Ah, the boomerang. Indie studio DANG! in New York just loves them. And that’s why we have this stylish and fast-paced FPS romp that’s a total ruddy joy to play.

It’s All About Boomerang X

We’ve remained highly critical of the FPS genre over the years. We think there are too many AAA FPS games and most of them are bland and derivative.

For such a great genre, it’s a real shame. But! The indie scene has been throwing a spanner into the works, if you check out Superhot and Slime Rancher.

Valve has also experimented, with titles such as Portal 2. There’s no reason why a FPS title can’t be innovative and fun.

Boomerang X is one such example! Released last week, it breathes fresh lovely air into the stale old world of violent gun romps.

And it’s a whole heap of stylish fun.

After a minimalistic intro, you’re right into proceedings. With the shamanic type character you take control of, you soon equip a deadly boomerang.

You then get power-ups to catapult yourself through the air, which often involves arena battles where you have to wipe out a set number of baddies.

It’s fast-paced, frantic, and surprisingly complex. The battle system really puts your wits up against the computer opponents.

But you soon learn the ropes with the controls and you’ll be soaring all over arenas, outsmarting competitors and relishing in the challenge.

The battle arenas do get quite intense and the music in these sections reminds us of the battle system in Okami (the visual style is also similar).

Downsides? It’s not the longest game ever (and the price tag at £18 isn’t great). Plus, it does occasionally get repetitive. But as a pick-up-and-play experience you can’t fault it much.

Boomerang X represents what we love about indie games. It takes an increasingly bland genre and shakes the concept up with fun gameplay, striking looks, and an epic Japanese-inspired ninja soundtrack.

After the short intro with a character stranded on a dessert island you’re into it.

No 15 minute cutscene intro. No dodgy exposition development with terrible voice acting. No handholding through the first 30 minutes.

You’re just dumped in, you learn the ropes, and then you’re away. And it isn’t long before you realise just how much fun Boomerang X is.

This is a highly recommend one from us. It delivers a lot of fast-paced excitement and rewards your quick thinking and ninja skills.

It’s out right now on Steam and the Nintendo Switch. X yeah!