Suda51 and his madness.
In 2012 a rather particular guy who called himself Suda51 and James Gunndirector of whom by Marvel: Guardians of the Galaxythey were collaborating on a game. The name of the game, Lollipop Chainsaw, was just as unique as the concept of the game. Welcome to a world of zombies, schoolgirls, blood, chainsaws and lollipops.
Suda51 has long been known for its “unique” take on video games, with a few particular titles to its credit such as Shadows of the Damned and Killer is Dead. Even though Chainsaw Lollipop it was a bit different in terms of playable concept, it was in line with his style in terms of other titles.
The story begins with Juliet Starling, an eighteen-year-old cheerleader who threw a party for her family to meet her boyfriend, Nick, for the first time. And how could it be otherwise, a zombie outbreak is happening just as Juliette arrives at school the same day. Luckily, it seems Juliette has been training her whole life for this moment. So, with the help of her chainsaw (which the cheerleader usually doesn’t carry), she cuts and walks towards Nick.
Unfortunately, Nick is bitten by a zombie and Juliette cuts off his head. Fortunately, Juliette has a few tricks up her sleeve and manages to keep Nick’s head alive in a jar that attaches to his belt so he can take him on adventures. It turns out the zombie attack was staged by a goth known as Swan and summoned five sentient zombies who are said to embody the spirits of certain types of music, from punk to rock. As Juliet fights her way past the five bosses and the hordes surrounding them, she approaches her final showdown with Swan. I won’t say anything else about the story, since the game is still worth playing to this day, Only if you have an Xbox 360 handy, as it was unfortunately never included in the backwards compatibility program.
An important element of their games is the visual style of the graphics and for Chainsaw Lollipop with hired a Japanese illustrator who created memorable designs for the protagonist Juliet and the zombies. His work in the design of Juliette’s own chainsaw stands out, because for being a piece that is only used to cut zombies, it is quite the protagonist thanks to the good work that has been done with it. The soundtrack is also an interesting element, as the different worlds had very different musical styles, based on the style of the shift leader. With the anime-style screams of Juliet and the chainsaw, we certainly never got bored listening.
The action is that of a game of third person hack and slash, as you might have guessed from the title. The chainsaw is your default weapon and although Nick can also be used in combat, especially putting his head on a zombie without it, you’ll spend most of your time hacking and chopping. Nick can also be useful for collecting “Nick Tickets”which allow you to use various movements, how to stun groups of zombies or bombard them from a distance. Luckily, as the game progresses, Juliet’s chainsaw will also receive upgrades, allowing her to recharge and fly away or transform into a blaster so she can shoot enemies and obstacles from far.
Killing zombies rewards us with coins and medals which you can spend in the shop, allowing you to increase your stats or buy new combos, etc. Making sure you’re prepared enough to take on the hordes of zombies is always a good plan. Juliet heals with lollipopsunsurprisingly, and while the number of healing lollipops you can carry varies depending on the difficulty you’re playing, it’s never going to be enough.
So, ripping through zombies, trying to fill up the star meter to power up Juliet, and trying to achieve the status of “spark catcher” getting better medals will be the fate of the game. Of course, the sense of humor shines above all. As you fought the zombies, the camera swayed back and forth, trying to get the best view of the action. There was a feat attached to peeking up Juliet’s skirt, believe it or not. Called “I swear, he did it by mistake!”, still one of the weirdest realizations i’ve ever had. It’s not that I spent my time trying to pull up her skirt, mind you.
Do you still have an Xbox 360 gathering dust under the TV that you could play this title on? If so, do not hesitate to take a look at this particular and fun proposal.
