The New Classics #66: Pawarumi

 

The Backstory: Pawarumi doesn’t have its own Wikipedia page, but is routinely described as a “modern Shoot’em up set in a retro futuristic sci-fi pre-Columbian universe”. It’s also the main work of Manufacture 43, a teeny-tiny French developer based in Bordeaux, home of other indie game studios such as Motion Twin (of Dead Cells fame) and Asobo Studio. Manufacture 43 cleverly teamed up with publisher EastAsiaSoft to release 2000 physical copies of the Switch version — one of them headed to my precious collection. 

 

 

The Game: Pawarumi is a generous Shoot’em up that gives you a lot to wreak havoc with: three types of weapons, each as deadly and flashy as the next. There seems to be a clever colour combination system that can grant you benefits, but I’ll admit it: I was too busy shooting at stuff to pay attention. 

 

 

I was also very busy gazing at the splendid vistas, which are the most beautiful and evocative ones I’ve flown through this side of G-Darius HD. In fact, the whole game is splendid: from the highly geometric and choreographed formations to your ships’ supremely stylish laser beams, everything in Pawarumi is a feast for the eyes. Add to all this eye-candy some perfect physics, smooth and speedy at the same time — and nearly liquid in their slickness — and you get the crème de la crème of Switch Shoot’em ups. 

 

 

The Verdict: Not gonna play it all patriotic here, but the French sure know how to craft some good sh*t when they want it! Also, Pawarumi is most definitely a New Classic of mine — can’t wait to discover more of that French-made Neo-Aztec goodness!