Tamashika is a hyperstylized microshooter that demands your devotion

Tamashika is bright, colorful, simple, and upbeat. You have two weapons at your disposal: a pistol and a tantō. Once you learn how to use these tools to parry incoming threats and end your foes, you’re set loose in a series of hallways that look vaguely like Barbie’s take on the Backrooms. 

This is a microshooter in the vein of the 2020 title Post Void, where the challenge lies less in navigating large areas with packs of bad guys, and more in blasting through a small, linear arena where survival relies on hair-trigger reflex. Tamashika has a similar gameplay, but the aesthetic is pleasingly ultrafemme: painted nails, a pistol that reloads with an explosion of hearts and rainbows, bright pink backgrounds in moments of cresting action. Even the review guide written by the developer refers to Tamashika, the game itself, with she/her pronouns… like a pretty lady, or a boat.