Boomerang X Reviews
Exciting combat, fantastic art direction, and interesting environments only make me wish Boomerang X were twice as long.
Boomerang X isn't the lengthiest venture and for a game whose attraction lies solely in its gameplay, so one's enjoyment will naturally come down to how embedded in its mechanics you end up becoming.
Boomerang X features instantly gratifying gameplay that will get its hooks into you immediately. Its arena-based combat encourages you to keep moving and flying through the air in order to avoid death, with your boomerang acting as a kind of portable teleport or hook shot. The overall difficulty is a bit tame for the most part, which incidentally means the game is a bit on the short side, but there's plenty of potential for repeat playthroughs and speed runs thanks to the fun, addictive gameplay. If you're a fan of frantic, fast-paced first-person action, then this one will be right up your alley.
Boomerang X is the 2AM food truck run of arena shooters. You're in and out before you know it, but holy shit is it amazing. The boomerang abilities that form the core of the gameplay are unique and insanely addicting, but there's always new foes and features constantly revealing themselves as the game progresses. It's a brief experience, maybe too brief, but it's still an unforgettable one.
Above all, I like the way that Boomerang X sprinkles in combat abilities and just-fussy-enough enemy types. It’s all layered on without needlessly complicating the whole thing. This game starts fun, and it ends fun. There’s no time for your mind to wander, or get twisted up trying to remember the controls, or feel too stressed out. It’s a great flow.
Boomerang X is a fresh take on the arena shooter. Focusing on one weapon, the range in abilities and the ceiling for skill make frenetic combat exciting in just about every instance. The game is rather short, but that works perfectly for the pace of both the story and combat. Only feeling dull in the moments between the action, DANG! and Devolver Digital have an impressive indie on their hands with Boomerang X.
Boomerang X is a frantic and challenging arena shooter made to satisfy the needs of those interested in speedrunning the game or unlocking every single one of its achievements.
Review in Italian | Read full review
From the moment that Boomerang X's demo hit Steam, it was possible that DANG! and Devlover had a hit brewing, and the full experience delivers on that promise. No occasional difficulty spikes can get in the way of this exciting mixture of retro FPS movement and stylish action, and Boomerang X will likely remain a contender for one of 2021's best indie titles throughout the rest of the calendar year.
To dismiss Boomerang X as little more than a tech demo would be unfair, but it is also hard to ignore that the game skimps on a lot of elements that would give it depth and replayability or really make the player engage with something more than throwing a weapon to kill waves of enemies, no matter how initially satisfying that can be. Not everyone is going to love the attention-getting and specific art style and level of abstraction, or the bare minimum story or lack of interesting characters. That said, a game that knows how to balance its strengths with just enough story, gameplay, and challenge is worth playing, and Boomerang X definitely knows its strength.
Boomerang X, like Disc Room for example - another Devolver Digial prod -, arrives with a simple, unexplored and functional concept. Crossing arenas with a grappling hook and the ability to slow down time to decimate the population even proves fun and challenging, especially when the skill engage depends on your kills. Unfortunately, this is at the cost of an imprecision when you have to go to chop life or fight the final boss, and a repetitiveness in the structure of the game.
Review in French | Read full review
Although with a different and less fiercely hardcore disposition, Boomerang X reminded me with ill-concealed enthusiasm of that independent gem that responds to the name of Devil Daggers.
Review in Italian | Read full review
But these are minor inconveniences. Boomerang X is a short but sweet indie gem. Its frantic nature has you holding your breath as a deadly laser misses you by inches while you throw your boomerang at an arena's last combatant. Expect to have a lot of moments like that if you decide to purchase Devolver's latest unique title.
Fantastic gameplay paired with a game structure that resembles a tech demo makes Boomerang X worthwhile, even if it doesn't live up to its potential.
Boomerang X is a polished and exciting action platformer with throwing stars and excitement, but not much else.
Boomerang X is truly a spiral of interlocking gameplay loops stacked on top of each other. After a slow start, Boomerang X whips up an absolute whirlwind of bullet-time style combat that can be an absolute sight to behold. So much love and care have clearly permeated the gameplay of this title. The problem is that beyond the loop, there isn’t a lot going on. Some frustrating design elements and a feeling of repetition is present, although it doesn’t fully dampen what is undoubtedly some fantastic moment-to-moment gameplay.
Boomerang X offers a specific, thrilling power fantasy of speed as players use a magical boomerang to zip around increasingly complex combat puzzles that offer little to no excess in a colorful, stylized world.
Wondering what if, instead of a boomerang returning to the thrower, the user returns to the weapon? That's the question Boomerang X answers. Sprinkling some very useful abilities into the mix, developers DANG! created one of the best superhero experiences out there.
This review is already one of my longer ones but I can't help rambling about this game and how annoying it is to see such a wasted opportunity.
In the end, Boomerang X is another unique success Devolver Digital should feel happy to gloat about. Their publishing strategy of funding creative and polished lower budget games has resulted in yet another fun and creative experience. Sadly, the game’s short length keeps it from true greatness.
Boomerang X is a textbook example of short and sweet. It's a bite-sized experience that rewards persistence with a vague, mysterious narrative, dynamic combat, challenging enemies, and so much satisfaction when you squeeze out a victory in the last wave. I had to test my mettle and tolerate a bit of slowdown, but Boomerang X is one of the best indies I've played this year.