Boomerang X

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.

Harness the power of a mystical boomerang to fling yourself through the air. Slice, fly, and blast through arenas swarming with evil creatures. Stay agile or meet your doom.

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.

It was the original Mirror’s Edge that convinced me that first person games can be about movement as they are about combat—or even more so. There was a time when platforming in first person shooters was considered faux pas in terms of game design, but even beloved first person shooters like Doom Eternal require quite a bit of it. The blend of movement and fighting can be sublime in a first person game if executed properly, and Boomerang X is a great example of when action meets fast movement.

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.

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.

I enjoyed most of my time playing Boomerang X, but wasn’t blown away by any one aspect of the game. The core gameplay mechanics work fairly well for the majority of the game. Playing the game feels good, looks good, and is stable. With that said I did find things start to feel a bit grindy and not fun in the later levels and the final boss fight. Couple this late game slog with a few minor annoying design choices and you have a good, but not great, gaming experience.

Boomerang X is a strange game, when you are in combat, the games method of traversal elevates things to great heights, but outside of combat, it feels like a barren walking simulator. The lack of a clear story also doesn’t help, outside of what you might put together based on the ruins you come across, though Tepan does help. It is also not an overly long game, something you could complete within a few hours and while I can see speed runners loving this, those looking for a meaty experience will be left disappointed. The end result is that once you are done, this is one boomerang, you won’t have a need to return.