Zombies are all the rage lately, especially in gaming. Sure, you’ve got your Left 4 Dead’s, your Dead Rising’s, you have plants fighting zombies… Michael Jackson even danced with them once upon a time at the local arcade. So when making a video game surrounding the new, exciting idea of fighting off the undead, what does one have to do to make it stand out? The answer is to apparently make it as ridiculous and over the top as possible. With Suda 51 attached to the project, this goal seems sure to be effortless.
Enter Lollipop Chainsaw, the story of high school cheerleader, Juliet Starling, who is secretly part of a family of zombie hunters. Carrying itself with a grindhouse comic book style and storytelling reminiscent of a much more vulgar version of the Buffy the Vampire Slayer movie, the the spunky teen’s school gets overrun with flesh eating monsters –it’s time to whip out the chainsaw and make them wish they were never reborn.
Zombie Slaying Never Looked So Cute.
This hack and slash adventure constantly throws waves of enemies at you, many of which have different attack patterns and strategies if you want to take them down quickly. Mixing in pom pom attacks that stun enemies and more powerful chainsaw attacks that dismember or kill dazed foes, using a variety of moves based on who you’re fighting is essential for any successful hunter. Of course, as with cheerleading, style is just as important as execution, which is why dispatching multiple enemies with one strike achieves a sparkle bonus, earning Juliet extra zombie medals, including rare platinum ones that can be used to buy new outfits, music, unlockables and techniques.
Aside from the game play, when you see Grasshopper Studios or Suda 51 attached to a project, you know you’re going to be mind raped with some of the most surreal content you’ll find in a video game. Lollipop Chainsaw is no exception. I don’t know if it’s her boyfriend, Nick’s, living decapitated head on her hip, using it as a weapon using power ups called “Nick Tickets,” having a decapitated head for a boyfriend to begin with, having lights and rainbows litter the screen instead of blood when enemies are killed, or fighting off a group of bosses called Zombie Rock Gods who each do battle using different musical themes, but everything I experienced was so damn memorable. From psychadelic to punk to auto tuned, these bosses just has to be seen to be believed. Not to mention the soundtrack itself is full of great tunes mixed in with some hilarious choices. Come on, I dare you not to sing along with the 80’s pop hit “Mickey” every time her sparkle power is activated.
One of the Many Zombie Rock Gods.
Hack and slash titles usually fail at keeping me engaged for long, running out of new tricks early into the game and becoming a redundant pile of boring a few hours in. Somehow, this zombie hunting tale seems to be the opposite, which is its only glaring flaw. A few stages in, having so many abilities and attacks unlocked, I had the flexibility to handle fights with many different approaches that made the game feel exciting, especially when trying to rack up those sparkle kills. But in the hour long prologue? You can hardly do anything, with most of the attacks at this point being slow, repetitive mash fests. The prologue actually left me feeling like the game could possibly be… dare I say, a disappointment. But man, am I glad I stuck with it. Once Juliet hits her stride, there’s nothing stopping her and her adventure from being one of the most memorable I’ve experienced this year. Or it would have been if the final chapter didn’t fall flat like a missed catch during a cheer meet, but it’s still pretty damn good.
Brings new meaning to talking out of your ass…
Technical problems like pop-in aside, the game remains fast paced, action packed and completely insane throughout with few problems past the prologue and ending. By the time I was done, I still hadn’t had enough of this universe, and I really hope we see more of this world where lollipops are a legitimate source of nutrition and zombies are all rock gods. Lollipop Chainsaw is easily one of the best hack and slash titles I’ve played in years, is a refreshing take on the zombie sub genre and gives you achievements/trophies for going for the upskirt. Yep, sounds like its catered to gamers to me.