Boomerang Fu

Boomerang Fu is a fighting game developed and published by Cranky Watermelon. The game was released for Microsoft Windows, Nintendo Switch, and Xbox One on August 13, 2020. The game released for PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5 on January 13, 2022. In the game, players control anthropomorphic food-based characters armed with boomerangs and various superpowers. Boomerang Fu received generally favorable reviews.

Boomerang Fu
Developer(s)	Cranky Watermelon
Publisher(s)	Cranky Watermelon
Designer(s)	Paul Kopetko, Gavin Kusters, David Smith, Teja Godson, Lily Anderson, Rose Hammer
Artist(s)	Julian Wilton
Composer(s)	Paul Kopetko
Engine	Unity
Platform(s)	Windows PlayStation 4 PlayStation 5 Xbox One Nintendo Switch
Release	Windows, Switch, Xbox One August 13, 2020 PS4, PS5 January 13, 2022
Genre(s)	Fighting, party
Mode(s)	Single-player, multiplayer, Cooperative

Gameplay

Avocado uses the Disguise power-up to disguise itself as a pot. When Watermelon walks near the pot, Avocado kills them with a boomerang.

In Boomerang Fu, players control food-themed characters armed with boomerangs. Players can either throw the boomerangs or use them as melee weapons.^[1] Thrown boomerangs will fall to the floor if it hits an object. Dropped boomerangs can be recalled by the player.^[2] Each character can only be hit once unless the player that got hit has the Shield powerup.^[1] The game has over 30 different arenas.^[3] To earn a point, the player or players have to be the last one standing^[4] or it can be set to earn a point for every kill. It can be played in single-player against AI-controlled opponents.^[2] The game also supports local multiplayer, allowing up to six players per match.^[5][2] Characters can die if they fall into water, off a cliff, or leave the arena (depicted by dotted lines) for an extended period of time. If a character dies in one of these ways, other players will not usually earn a point for the kill.

Powerups

Power-ups can be picked up during matches by touching blue books, and provide permanent upgrades for as long as the match lasts.^[2] It is possible to alter it so that losing players get the shield power-up. It is also possible to set how fast blue books appear. All power-ups can be stacked except for fire and ice, which cannot stack with each other. Up to three power-ups can be active per player at one time. If a fourth power-up is picked up, a previous power-up will be lost (this does not count single-use power-ups such as battle royal or bamboozled).

Powerups

Name	Description
Caffeinated	Move faster than regular speed
Dash through walls	Allow to move through walls while dashing
Teleport boomerang	Throw the boomerang and press the dash button to teleport to the first boomerang thrown by you
Explosive boomerang	Causes your boomerang to explode after you throw it. The boomerang will automatically appear in your character's hand shortly after exploding. Cancels out if you also have teleport boomerang, and teleport before the explosion occurs.
Multi boomerang	When you throw a boomerang, it splits into five boomerangs. You will need to recollect all of the boomerangs to throw again
Extra boomerang	Get a second boomerang; the second boomerang is in your character's other hand
Fire boomerang	Makes a path of fire wherever it goes. Anyone who touches the fire will become burned, and will eventually die unless they can reach wet ground. It is possible to spread the fire to other players that you come in contact with.
Ice boomerang	Makes a path of ice wherever it goes. Anyone who steps on it will slow down and freeze after a while; to get unfrozen, spam dash. But be quick; an opponent could just slash or throw a boomerang on you, or push you against a wall!
Disguise	Stand still to change into a nearby object
Shield	Get another hit; once you get hit with this powerup, it disappears.
Battle royale	Shrinks the dotted line area to where ever the power-up was collected, which makes less space to play
Telekinesis	Control your boomerang by holding dash and then using the normal movement controls; but there is a limited radius where this powerup will apply
Decoy	Make a fake clone of the same character as whoever collected the decoy powerup. The clone CANNOT use boomerangs
Bamboozled	Inverts your controls for a few seconds

Game modes

There are four modes in Boomerang Fu. Only one is available in the demo.

Game modes

Game Mode	Description	In Demo
Free for All	Regular kind of game; no teams	Yes
Teams	Work together with other people on your team. Points are shared with your team	No
Golden Boomerang	Keep the golden boomerang for a few seconds! The golden boomerang makes you slower.	No
Hide & Seek	Scramble to find the perfect hiding spot or hunt down your friends in this tense new game mode.	No

Downloadable content

There are two DLCs that can be purchased for the game in addition to its normal sale price. The Fresh Flavors Pack released in 2021 and the Just Desserts DLC released in 2024 as part of the 1.3.1 update, celebrating 1 million copies sold.^[6] Both DLCs are mainly cosmetic, offering skins of different food items, although the Just Desserts DLC adds additional levels.^[7]

Development and release

Boomerang Fu was one of 13 ID@Xbox games announced for the Xbox One.^[8][9] It was also one of the 30 games featured at Microsoft's booth at the 2019 Game Developers Conference.^[10][11] The game's release date was announced on July 9, 2020.^[12][3] On August 13, the game was released on Microsoft Windows, Steam, Xbox One, and Nintendo Switch.^[3][13][14] The game later released on PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5 on January 13, 2022.^[15]

Reception

Aggregate score

Aggregator	Score
Metacritic	78/100[a][16]

Review scores

Publication	Score
Gamezebo	4/5[1]
Nintendo Life	7/10[2]

Reception

Boomerang Fu received "generally favorable" reviews according to review aggregator Metacritic.^[16]

Ollie Reynolds from Nintendo Life rated the game 7/10 stars, praising the premise, gameplay, and power-ups. However, Reynolds criticized the lack of online multiplayer and the few game modes.^[2]

Maria Alexander from Gamezebo rated the game 4/5 stars, calling the game's presentation "adorable". However, Alexander was disappointed by the lack of online multiplayer.^[1]

Awards and nominations

Boomerang Fu received the award for Best Gameplay at the 2020 Australian Game Developer Awards.^[17][18] The game was also nominated for Best Sound and Game of the Year, but lost to Audioplay: Alien Strike and Moving Out, respectively.^[19] It also received a nomination for Best Sound for Interactive Media at the 2020 Australian Screen Sound Guild Awards.^[20]

Year	Award	Category	Result	Ref
2020	Australian Game Developer Awards	Best Gameplay	Won	[21]
		Best Sound	Nominated	[22]
		Game of the Year	Nominated
	Australian Screen Sound Guild Awards	Best Sound for Interactive Media	Nominated	[20]