Pawarumi (NS)

Rock, paper, scissors, and a shmup. A shmup, and an Aztec theme. These are things we usually wouldn't think of as something that would go together so easily or smoothly. Thankfully the French studio Manufacture 43 put them together quite seamlessly, and in such a way as to create one of the genre's most unique experiences, to date, for the Nintendo Switch.

Utilizing divine creatures, and a future mythos taken lightly from Aztec mythology we find a shmup that foregoes the need for upgrades, power-ups, and the usual shoot 'em up approach. In the place of the usual staple features the developer has applied a system where shields, and supers are gained by pitting certain colored weapons of the animal variety (Red Jaguar Missiles, Blue Condor Lasers & Green Serpent Gatling) against opposing ship colors to build up respective meters, and the use of a crushing mechanic to do bonus damage in a similar fashion. The triple color scheme, and how it works is explained away in a hands-on demo style tutorial that can be intimidating at first, but more understandable as you play. A tutorial that tells you to build up a shield via a boost mechanic you have to shoot colored enemies with the same color weapon. That to build up your super via a drain mechanic you have to play a sort of rock-paper-scissors opposite game putting the weaker weapon color against the stronger enemy ship color. Needless to say earning the crushing blow is done by using a stronger weapon color to destroy ships of a weaker color. To make things easy pressing a button will show you what each shot type does in accordance to colors with a color coded meter, and crush indicator at the bottom of the screen.

Within Pawarumi's main menu listing that includes tweakable volume, language, and visual adjustments in a settings sub-menu you'll find three modes of play including the tutorial, the arcade mode, and a training mode. The tutorial will start you off with the showcasing of a controller diagram with each button's function explained through attached text. All you need to know is that three of the face buttons are the colored weapons with the top button being for the screen clearing super move that can be stacked if you build up the meter multiple times. Movement is best done with the left thumbstick of your Joycon, but can be played using the four button DPad, if you wish.

Beyond the tutorial which offers a hands-on introduction to gameplay with textual explanation windows you'll find the game's main mode of play known as, "Arcade". The arcade mode changes the number of stages in the playthrough, and the story according to difficulty. There are three difficulty settings starting with a four stage easy mode, and ending with a five stage normal and hard mode. The main difference between each difficulty, and the stages are the arrangement, and the amount of onscreen enemies you'll face off against. Completing the stages clues you into the game's underlying plot which also changes according to chosen difficulty setting, as I've said. When it comes to the training mode you'll find it is a mirror of arcade, but one that will allow practice on the stages you might be having trouble with. Stages in training are unlocked as you encounter them in the arcade mode playthrough, respectfully.

The Story ...

The story in Pawarumi is centered around a female pilot named Axo, and her ship Chukaru. Axo was ultimately manipulated by an alien race to destroy her own people. In an attempt to save face, and avenge the fallen Axo goes into the fray knowing her life is at stake, but that that cost is an acceptable price for what she has done. The setting, locations, and character design you'll see as you play through Axo's grueling quest for revenge are all a blend of Aztec mythology with a futuristic take on said mythos. Even the stages are somewhat named, and inspired by the gods of the Aztec mythology with a Neo-Aztec flair. Visually it all comes together quite nicely as a top-down, and 3D cinematic blend of sci-fi, and cyberpunk design. Filled with vibrant neon colors, rich Earthly/Extraterrestrial landscapes, and music that keeps in rhythmic tune with the destruction at hand. One really unique aspect to gameplay, beyond the given narrative, is the introduction of a Switch feature I've not seen utilized before. With a certain in-game ship you'll see it change colors according to the color of your Joycons. It's definitely something technically different in the way of gaming hardware features.

The Verdict ...

I love this shmup. At first I was kind of skeptical hearing the route the developers took with the genre specific features. Them not including traditional means to level up, or gain power-ups really kept me wondering how good the game could be. Thankfully I got to see firsthand how it played out, and I am truly impressed on so many levels. The graphic design is beautiful, the story panel art is also nice to look at, and the soundtrack is equally as impressive. I liked how the game transitioned into each stage in a cinematic 3D way making a shift into the playable top-down upward scrolling perspective. I definitely liked the character, and ship design as well. Seeing how they implemented the rock-paper-scissors mechanics into each boss fight was also a sight to behold. You could fast track the boss's destruction by focusing on the core object or go for the higher score by eliminating every part of the boss. It was quite genius. Speaking of which this is a highscore gaming experience. Meaning that you'll find your highest scores listed locally, globally, and in comparison to your friend's. A noteworthy feature as most new indie shmups go local only. All in all I think Manufacture 43 did good in bringing something fresh, and new to the shmup genre. I feel they revitalized it, and showed developers that innovation can still be achieved here. As far as my verdict goes Pawarumi gets my most prestigious rating, the Blazing seal of approval. Do not miss out on this game! If memory serves me well it will be out on the 24th of July.