Now…it’s a known fact that I think SUDA 51 is a genius…his games are normally ridiculous and made of pure camp, fun and tend to stray from the mainstream or pick fun at it. Lollipop Chainsaw is no different.
Right off the bat this game let’s you know it’s going to be immature…if you were expecting a mature hack and slash with an intellectual story from a game called Lollipop Chainsaw then you might need to rethink your gaming choices. This game is built on immature comedy, panty shots, and crude humor. I mean there’s an achievement (or trophy for you PS3 owners) for looking up Juliet’s skirt…I mean she won’t LET you just look up her skirt but still. What? I like achievements alright? So basically you play as birthday girl Juliet; the barely legal, zombie slaying, cheerleader and it’s your job to cut zombies to chum and look hot doing it. The game doesn’t look too bad, it’s certainly not up to par with some recent games but it still looks alright enough that I didn’t care.
The game made sure you knew it didn’t take itself seriously it’s over the top, tongue in cheek humor is a big part of the game…that and the zombies remarking about how much they want in her pants or about how much of a whore they think she is. Tara Strong did a good job being a slightly dumb blonde that happens to be fluent in martial arts and Japanese. But it was Juliet’s boyfriend Nick who brings the comedic gold with his off handed quips about his girlfriend’s job, his own jacked up situation, and his awkward meetings with each member of her strange family. It’s even more awkward that he’s simply a severed head thanks to a quick fix by Juliet after he’s bitten. The dialog and one liners are normally pretty funny but can get old after hearing an f-bomb for the millionth time. But then again this is a campy game meant to be campy for camps sake.
The game controls rather smoothly, the combat isn’t as wide or diverse as Devil May Cry but it’s just varied enough that you don’t need to spend the game spamming one combo. The game lacks the jump command strangely…that was my major issue really…but the dodge command made jumping unneeded. Juliet responds to commands pretty spot on but if you start a pom-pom combo (yes a pom-pom combo…) don’t think you can start free styling up your own pretty combos, if you haven’t upgraded Juliet’s arsenal she’ll simply dance out of the combo and wait for you to get you act together…or get smacked by the zombie you thought was dead.
The game has a varied soundtrack too. A lot of upbeat rock and punk pieces with some good ol’ metal tossed in for good measure. Not to mention some girly pop and funk tossed in to make for a decent amount of tunes to watch Juliet slice up horny zombies to. You can unlock different outfits for Juliet during each stage at the few online shopping centers scattered about the stages, along with upgrades to her attacks and attributes. You can also compete online to see who can move Juliet with the best skill in the World Competition mode.
THE BOTTOM OF THE GLASS
Lollipop Chainsaw is a fun game, its funny, mindless, and requires you to be a little immature to play it. I personally love SUDA 51’s games and this one is no different, it’s not as…thought provoking or trippy as Killer7 (one of my favorite games EVER) but it made me laugh and I had a blast playing it. While not the best hack n’ slash game on the market, I’d chalk it up there with some decent ones. If you’re into campy B-movies then you’ll love the crap out of this game and all it’s absurdity.
I give it 3 shots out of 5. Heh, there’s an achievement…for looking up her skirt…that’s rich.