The Nintendo Switch has become something of a SHUMP heaven recently with a bevy of overhead shooters gracing the system. You can now add Pawarumi to that list as the small development team has managed to create something really special.
Pawarumi seems like a spiritual successor to one of my all-time favorite games, Ikaruga on the Dreamcast, but brings more to the table. The system is based on a three color shooting system: red, blue and green. Shooting an enemy with the ability of the same color will result in boosting the players shield while also making the enemy stronger. Shooting with a different color will either do double damage or charge your special attack meter, it is like an advanced rock, paper, scissors system.
Thankfully the game gives the players a very nice tutorial to explain the games shooting system, an arcade mode that has worldwide scoreboards and a training mode which will allow a player to explore each level they have unlocked in arcade mode. Three difficulty levels will allow players of all skill levels to enjoy the game but playing on normal or hard will unlock the fifth level which playing on easy will not.
The best system in the world is not enough if the actual game is not fun to play but Pawarumi is a blast to play, the controls are tight, hit zones make sense and when you finally die you feel like you, as a player, did something wrong and it wasn’t the game that screwed them over. Pawarumi is one of the best shooters available for the Switch, or any current generation system, and is a must have for shooter fans. Manufacture43 may not be at the level of Treasure yet but they have laid the ground work to be one of the premier shooter developers for current platforms. Check this one out on the eShop (it is also available for the XboxOne and Steam) and show them some support and keep an eye out for their next game.
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