If foam starsSquare Enix splatoon-style party game pitting two teams of four against each other in a giant foam battle announced on the PlayStation game showcase wasn’t sure what to expect. Was that fair? splatoon in PlayStation exclusive form? How was the gameplay? Would it be fun?
foam stars is a four-on-four splooge fest where you shoot pink and teal foam and each other until your character is fully trapped and then bounces off the stage. In Star mode, the only one we were able to try, each team gets seven lives. Once they are depleted, a player becomes a “Star” based on who has the best overall performance in that game. They get improved health and attack power, as well as slightly faster cooldowns on their abilities. But once the star player is killed, the game is over and the other team wins.
The game is being developed in-house at Square Enix with a team of developers from DragonQuest, Nier, and other franchises. It definitely feels like it splatoonbut with one persona-Style presentation and balancing over watch. Each “VIP”, also known as a hero, has two normal abilities and one special ability that can be used during gameplay between cooldowns. There are DPS characters and tank characters with different gun speeds and spreads. The basics aren’t bad, even if they’re largely inherited from other established competitive multiplayer games, but it’s not clear if it has the magic to stand out from the crowded field of already successful live service shooters.
When we sat down for a hands-on demo at Summer Game Fest and had free beer in hand, we didn’t know what we were getting into.
Alyssa Merchant: First of all I would like to say that I am very upset that you did better than me in this game.
Ethan All: Get rect. I like that. At least in the five games we played. I don’t know if this is a successful live service game, but the concept isn’t as silly in practice as the PlayStation Showcase reveal suggested.
Alyssa: It’s actually quite a lot of fun. I kind of feel like I’m having a hard time aiming properly even after five games, but admittedly I’m not splatoon Player. Is the assumption that this is just some kind of imitation in terms of content? Maybe new characters and new weapons will come out every now and then? They wouldn’t give you details, would they?
ethane: “Let’s focus on the foam now” isn’t an exact quote, but it’s pretty close to what the Square Enix rep said when I asked him questions about microtransactions, unlocks, custom builds, alternate maps, and the other things that usually stay that way, overwhelmed players come back.
The gunfight didn’t feel any worse than it did in third person Fourteen days For me, apart from the fact that you aim for cum bubbles instead of bullets.
Alyssa: Okay, it wasn’t as creamy as I thought it would be, it’s much more of a mousse. It’s very reminiscent of the shit I put in my hair in high school. However, I do like that the foam can be used to change the environment such as: B. building up walls and such, which is definitely a nice differentiator splatoon.
ethane: There are nuances to a building mechanic, but I wish it was more targeted. You can layer foam by photographing the same areas, but it takes a while for the topography to really change or build anything resembling a protective barrier.
Alyssa: Yes, I’m wondering if different cards are better for this type of mechanic since this one was pretty shallow/open. It would be interesting to see it in game on a map that has two really distinct levels and you could use the foam as a means of leveling out certain elevation changes or something.
ethane: The map itself was a pretty small and boring arena, although I appreciate the urban pop metropolitan backgrounds and overall Persona-like style. What do you think of the different characters’ abilities? Who was your favorite to play?
Alyssa: I liked Tonix, the burst fire model. Her ultimate mech is a foam-shooting mech that packs a punch. Also, of course, I only chose the characters that I thought were really cool or how I would like to dress.
ethane: sperm D.va What do you mean?
Alyssa: Stop it, this is definitely a pornhub seek.
ethane: The cooldowns and special effects were decent, although I haven’t quite figured out how best to put it all together. A game like over watch features maps that take you to chokepoints that work well with different heroes’ abilities. It felt a little more random here, but perhaps with more time and practice these synergies would become clearer.
Alyssa: Yeah, maybe it takes a lot of effort to feel like who you pick matters to the composition of the team, because it felt like we were just picking at random. And that guy with the shotgun was OP.
ethane: While splatoon is clearly the closest analogue mechanically and in terms of shot feel, the overall package reminds me of it fall guys in terms of its presentation, accessibility and my skepticism about its longevity and what would make me or anyone else come back to make it a sustainable online hangout.
Square declined to answer questions about meta progression, microtransactions, or additional modes despite promising a ranked mode, which seems very premature.
Alyssa: ranked mode? I was already toxic during our hands-on, I can’t get close to that. It’s definitely an interesting thing even as a PS exclusive, so I’m very curious to see if it has legs. I can definitely imagine it being a fun, silly party game, just like Fall boys was, but does anyone even play? fall guys more? Is there longevity here? More importantly, can I change the colors of the foam?
ethane: I’m very curious about the origins of the game. Was this an order given to the developers and is that what they came up with, or did they come to the prototype on their own and then Square saw the potential for a full release? PlayStation doesn’t offer Early Access, but maybe it should.
Alyssa: And what the heck is the single player part that they wouldn’t give details on? There’s a lot to think about here.
ethane: I just hope there’s a hub world where I can leave jerk off messages on billboards for other players to discover.
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