Port of Jumanah follows Mansour, an unlucky diver whose discovery of unusual pearls leads to a much larger problem. Now the Arabian Gulf needs help, the sea creatures are armed, and a traditional day's work has acquired an alarming amount of incoming fire. Somewhere, a fish has decided that teeth were an insufficient negotiating position.
Developed by Red Dunes Games and Agate, this 2.5D action roguelite reached its full Windows release on September 7, 2026. Its central appeal is the pairing of an exuberantly silly underwater adventure with a setting inspired by Middle Eastern pearl-diving heritage. The humor is not just an amusing title placed above a familiar dungeon. Mansour's work, his home, and the ridiculous opposition all belong to the same idea.
Reasons to look closer
The regional maritime inspiration gives Port of Jumanah a stronger identity than the standard collection of interchangeable fantasy rooms. A diver trying to restore the waters and his port has an understandable stake in the adventure. He is cleaning up a disaster that touches his livelihood, rather than pursuing an abstract evil because somebody in a robe said it would be useful.
The creature design pushes that setting toward cheerful absurdity. Anthropomorphic aquatic enemies carry weapons, while Mansour answers with a mixture of melee and ranged tools. The developer's design discussion includes swords, spears, harpoon guns, and homing fish missiles. That last option suggests marine biology has developed a branch nobody wanted to fund responsibly.
More importantly, the setup gives repeated combat a coherent flavor. A roguelite needs a reason to make another attempt appealing beyond the existence of another attempt. Here, the fantasy of a resourceful diver becoming increasingly equipped for a deeply unreasonable ocean is easy to grasp. The escalating arsenal fits the escalating nonsense.
Building a better underwater argument
Chamber rewards provide upgrades that can combine into stronger builds. This gives individual fights a purpose beyond clearing space: they feed the evolving possibilities of a run. The attraction of that structure is the chance to move from merely having equipment to having equipment that works together. A sword is fine. A plan is better. A plan that somehow involves guided seafood deserves at least a thoughtful hearing.
The interesting tension is between immediate comfort and future synergy. In a game built around combinations, a familiar tool is not always the most exciting choice. Experimentation becomes part of the action, provided you enjoy adapting rather than committing to one perfect arrangement forever. Players who like revising a build as opportunities arrive are the natural audience for this approach.
That does not mean the number of combinations alone guarantees depth. What matters is whether the choices produce meaningfully different decisions, and no list of weapons can settle that by itself. Port of Jumanah's premise makes the experimentation attractive, but the sensible reason to choose it is enthusiasm for this style of repeated, upgrade-driven action. Buying a roguelite while resenting repeated runs is a little like booking a diving trip and objecting to the dampness.
A port worth coming back to
The surface provides another strand of progression. Missions unlock abilities and gear, while restoring the port gives Mansour's work a community-facing purpose. Recruiting companions to the vessel adds support for later journeys. There is also a cat, because even a nautical emergency apparently benefits from somebody who will supervise without contributing to the sense of urgency.
This connection between expeditions and home is one of the more appealing aspects of the design. Progress that changes a place can feel more tangible than another increase tucked into a menu. It gives the journey an emotional destination as well as a mechanical one. Mansour has somewhere to improve, not just somewhere to depart from again.
The crew also complements the idea that this is a port community rather than a lone fighter's private aquarium dispute. These are recruitable game characters, not a promise of multiplayer. The game is a single-player adventure, and keeping that distinction clear matters: assembling a boatload of helpers is different from persuading your friends to buy matching diving equipment.
Cheerful does not mean friction-free
The developer's September 9 post acknowledged material-drop balancing, overflowing text in some languages, and interface glitches as areas being worked on. Those are launch-period disclosures, not proof that every issue remains present or that every one has since disappeared. They are still worth knowing about, particularly because progression and readable upgrade information are important to a game built around assembling a useful kit.
A whimsical presentation should not excuse friction in those systems. If the player is supposed to enjoy choosing upgrades, understanding the choice should be the easy part. The difficult part can remain the fish that seems to have purchased military hardware. Keeping those responsibilities separate is a perfectly reasonable expectation.
The official store lists full controller support and recommends a gamepad. That makes a controller a sensible starting option for interested players, rather than a guarantee of any particular technical result. The verified platform here is Windows; controller compatibility should not be confused with a confirmed console release.
Verdict
Port of Jumanah stands out through the way its setting and silliness reinforce each other. The diving heritage gives the adventure roots, while armed sea life and upgrade combinations give it permission to get thoroughly ridiculous. It is most appealing to players who want a colorful, characterful roguelite with reasons to care about the place between runs. Mansour may have caused a remarkable problem, but at least his response is constructive: rebuild the port, improve the equipment, and have another strongly worded conversation with the ocean.