Boomerang Fu is a cute, colorful party game developed by Cranky Watermelon, an Australian indie studio that, according to its website, is "dedicated to making cute games that bring people together in times when we're otherwise apart". It will be released on August 13th on Switch, Steam and Xbox One. But we were allowed to take a look at the game and tell you whether Boomerang Fu brings people together or tears them apart.
The style of the game is just as promised - cute. The characters are small foods - a donut, an avocado, a slice of bread and so on. They're bright, squishy-looking, cartoonish little freaks of nature with limbs not attached to their bodies, and the arenas that could be compared to those of Yoshi's games or Animal Crossing certainly follow suit. The soundtrack, which can also be heard on Spotify, fits the game like a fist on the eye. But what can the game actually do and how does it play? Let's find out.
Razor-sharp boomerang + groceries = party fun?
Boomerang Fu is crazy and fast moving. The levels are small enough that you can traverse the entire length of a map in about five seconds; and the boomerangs fly extremely fast. You can throw yourself into the boomerang chaos with two to six players at the same time, in teams or in free play for everyone.
The arenas are very varied, but since a round only lasts 20 seconds, all of them are played through quickly
Everyone is of course armed with razor-sharp boomerangs that can be thrown at opponents or wielded like a sword. Characters die with a single disk unless your team is back enough for the game to offer you bubble protection.
There aren't many options, there is more time for beating.
You can also kill enemies with water hazards or moving walls that crush you. There are power-ups that players can pick up that can give you things like an exploding boomerang or a boomerang that splits into several pieces and can cover a larger part of the map. The whole game is so chaotic that it just feels good when you've split one of your opponents in two. You don't have to wait long either, because if you have been hit you have to wait a maximum of 20 seconds, a lap doesn't go much longer.
Despite the great idea, there is no motivation
Boomerang Fu is fun that much, just not for too long. The game offers no customization options for your food, no level system or general improvements that can be unlocked. The 12 characters to choose from are visually varied but playfully all the same. What also bothered us a little was that we couldn't even put the bots in certain teams because the teams are selected automatically. Unfortunately, the different levels also wear out very quickly, as a lap lasts just 20 seconds and you can quickly see them all.
The arenas are nice and small so a round lasts a maximum of 20 seconds.
Boomerang Fu is not a really recommended game for solo players, but things are different with friends. The strength of the game can be seen in local multiplayer. It's just fun when you throw your boomerang at a buddy and win the round at the last second. There is no online multiplayer. But 3 different game modes: everyone against everyone, team fight and golden boomerang in which you have to hold on to a golden boomerang until the time runs out. Unfortunately, this is also quickly played and used up.
Infobox
Number of players: team shooter
Age: from 6 years
Difficulty: easy
Long-term motivation: low
Publisher: Cranky Watermelons
Developer: Cranky Watermelons
Year of publication: 2020
Platforms: PC, Nintendo Switch, Xbox One
Languages: German, English, Spanish, French, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Chinese
Cost: 14,99 Euro
Summary
Boomerang Fu has a big problem: It's really fun, but unfortunately not for a long time. If you have gone through a complete match you have actually seen everything. There is still the golden boomerang mode, but unfortunately the air runs out quickly. So who is this game for?
Clearly for the classic couch co-op session and that's no surprise because, as mentioned in the opening text, Cranky Watermelon develop games for people who want to get together. Boomerang Fu is the most fun with friends or family, there will be 2 or 3 more matches that flicker across the screen.
Soloists who are perhaps looking for a crisp story mode or online multiplayer will be disappointed. Unfortunately, the game offers too little or no long-term motivation to keep solo players on the ball.
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