I’m not quite old enough for Space Invaders to be a game I grew up with, but I am old enough to remember seeing it in arcades as a stand-alone system, rather than those gaming tables you quite often see in a local pub. I do, however, remember playing some of the first “upgrades” if you will.

I remember on my old Gameboy having a game that was vaguely like it, except your ship could move all over the screen and if you were lucky enough, could earn upgrades that gave your shields or more powerful weapons. I really don’t remember the name of it, but it gave me hours of enjoyment, right up until Pokémon Red and Blue were released.

Pawarumi, by Manufature43, brings an exciting new twist to a classic style of play. Piloting the most powerful vessel in the world, Chukaru, you’ll need to master the use of the Trinity Mechanic while fighting countless enemies as you push your way up the international leader board. As the hero of this bold new world, your ship will have access to a weapon from each of the three gods. Be it Serpent, Condor or Jaguar, you’ll need to pick the right weapon for the job. Just like paper, scissors, rock, each weapon will have a different effect based on what deity your immediate opponent follows.

The green Serpent unleashes a hail of bullets, damaging multiple enemies at close range or a single opponent at distance; blue Condor unleashes a powerful but narrow beam, capable of damaging any enemies behind your immediate target, and the red Jaguar fires an abundance of homing missiles that always meet their target. Each weapon will have a different effect based on the type of enemy you are attacking.

For example, firing your Serpent on a green enemy will replenish your shields but at the cost of making an enemy able to hit you harder, while blasting away with Jaguar against a blue enemy has the same effect as rock does against scissors. There is one weapon that beats them all however, completely obliterating anything on your screen. To charge this magnificent weapon, you’ll need to reverse roles and switch to a parallel universe where paper somehow manages to beat scissors.

In true arcade fashion, Pawarumi has a very simple control system, with each weapon being colour matched with your controller and you’ll move around the screen by simply wiggling your left thumb. Of course, you can make things a tad more difficult should you wish, by changing the key bindings of your attacks to different coloured buttons, but that is about as far as control customisation goes. The ship itself was very responsive to my inputs, with the only thing really letting me down were my reaction times and forgetting which attack did more damage against which enemy.

There is an interesting art style to the game, combining sleek and almost tribal ship designs with bright neon pin striping, while the worlds you fight in are beautifully designed. Unfortunately, you only get to experience their full beauty during the opening scene, as much of the time is spent top down controlling your craft. Having said this, I still thoroughly enjoyed the visual experience on offer. One little warning though; the pulsing neon lights; flashes of gunfire and explosions of defeated enemies could possibly trigger epilepsy in susceptible people.

The music in this game was certainly not was I was expecting. Boasting a musical score heavily influenced by drum and bass, I found the soundtrack very easy to listen to and certainly added a sense of excitement to the game. Aside from a beautiful playlist, the game is a constant stream of weapons fire and explosions. Due to the arcade like nature of the game, I wasn’t really expecting much so it was very refreshing to have such an amazing soundtrack.

If you’re the kind of person who loved standing in an arcade with high-tempo music pumping through the speakers; a screen full of bright colours and flashing lights, and above all, gloating when your name appears top of the leader boards, Pawarumi by Manufacture43 is a game that you’ll certainly want to get your hands on. But if you’re sensitive to light patterns, I would probably avoid this one.

Written by: Mathew Lindner