Lollipop Chainsaw
Reviewed By Stephen Pastic
Any game featuring a cheer leading zombie hunter in skimpy gear is bound to turn some heads, but is Grasshopper's latest release anything to cheer about?
Lollipop Chainsaw puts players in the role of Juliet Starling - a young lady attending San Romero high school whose airhead persona seems to be lifted in large part from the film "Clueless". As the school is infested with zombies, it is up to Juliet (with the assistance of her boyfriend's decapitated head) to save her classmates and figure out what the hell is going on.
Okay, that is about as serious as I can possibly be with regard to the game (and believe me, even that took a lot of effort). In keeping with Grasshopper's pedigree of titles, to say that Lollipop Chainsaw is a little on the wacky side is kind of like saying Greece has a slight money problem at the moment.
From an enemy who attacks Juliet by shouting "vanilla slut" and hurling the letters toward her, to the schizophrenic soundtrack (including several licensed songs), to the absolutely laughable frequency of suggestive positions and upskirts Juliet is subject to, Lollipop Chainsaw is nothing short of ridiculous - anyone looking for Bioshock-esque storytelling is well advised to steer clear.
Gameplay wise, Lollipop Chainsaw is basically a beat em up where players try to get as high a score as possible. Juliet can attack with her pom-poms to stun enemies, and relies on her chainsaw for dealing most of the heavy damage to zombies. Different moves are performed by different combinations of the A, X, and Y buttons, while dodging is performed by pressing B whenever things are getting hairy.
Initially, Juliet's move set is somewhat limited, although players will have the opportunity to expand their repertoire (and their somewhat suggestive wardrobe) at shopping stalls throughout the world.
Combat has been designed such that players will ideally attempt to stun their enemies before killing several in one swipe in order to maximise their score. Killing 3 or more zombies at a time triggers a "sparkle hunting" bonus', and is key to getting the higher scores. Juliet also has a meter which when filled and activated drastically amplifies her damage output as the 1982 pop song "Mickey" plays for the duration of the power-up. Health can be restored via lollipops scattered around the environment, and there are some special collectible lollipops in somewhat more hidden locations.
It must be pointed out how bizarrely creative Lollipop Chainsaw is in regard to it's wackiness. Players can expect to be laughing out loud many times over throughout the course of the game, and for a game that seems to be channelling lowest common denominator humour, Lollipop Chainsaw actually manages to come across as pretty self aware - it knows it is ridiculous. Furthermore, the cast of characters featured throughout are certainly not deep by any stretch, but they are definitely entertaining and all have their own unique quirks.
The big issue with Lollipop Chainsaw is that it feels a little insubstantial on the gameplay side. Given the nature of the game as a beat em up, players will be repeatedly performing the same actions again and again as each group of zombies shows up, which also isn't helped by the game's relatively short length. The result is that for anyone not actively trying to maximise their score, the gameplay will feel a little shallow for the duration of the game. The humour and flat out bizarre nature of the game is ludicrously entertaining - it's just that players will have to endure functional, but repetitive mechanics in order to get to it.
If you're looking for something a bit left of centre and not so serious, Lollipop Chainsaw will definitely fill that niche - just don't go in expecting it to be any more than a competent beat em up and you'll get a lot of enjoyment from it.
Game: Lollipop Chainsaw
System: XBOX 360
Developer/Co-Developer: Grasshopper Manufacture
Publisher: Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment
