While the show floor at EGX Rezzed 2017 was full of indie titles that have already been through crowdfunding, some are just branching out to get the vital funding they need for the future development of the game. Only a couple of days prior to heading to the event, French developers, Manufacture 43 had launched their Kickstarter campaign for their unique arcade shoot ’em up called Pawarumi.
It’s not every day that you see a game that fuses ancient civilizations with futuristic spacecraft but, somehow, Pawarumi does just that. It uses a lot of Aztec imagery and architectural designs crossed with lasers and technology to create a world that is not only futuristic but maintains it’s own style and atmosphere of its own.
The snow base map shows off some mighty step pyramids
So, not only is the setting something that we’ve not seen before, the combat system is some new and it will take a lot of practice to get it nailed properly. The developers call this The Trinity System. Everything in the World revolves around the colors red, blue and green (handy as that is the colors normally shown on a controller) and the combat system uses these in a sort of rock-paper-scissors format. All color combinations have a direct beneficial effect on your and it’s your choice on how you use them. Mastering which color corresponds with which kind of attack on which enemy color is the key to success in the game.
Shooting an enemy with the same color weapon replenishes your shield energy
I’m going to admit that this kind of game doesn’t normally draw me in but there is something about Pawarumi that did. When I played it, thanks to the unique combat system, it felt like there was more to it than a normal shoot ’em up. You have a system to properly learn but once you have learned it, or at least got the general idea of it, it is a lot more fun and extremely satisfying. It has definitely opened my eyes to a genre I wasn’t too keen on and I love it for that!
Something is definitely about to hit the fan!
As of writing this article, the Kickstarter campaign still has 12 days left to run and they are already just shy of halfway to meeting their target. The game is set to release at some point during 2017 and will be available on PC, Mac, and Linux with a view of releasing on consoles in the future.
