Boomerang Fu shows the joy of simplicity

There’s nothing I’ve been loving more this year than seeing Aussie games in the wild. Seeing the snapshots of growth of projects go from the PAX Aus show floor to the public is such an awe-inspiring time. Games like Necrobarista use big, complex stories to engage. Others are a bit more simplistic in their approach. Boomerang Fu, for example, started as a basic idea: boomerang multiplayer combat. Whilst there has been no shortage of presentational upgrades, the solid gameplay foundation has remained the true north of this project.

Boomerang Fu is a simple concept. You and however many friends (or bots) are unleashed upon an isometric arena. You can dash, melee or, as may be obvious, throw a boomerang at your opponent. That really is the core of the game in its entirety. Orbiting around this are the various modes, that dictate the larger objectives: score points for the team, hold onto the golden boomerang for as long as possible, or simply try and be the last one standing.

There are lots of little variants too. The inclusion of power-ups adds more movement and attack options that can lead to some wild gameplay moments. That is merely one of the handfuls of options you can use to fully customise your game. It’s chaotic enough that there is no small element of luck involved in emerging on top of the pile. It’s a glorious, adrenaline-fuelled multi-lane pile-up of an experience. The game can feel a bit busy sometimes but the well-established simple foundation means it isn’t hard to grasp what is happening.

I think in so many ways Boomerang Fu’s simplicity is generally its greatest asset. I mean seriously think about it. This is a game that encourages you to make gifs of your best moments, to share on social media. Simultaneously, this is a game that is so straightforward and concise that a 5-second clip can reveal the majority of what this game is. Furthermore, it makes for a very low bar to bring human players into the game. It’s worth also acknowledging the increased viability for faux online play. Services like Steam’s “Remote Play” means even if you are in lockdown, you can still jump into the melee.

So that’s really the long and short of it. Boomerang Fu is a wonderfully simple concept that makes for instant fun.