I'm not sure how I missed Boomerang X seeing as how 1) it's a Devolver Digital joint and that still counts for a lot, and 2) it's a stylish aerial-focused arena shooter, but man — it's so cool. I jumped into a very generous preview build recently and couldn't put the game down until I'd done, well, everything!
It took a bit for me to latch onto the mechanics given that they're doled out piece by piece and things start out really simple, but I was immediately into the idea of playing as a bandaged-up protagonist who, in my headcannon at least, must look like Mac the Knife, the mummy from Captain Commando.
Washed ashore on a mysterious abandoned island, you'll leap (and I mean leap) around until you quickly find an all-important weapon — your one and only for this reflex-intensive platforming shooter. It's a mystical boomerang that can one-shot shadowy figures and automatically come back to you. In the right hands, with your targets' weak points lined up just so, it's devastating. But you can never sit still.
Once Boomerang X comes into its own, you'll be able to dash toward your boomerang, and at that point, you never need to touch the ground again. It takes a while to get the hang of it, but it's so, so satisfying.
