Tamashika Review (Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 5, Switch & PC)

I’ve just popped two paracetamol pills, chugged two liters of water, and taken a long walk in the woods. I needed it after Tamashika. If I hadn’t taken it upon myself to remediate the headache, I’d be slurring and typing at a second grade level. Though, to be fair, I probably would have fit into the scene perfectly, given that Tamashika is, in short, the digital equivalent of a toddler’s idea of a masterpiece: vibrant, chaotic, and about as nonsensical as a squiggly mirage with an LSD aesthetic. And yes, it still hurts to think about it.

I’m all for the idea of experimental corridor shooters. MULLET MADJACK, as an example, is a brilliant ode to arcade boomer shooters. But Tamashika is a lot of work, as is it something that requires a lot of mental energy to comprehend. It isn’t that it’s narratively bloated; it’s that it makes absolutely no effort to fill you in on the details. Simply, it hands you a weapon, and it shoves you into a procedurally generated world in which childish sketches roam rampant and things have an awful habit of going downhill at the touch of a button.

Not to deflate your balloon or anything, but if you are desperately looking for a corridor shooter that’s rich in plot points and engrossing characters, then frankly, you might as well look elsewhere, for Tamashika is anything but a narratively keen experience. Given that it doesn’t immediately entice you with provoking plot twists or moral dilemmas, it isn’t a game that’s likely to elevate your curiosity. But what it is likely to do is irritate you — a lot.

In most cases, you would be introduced to a host of characters, a world of problems, and a plan of action. In Tamashika, though, you aren’t given any of the above. Instead, you’re given a secondhand knife, a gun, and an eccentric corridor that bleeds sickly sweet imagery and tomfoolery. You have no idea who you are, or even what it is that you’re trying to accomplish. Simply, you have a vague idea of how the world works, and a surplus of drawings to eradicate over a series of procedurally produced precision-based battles. That, really, is what Tamashika is, and it doesn’t try to be anything other than that.

The heart of Tamashika isn’t in its plot, but in its combat system. Unlike your traditional run-and-gun boomer shooter, the game is all about memorizing sequences, alternating between bullets, blocks, and teleportation techniques, and repeating a lot of the same mistakes as you gradually rain hellfire on the Teletubbies of a bullet-addled fever dream. And yes, it is a lot to take in.

Tamashika takes corridor shooters back to their roots in an effort to expel unnecessary padding and bloated plot elements, with quick, erratic, and precision-locked gunplay that focuses on swift execution and pivotal moments of violent flamboyancy. Again, it can feel like a massive headache, given that it forces a habit of feeding you a lot of fever dream energy. But, once those training wheels fall apart and the gunsmith begins to find their rhythm, it becomes a wild ride of highly addictive fleeting moments.

If you’re all for a quick bout of sensory overload, then you’re in for a real treat with Tamashika. As the game spends absolutely no time in easing you into its world and all of its technicolored kookiness, you’ll find that the initial phases can be quite difficult to master. But it isn’t just the vibrancy of the locale that’s a thorn in your side; it’s also the nature of the game and how it often relies on your swift execution to deliver its core. If you miss a shot, miscalculate a move, or fail to recognize a threat, then you essentially find yourself back at the previous checkpoint, locked and loaded, and ready to repeat the same deadly atrocities.

Tamashika might not be the most elegant of corridor shooters, though it is one with substance. With a trove of daily stages to carve through and a randomly generated setting to keep you on your toes, EDGLRD opts for quantity over quality, with enough weirdness and bullet-shackled eccentricity to keep your pulse up and your heart racing. But that is both a blessing and a curse, really; it lacks the complexity of a narrative-driven experience, yet comes clean with a staggering supply of battle sequences and leaderboard perks. The fact that it continues to receive daily updates, too, suggests that there are still untapped opportunities here that could be exploited.

Of course, I can’t quite bring myself to say that Tamashika is a brilliant game with genre-altering qualities to its own, because it quite clearly lacks the depth and the flair to bode well with the big dogs. That being said, if you can afford the occasional headache and turn a blind eye to the general kookiness of it all, then you should be able to scrape a good chunk out of it. It might not be the best game you’ll put your hands on, but it is one that you’ll remember, for better or worse.

Verdict

Tamashika is a bit like the aftermath of a headache: relieving, yet still somewhat poignant. Minced with a cocktail of mirages and colorful sketch work, it lingers on the mind like a bad fever dream. Against all odds, though, it keeps to its promise to deliver a thoroughly enjoyable corridor shooter experience that, while still chaotic and lacking in any kind of depth, brings out the best in old-school arcade shooters. Maybe that’s enough to sway this tide in its favor, maybe it isn’t.

If not for its daily stages, Tamashika might have lost me a long time ago. That said, I’m willing to give it the benefit of the doubt and reward its ability to remain active in a shark-infested ecosystem. It might not boast the technical prowess of a great game, but with enough variety in its level design and a combat system that feels both intuitive and tactical, it does make for an oddly enjoyable ten-second burnout experience.