I’ve gotten on the case of several games this year for being sexist, and for having too much glitter. It is a fine line between sexism in a game and an acceptable premise. It seems to be an almost unknowable quotient, when a game with T & A is going to work for audiences of both genders. Having a dumb blonde cheerleader in pig tails and thigh highs somehow works this time. Mainly because of the sense of humor of the writing which is genuinely funny without putting the female main character down.
Taking art styling and themes from source material that looks most obviously like Buffy the Vampire Slayer several zombie games and movies are referenced. There is a variety of media mashed up here. It feels a bit retro. Remember PS2 games like Jet Grind Radio? This game is smart and fresh even though it isn’t doing anything new. There may even be a little anime influence in there. It isn’t the content itself but the way it is done. Juliet manages to have girl power and a naughty sexy self.
There is gore and violence. It is a zombie slasher game. The game play works well. It is built on an Unreal Engine. You begin with Juliet and she has a chainsaw of course. As she cuts up the biters not only blood and body parts spill out, but also pink puffy animated hearts sparkles and coins. When she hits three or more zombies at a time, then she gets extra sparkle and more points and buff ups.
The art style and animations are so over the top that it is amusing. There is bad language. Which I enjoy. This is definitely not a game for kids, in spite of the glitter. Maybe for high school graduation…? I think it is fine for older teens and even more-so for adult males who would get a kick out of it.
Adding to the package is the music which suits the mood of the game perfectly. You can unlock more MP3′s and make playlists. There is a shop for purchasing the unlockable skills and outfits. When the phone rings it is an incoming text message which you can pick up and get tips about the game. Smashing trash bins and the lockers yield lots of gold coins. The platinum coins are used for the best and most exclusive items.
Maybe the indescribable quantity that makes it magic and not offensive is that the game does not pretend for a second to take itself seriously. It is all a joke and you know it is meant to be one. It uses mixed media to get the story across. There are cels for menus. Lollipops crop up everywhere. There are splashes of pink all over. They don’t hesitate to show off Juliet’s rack or do an up-skirt panty shot. It is all very rude and yet so funny at the same time. It is all about comedic timing I guess.
She can slash with her chain saw and fly up doing ariels and rain down sweeping strokes or jabs. She can leap frog and dodge. Her flexibility and fluidity are great. She can’t interact with many of the objects in the world. She can jump and flip, but she does not flip off the walls or par coeur which is a lost opportunity. She can jump, but not jump off of stuff, such as dumpsters or barrels. She does not seem to wall jump either and her leg can tend to disappear into the wall instead. It could use some improvement on that. I hope they do a sequel.
With a game like this in the same year as Sould Calibur and Kingdoms of Amular the games could not be more different. What they have in common is that all three games have playable female characters. Soul Calibur was a game that took itself too seriously. It had strong female characters in it. Yet somehow it came off sexist anyway. The tone in the way the female lead was portrayed was just wrong. Then in Amular, I complained that it was too glittery and that the level design was terrible. In Lollipop Chainsaw the levels are not elaborate, and they are not trying to be. You can expect to go from point A to point B and that is it. Killing the zombies in between. Simplifying a game can improve it instead of trying too hard, or going too far and not being able to back it up. That’s where Lollipop Chainsaw succeeds.
If you are going to do a simple, humorous game this is the way to do it. It hits all the right buttons. It has enough nostalgia to attract older gamers. The music and cartoon art is reminiscent of the nineties and early two thousands. The dialog is funny and up to date.
Lollipop Chainsaw is a fun summertime game. It may be on the repetitive side but it has enough good qualities to make it worth playing or even dare I say purchasing. I give Lollipop Chainsaw 8 lollipops out of 10.