TAMASHIKA was provided by EDGLRD for review. Thank you!
When I go to events, I get to check out so many upcoming, incredible games. It’s pretty amazing seeing what developers are able to create, and the ideas they have that are so wildly different than the mainstream games. One of those games was TAMASHIKA. From far away, it looked like a fast-paced, first-person shooter, so I went closer, and I saw one of the weirdest games I had ever seen. With a setting that looked like it came right out of LSD Dream Emulator and arms that looked like they were drawn in MS Paint, TAMASHIKA caught my interest almost immediately.
And weird doesn’t even begin to describe the experience. There’s almost constant bright flashing colors, Japanese characters that will come up on the screen, a world that looks like it’s unfolding right before you, in these green blob aliens that you have to kill as you run around. Yet, despite the weirdness, I find it hard to put down.
No, there isn’t actually much content in the game, and it can be completed relatively quickly. After going to the tutorial, you basically get to play one procedurally-generated level and try to get as high as you can on the leaderboard. Now the level does change each day, but I wouldn’t go into TAMASHIKA expecting depth.
However, you can’t expect a core experience to be so tight and fast that you’ll feel compelled to keep on going on the same level over and over to get the best score possible. You’re armed with a pistol and a knife, and the pistol will not run out of ammo as long as you are hitting enemies. Every time you hit an enemy, your score goes up, and it can only be solidified. Once you deflect the bullet from a glowing enemy. If you miss, your accumulated score that isn’t solidified goes away. You have to be precise and act fast, or you will not be able to succeed.
This is expertly combined with fantastic audio and visual design that accentuates some of the actions you will need to be taking. For example, deflecting bullets to solidify your score will pop up with flashing lights, giant Japanese text spread across the middle of your screen, and a very clear audio cue telling you when to deflect. That means in every run, you’ll have to watch and listen to what happens. I actually tried playing this without sound, and I found it significantly harder to survive. Thankfully, the soundtrack is a blast, filled with engaging beats that had me popping my head while I was shooting the green aliens coming at me.
On top of that, the levels are designed oddly so that you won’t have to think twice in the moment as you’re running around them. Sometimes it will be straightforward, following the white line on the ground to where you need to go next, but sometimes, there will be gaps in the level, and you have to find a yellow balloon that you can teleport to by shooting it. Sometimes, the yellow balloon is just out of sight, while other times, it could appear right where you killed the last enemy.
This is the perfect example of a quality game that will hook you in despite only technically having one level. But one level is all it needs to let that weirdness entice and bring you in, where you can only go back and keep trying to get your score as high as possible, and wait until the next day to do it all again in a new level.
Ahead of its release, TAMASHIKA was rated Steam Deck Verified, and it definitely deserves it. The game runs flawlessly at 90 FPS, looking as it’s supposed to, and works perfectly with gamepad controls. There were maybe one or two times where there were some slight stutters, which can really screw up the gameplay, but these were so far a few that I don’t think they’ll be an actual issue.
While these kinds of games aren't generally good on a gamepad, this one does well. It has a nice balance with aim-assist that it feels great to quickly move the camera around and shoot.
TAMASHIKA is a weird, fast-paced FPS that doesn’t need an overwhelming amount of content to prove its worth. The balance of visual craziness and audio cues turns each run into a skill-driven rush to kill every enemy on screen and get to the end of the level as fast as possible. And with how tight the core mechanics are, it’s hard not to love every second of it. The game is extremely small, and I mean, only one procedurally-generated level small, but I still couldn’t stop myself from playing that same level over and over until the next day comes, and I can try a completely new level to top the leaderboard.
And because it isn’t a very demanding game, it runs almost perfectly on the Steam Deck. I did encounter a slight stutter here and there, but this is ultimately going to be an incredible experience on the go that fits perfectly.
Our review is based on the PC version of this game.
If you enjoyed this review, be sure to check out the rest of the content on SteamDeckHQ! We have a wide variety of game reviews and news that are sure to help your gaming experience. Whether you're looking for news, tips and tutorials, game settings and reviews, or just want to stay up-to-date on the latest trends, we've got your back.
Tamashika is a clear example of a quality game with tight core mechanics that make it hard to stop playing, and it's almost perfect on the Steam Deck.
