Pawarumi

Pawarumi is a vital, beautiful and utterly enthralling entry in the Shmup genre. Its trifecta of concepts might seem daunting at first, but this is an instinctual shooter that will blow fans of the genre away.

Pawarumi shows the shoot ’em up genre has new directions to go besides just improving the visuals with each passing decade.

The Switch is already home to a variety of shooters, but Pawarumi makes a solid case for being a worthy addition to a shooter fan's library. The gimmick of having three different-colored guns and enemies makes the game more cerebral while also not punishing players who just want to stick with one weapon type. The three main game difficulties make it accessible to everyone, while the difficulty levels determining the number and order of the stages mean that playthroughs may feel familiar but not exactly the same. It could have used a few more modes to round out the package, but thanks to it doing just about everything right, Pawarumi is worth playing for shooting fans.

Pawarumi joins the ranks of 2D shoot'em ups on the Nintendo Switch and brings a 'rock, paper, scissors' system to its gameplay mechanics, a laudable feature which makes the game involving and gives it a tough, demanding difficulty level (sometimes too high, it should be said). Pawarumi is full of personality and any fans of 2D shooters will feel more than satisfied with this new effort on the Nintendo Switch.

Pawarumi is a solid shoot ’em up game with a decent spin on a tried and tested mechanic. I found that getting a handle on its multi-tasking demands is both satisfying and tense, especially when it came to keeping my cool under pressure. Throw a few decent boss fights into the mix, an online leaderboard, music that varies from pan pipes to rock music, and you have another well-crafted arcade shoot ’em up to add to the collection on Nintendo Switch.

With three color-based weapons, the player must use the right gun for the right situation. Certain gun and enemy combos recharge shields, while others will energize the ship’s special weapon. There are also three somewhat different storylines for the game’s three difficulty levels, which is certainly unique. Either way, for those who love old school-styled destruction with modern tech, Pawarumi is a must-have.

Pawarumi is a tough-as-nails shmup with a unique central mechanic that takes time to master. Stick with it though and you’ll be rewarded with a slick, fast-paced shooter that looks and sounds amazing and will test your skills to the max. There’s really nothing else like it out there right now and, even with slight reservations over the difficulty, a lacklustre story and paucity of game modes, this is an easy recommend for fans of the genre looking for a proper challenge.

Pawarumi is a smart and intoxicating shoot'em up that will surely delight old school gamers.

Pawarumi offers us a universe that mixes old and new in a very effective way, with a very interesting shooting system that will delight the most demanding players. It is a very fun and addictive title, although unfortunately it does not have a local multiplayer, which means that we can only enjoy it alone.

Pawarumi takes the idea behind the classic Ikaruga and tries to exploit it even further... but without the refinement of the Treasure gem. It has great ideas, good graphic design, personality... but often you won't know what you are doing because it's a little bit confusing. Even worst it's that it lack content (only 5 levels).