Lollipop Chainsaw Hands-On Impressions

It is extremely easy to see Lollipop Chainsaw and dismiss it. Many surely see the over-the-top, sexually fused, zombie chainsaw fest as a simple gimmick. What if I were to tell you that at its core the gameplay is pure fun, would you believe me? You should, because Suda 51 is bringing us a title that is extremely fun to play.

Section A of the demo took place in the halls of San Romero High. Being dropped right in the middle of the action, I quickly found myself dodging and slicing away. Juliet is equipped with a variety in her attacking arsenal. Tapping A initiates a ground attack, X has her using her pom-poms to stun zombies, while Y is left for ultimate chainsaw devastation.

Luckily, her cheerleading skills not only allow her to dress in a questionable zombie apocalypse attire, but actually provide her with a certain level of agility gamers will expect from this type of third-person action title. Using your dodge move skillfully results in Juliet leaping over a zombie, landing behind them, and spawns a QTE where furiously tapping the Y button slides your chainsaw upwards through the zombie in a gloriously-gore-filled display of brutality.

Juliet tears through zombies with her chainsaw as decapitations result in a rainbow fountain erupting from the zombies heads. Combine this with actual blood and gore, and gamers are witness to a visual feast for the eyes. It is easy to question Suda 51's design choices with the bright and exuberant colors, however playing the title quickly brings you into the realization that it just all makes sense. Seeing the game in action as Juliet dodges, cheers, and slices her way through the halls of the high school makes everything come together in the best way possible.

One of the most interesting aspects of the title, that many fans of the zombie genre will appreciate, is that throughout levels Juliet encounters civilians in dire need of rescue. Failing to save these people results in mini-boss fights where those unlucky souls have returned as beefed up undead. This adds another level of depth to the title, that if anything, increases the theme of another zombie outbreak. While I was not actually witness to this in the game, the booth attendant demoing the title for me assured me that the mini-boss I was fighting was a result of failing to save a civilian before the start of my playthrough.

The second section I played found Juliet facing off against, Zed the punk rock misfit. What I found surprised me. Juliet was thrown into a multi-layered battle where the battle became progressively difficult. After pushing through to the end, you are rewarded with a gory QTE finisher, that actually feels rewarding. Before you begin your rapid assault on the Y button, you must hold the left stick in the direction of your slice. While this may not be entirely new, it does add in the small feeling of control that seems to be missing from many QTE's.

Your well earned reward for defeating the boss is an entertaining cutscene where the rocker begins to slide into pieces as he screams in agony. His screams continue until he finally says, "I'm not finished screaming yet", and continues his screams until he dies. Lollipop Chainsaw knows it's not serious, and knowing exactly what it is makes it ten times better.

http://youtu.be/7wxyKLSzBHc

After my playthrough of the demo I left the booth wanting more. While many may already be turned off by the direction of both Suda 51 and James Gunn, at the core of this outrageous action title is a game that is purely fun to play, and isn't that what matters most? Lollipop Chainsaw is a game that needs to be played in order to be fully understood. With all of these ideas in mind, it is also certainly not a game for everyone. If you are a fan of Suda 51, enjoy a little over-the-topness, and like a solid third-person action game, then this is a game you will definitely want to be checking out.

Lollipop Chainsaw is releasing on June 12 in the US, and June 13 in Europe. Stay tuned for more coverage!