Pawarumi, new SHMUP from 2018

[Aggro Sky]

Hey all, was wondering what everyone thought of Pawarumi. I was given a press copy to do a review on my channel. So I decided to give it a go. You can find it here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T7XxfhD ... 3670518349

The game has been out a few months now, so I know I'm a bit late to the game. But I haven't seen much discussion in the forums here on the game (other than some topics posted by the devs) and was wondering if anyone had played it or liked it's interesting system of color coded weapons and enemies. Personally, I found it a bit challenging to get the hang of but once I did, it proved to be a lot of fun and pretty intuitive system. Definitely took inspiration from games like Ikaruga, Radiant Silvergun and many of the Cave bullet hells of the early 2000's etc.

Thoughts on the game?

[FRO]

Funny, I watched your review over my lunch break, since it popped up in my feed

It looks cool, for sure, but I'm not sure I'd want to dedicate the time to a complex weapon system like that, since my preference is more toward pick up and play games. I like the Stargate-esque aesthetic, though, and it seems like it would be rewarding, once you put the time into it.

[EmperorIng]

One thing that impresses me is how lively and how well the early stages look (I've gotten to about stage 3 on casual play). It's a very nice-looking game with a very neat aesthetic (Aztec futurist) and the cinematic style as you fly through the environments is very well done.

The weapon system is extraordinarily complex and takes time to get a handle of. On top of shooting enemies with the right color to do more damage, you also have to keep track of the WRONG color which does less damage, which refills your super. That's six different weapon interactions to keep in your head! I like how they try to make it easier by using the HUD to remind you of what is good/bad against what, but it definitely takes some getting used to. The implementation of a life bar is done fairly well done, as regaining health is very incremental and not a crutch to tank. It seems as if some attacks do more damage than others but I am not sure if that is the case.

All in all I am enjoying a fresh challenge so far.

[Aggro Sky]

Funny, I watched your review over my lunch break, since it popped up in my feed

It looks cool, for sure, but I'm not sure I'd want to dedicate the time to a complex weapon system like that, since my preference is more toward pick up and play games. I like the Stargate-esque aesthetic, though, and it seems like it would be rewarding, once you put the time into it.

Thanks man! I saw your comment on the vid too and I appreciate it. This is NOT a pick up and play game, at least until you get good at it. The weapon system is pretty complex, but also quite fun once you get the hang of it. Just depends on if you want to devote the time or not. I was able to mostly get the hang of it after 3-4 hours. But it takes practice for sure.

One thing that impresses me is how lively and how well the early stages look (I've gotten to about stage 3 on casual play). It's a very nice-looking game with a very neat aesthetic (Aztec futurist) and the cinematic style as you fly through the environments is very well done.

The weapon system is extraordinarily complex and takes time to get a handle of. On top of shooting enemies with the right color to do more damage, you also have to keep track of the WRONG color which does less damage, which refills your super. That's six different weapon interactions to keep in your head! I like how they try to make it easier by using the HUD to remind you of what is good/bad against what, but it definitely takes some getting used to. The implementation of a life bar is done fairly well done, as regaining health is very incremental and not a crutch to tank. It seems as if some attacks do more damage than others but I am not sure if that is the case.

All in all I am enjoying a fresh challenge so far.

Yeah man, the game looks and sounds fantastic. Outside of Nier Automata, there aren't many SHMUPS these days with the kind of production values that Pawarumi has. But yeah, the weapon system takes a while to wrap your head around. I had to play through the tutorial like 4 times before I got a complete grasp of it. And even then it was sometimes hard to keep track of what color of enemy and weapon you needed to shoot! But I'd like to try a 1cc of this game on the Hard Difficulty at some point.. It would be a formidable challenge for sure.

[MsK`]

It seems as if some attacks do more damage than others but I am not sure if that is the case.

The weapons were balanced so as to do 250 damages per second, if I recall correctly. It's not exactly 250 because the weapons have different designs. I think the laser is a little bit weaker because it can hit several enemies at the same time (subsequent hits are slightly weaker too). And I think the gatling gun is slightly above that, because shots are slow, meaning there's always a few that don't hit the target.

We designed the trinity mechanic so that there's never a "wrong" choice : you always get something out of hitting enemies with any weapon. The crush, that does more damage, is like a x1.5 multiplier on damage, so that the difference helps but it doesn't make enemies impossible to beat with a different weapon. Also, scoring-wise, combining different weapons on a single enemy is essential to achieve truly massive scores! Yami, best player in normal mode so far totally got it and he says there's still a lot of room for improvement. Check out his run: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dTdkUUea7Zk

If you want to know more about the scoring system, there's a guide on steam: https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/ ... 1187866931

I want to see those scores beaten

[MsK`]

If you were still hesitating, it's now 50% off for Steam Summer Sales!

https://store.steampowered.com/app/610410/PAWARUMI/

[BulletMagnet]

Seems this is now on itch.io.

If the dev still checks in: I know awhile ago you said that the physical edition for backers was being pushed back, is there anything new to report on this front?

[MachineAres 1CC]

What happened to the console versions of this that were included in the Kickstarter? Were those canceled? Seems like there haven't been any updates about them even though it released on PC months ago

[Super Laydock]

Seems this is now on itch.io.

If the dev still checks in: I know awhile ago you said that the physical edition for backers was being pushed back, is there anything new to report on this front?

Better late than never... got my copy in the mail yesterday.

Looking pretty good overal...just a shame it got damaged a bit (carton type packaging and just bubblewrap envelope do this).

But as said it looks like a nice package and I am looking forward to playing it tonight some more.

[kassj0peja]

Will the Xbox version still come?

edit: the Xbox version will come in 2019

[BulletMagnet]

Speak of the devil, my own physical edition came in the mail today - weird that there wasn't a notification sent out that these were coming (that I got, anyway), but no harm done in the end, I suppose. The non-Steam version appears to use the same folder for data, as my settings and local scores were still there; it's unfortunate that, according to the devs, sales for this haven't been very strong, as it's a more free-form take on the Ikaruga formula with plenty of approaches for different skill levels to take and a great presentation too. One more reason to want to put a gun to your head when you scroll past no fewer than a dozen 99-cent "sliding tile puzzle with poorly-drawn anime girls" titles if you dare to sort through a week's worth of new releases on Steam.

[MsK`]

Sorry your physical copy got a bit damaged Super Laydock!

Yes, the xbox one version is still coming. We pushed back to 2019 because we were immensely exausted + that gives us more time to plan a better console release. The PC release is FAR from reaching any of our expectations so we really need a better communication plan.

We will also release on Switch and I recently got funding for the PS4 version as well

Lots of optimizations are underway for the console versions. They will be pushed to steam and itch.io also so if the game doesn't run at 60 fps right now on your old rig, patience

[BulletMagnet]

Good to hear work is continuing; will stand-alone patches for physical backers be made available as well?

[MsK`]

Backers can download DRM-free up to date versions from the download link they all got. I update the build there whenever there is a new one

The only difference with the DVD is that there is no installer, just unzip it and play!

[Shou]

Mine showed up fairly beat up as well, would've been great to get it in mint condition...

[MsK`]

oh, so it arrived very fast but beaten up ? errr, not everything can go right... could you send me a few pictures so that I can see how much damage has been done?

[kassj0peja]

Are there any updates regarding a release on GOG and Xbox?

[auryn]

I was just playing this and would like to write a few words of encouragement to the developer (who seems to hang around here). I'm really enjoying this, I've only played it casually so far but the visual design is unique and very well done, the game has some pretty awesome set pieces during the first few levels. The weapon system is intriguing but difficult to learn, much like Radiant Silvergun. The level design so far lacks a bit of RS's intricacy, but what is there works well and offers a fair challenge. Well worth the money IMHO.

[Pixel_Outlaw]

Just cleared Easy mode. Very fun game with a unique concept.
It's not Ikaruga with a third color at all if that's what people are thinking.

Great design great artwork great music.
Thank you for supporting us Linux guys.

[MsK`]

Yeah, you can actually do many things with color based mechanics. Thanks!

I'm almost ready in regards to supporting all the weird xbox behaviors, like turning off the console and having the game still working when turning it back on. It's actually quite a lot of work, the system is quite convoluted >_< I expect to send it to certification in the coming weeks. I hope to release around this summer !

The Switch version is almost ready too. It will be running at 30FPS but I have a nice surprise exclusive to that machine

GOG continues to refuse the game... If you want a DRM-Free version, please turn to itch.io

[GFoyle]

Good to hear! Have been waiting it to be released on consoles. That 30fps on Switch raises some eyebrowns, will be interesting to see how it feels compared to other shmups on the platform. Is there any plans to try to optimise it further with some patch later or is it too big of a challenge? What about input lag, how it is turning out as there has been also some discussions about it on Switch, some games seem to have managed to get it to manageable levels, others less so?

I have the option also to get on XBone if it would run clearly better on it, I just love Switch and prefer buying games for it when there is no huge performance issues compared to other consoles.

[MrJBRPG]

Yeah, you can actually do many things with color based mechanics. Thanks!

I'm almost ready in regards to supporting all the weird xbox behaviors, like turning off the console and having the game still working when turning it back on. It's actually quite a lot of work, the system is quite convoluted >_< I expect to send it to certification in the coming weeks. I hope to release around this summer !

The Switch version is almost ready too. It will be running at 30FPS but I have a nice surprise exclusive to that machine

GOG continues to refuse the game... If you want a DRM-Free version, please turn to itch.io

Tis sounds like very good news for those who want the game on other platforms.

Speaking of that, I remember that you want to explore multiplayer for the arcade version.
https://twitter.com/dnlbrgs/status/1034451559801937920

Have you thought of doing 3 players since there are three colors after all?

[MsK`]

Considering the idea I have for a two player mode, three player wouldn't change much things. It's totally unrelated to the number of colors though ^^

Unfortunately, I don't have the funds (and thus, not the means) to do a multiplayer mode

I've worked a lot to reach 60FPS on the Switch. A good deal of the game actually runs at a solid 60FPS. The problem is with all the other parts that don't! And while I did everything I could to fix the problem, I finally hit a wall: the render thread, which I have no control over since its being made by Unity & Nintendo, is just too slow on the Switch. If an update to Unity would happen to come & highly improve the state of things there, I will push a 60FPS update! In the meantime, I chose to lock the game at 30FPS because it's better to have a smooth stable 30FPS experience than an unstable 30~60FPS...

Concerning input lag, it's way better since I've locked the framerate to 30FPS. It's not great, because all games suffer from the system's basic input lag, but it's totally playable and feels right to me.

If anyone is coming to stunfest, I should be able to bring the Switch version there (and the xbox one version aswell !)

[GFoyle]

I've worked a lot to reach 60FPS on the Switch. A good deal of the game actually runs at a solid 60FPS. The problem is with all the other parts that don't! And while I did everything I could to fix the problem, I finally hit a wall: the render thread, which I have no control over since its being made by Unity & Nintendo, is just too slow on the Switch. If an update to Unity would happen to come & highly improve the state of things there, I will push a 60FPS update! In the meantime, I chose to lock the game at 30FPS because it's better to have a smooth stable 30FPS experience than an unstable 30~60FPS...

Yeah, I agree, fixed 30fps is probably better in than variable, especially in these kind of games. I still encourage to keep trying to get that 60fps despite of unity. Based on my 20 year or so experience in software business, there is usually always some way to manipulate those things in such way that you get more out of it (sometimes it could be doing things in the "wrong" way even). That's something a colleague of mine taught me way bad in my early career, that even when it seems that there is nothing that can be done, there usually is a way if you just keep trying (in that instance it was occasional few millisecond wait to avoid overloading something, which I can't recall clearly, might even be a rendering thing as well).

I have heard that there has been issues in some games with Unity and Switch, like Pinball FX3, which was capped to 30fps initially (that's one case where 30fps felt really bad to me) but they managed to overcome the issue eventually and one thing I heard they did was changing some lighting engine causing a lot of stress to the system.

As for the input lag, if you get it working around the same levels as Ikaruga, DE, thunder force IV then it's probably the best it could be on Switch.

Anyway, good luck! I'm eagerly waiting for the release and definitely going to buy the game on one of those systems (if cheap enough, maybe even on both to compare)!

[syveL]

Hey Pawarumi Dev. I saw this game on the upcoming section of the e-shop; looks cool. I have a couple of questions.
Have you downgraded the graphics enough since April to hit 60fps on the Switch?
Are the controls reconfigurable, for arcade sticks? The game also seems like it could be a 3-button shooter instead of 4. (Hit all three for super attack.)
Are you planning a physical release with a company like Limited Run, Play Asia, or some other?

edit:
4 buttons insteam of 5; I saw that there is a brake button. I think that 5 buttons is pushing it; I don't like using my pinky.

[kassj0peja]

It is only 15 dollars for Switch. I hope it will be released on Xbox soon too.

[guigui]

Is there a release date for Switch yet ?

[syveL]

Is there a release date for Switch yet ?

July 24th on the American eShop

[GFoyle]

Weird that it hasn't shown up on europe eshop coming soon section yet, I would think it would be released on same date here.

[MsK`]

Hey Pawarumi Dev. I saw this game on the upcoming section of the e-shop; looks cool. I have a couple of questions.
Have you downgraded the graphics enough since April to hit 60fps on the Switch?
Are the controls reconfigurable, for arcade sticks? The game also seems like it could be a 3-button shooter instead of 4. (Hit all three for super attack.)
Are you planning a physical release with a company like Limited Run, Play Asia, or some other?

edit:
4 buttons insteam of 5; I saw that there is a brake button. I think that 5 buttons is pushing it; I don't like using my pinky.

I don't "downgrade" the graphics, I optimize them! The game is almost as pretty on switch than on xbox one haha! But no, I was too busy working on the publishing of the game, I didn't have time yet to get another look at the latest developments on unity's side for the switch. I'll get to that after the switch/xbox release. If I finally manage to get a stable 60fps, there will be an update. I was suggested though to at least provide the choice between 1080p 30fps and 720p 60 fps in docked mode, what do you guys think about that option? I actually didn't check if running in 720p did provide a smooth 60fps but that would be an option.

All the action buttons are remappable so yes, your arcade stick will be fine! But the game does indeed play with 5 buttons, pushing all 3 attack buttons won't trigger the super attack. Well, I've seen people play with highscores without using the brake button so you can try that

A physical release is planned but nothing to announce there yet. Well except that I would really love to have a superplay dvd with it. Start scoring hard people! If that happen I will probably hold a contest to make the videos for that dvd! (with cash prize)

Weird that it hasn't shown up on europe eshop coming soon section yet, I would think it would be released on same date here.

It's just that Nintendo of Europe is quite small and super busy. They haven't validated the page yet.

It is only 15 dollars for Switch. I hope it will be released on Xbox soon too.

Yup. Pre-orders will start in a few weeks actually!