Boomerang X Reviews
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.
Boomerang X is wonderfully executed and offers a great ramp up with each successive level, it’s a shame then that it’s over all too soon. New Game + acts like a totally optional but rewarding victory lap, adding another layer of difficulty which helps satisfy the desire to play more of it. The combat offers a very specific toolset to dispatch your foes with, and the movement demands you to always be on the move, in the air or on the ground in order avoid early deaths. This is a game about split-second decisions involving tactics just as much as skill. Boomerang X is a ballet of bustle as you slay the ancient beasts, sending them into oblivion.
The reduced framerate on the Switch version of Boomerang X might be a bit of a downer, since the game feels perfect on a handheld, but I still had a great time with it. It’s fast-paced, arcadey, stylish as all hell and allows you to experiment a lot with its combat mechanics. Regardless of its technical shortcomings, it’s yet another banger from Devolver, a fun little title from the single best indie curator in the market.
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.
Boomerang X is a polished and exciting action platformer with throwing stars and excitement, but not much else.
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.
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, 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
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.
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.
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.
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.
Boomerang X is a speedrunner’s delight, but it seems to forget casual action fans. After the first playthrough, you’re free to refine your skills, but there’s not much to do thereafter. The beautiful environments beg to be explored but offer no reward or discovery, which is a missed opportunity. There’s little denying how fun this game is, but I couldn’t help but want more.
While there isn't a whole heck of a lot here, what is here is tight, polished, and fun. Even if you aren't someone who usually plays first-person platformer/shoot-em-up type games, Boomerang X is a great introduction to faster or more mechanically demanding shooters.
With indie titles I’m always tickled when I encounter something just a bit different that feels fresh and challenging, and for me Boomerang X (though perhaps a bit on the short side overall) fits nicely into that groove...
The biggest potential issue with the game is that it offers too much freedom and too little structure. It might drive players away if they feel that their progress is too gated. But I love the feeling of freedom that Boomerang X offers when it is at its best and the huge adrenaline spike that a good fight against seven waves can deliver, regardless of the result.
Overall, I had a great time with Boomerang X. The action is tight and it always feels like an expression of skill whenever a level is successfully beaten. The surreal fantasy setting also matches the game’s tone perfectly, providing moments of surprise and wonder with each new level. The simplicity in DANG!’s design really works in their favour – it provides an excellent degree of challenge with unique, memorable mechanics and no wasted time. It’s a masterclass in fast-paced, precision-based 3D action.
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.
With a sublime execution, Boomerang X wastes no time in getting you into the action. While chaotic in nature, it settles you in a flow state that a lot of first-person action games struggle to. To me, it was like feeling inner peace. An absolute recommendation to anyone who wants to have their reflexes tested or just want a well packaged and fun action game.
Review in Portuguese | Read full review