Look, but better not touch. Review of the brutal slasher Lollipop Chainsaw RePOP

The game immediately hooks you with the chance to play as a stunning blonde slicing zombies with a chainsaw—her look clearly inspired the reimagined Harley Quinn played by Margot Robbie. However, there is more to gaze at than just the main heroine; her older sister is far more luscious. It is a fun and high-octane zombie-slaying simulator. Alas, a large number of shortcomings spoil the positive impression of the game.

Cheerleader Juliet turns 18. That is a great reason to celebrate her birthday after school! However, everything is ruined by a horde of zombies that has overrun the neighborhood. And as if that were not enough—her boyfriend Nick gets bitten and slowly starts turning. Juliet solves the problem with a chainsaw and uses magic to breathe life into her boyfriend’s severed head. Joining forces, the head and the blonde set off to exterminate the evil.

The action is frequently interrupted by entertaining cutscenes. In one of them, the main villain summons a group of great zombies bent on destroying the entire world. Each of them awaits Juliet at the end of a unique level. Most of the bosses look as if they stepped right out of Brutal Legend, turning the conflict into a war between pop and heavy metal.

The path to the bosses is blocked by hordes of diverse zombies. Among them are high schoolers, cops, rockers, farmers, and construction workers. Their personalities are partially preserved, allowing them to fire handguns, spit fire, explode, buff allies with music, fly and throw chickens, find love, or swear foully. Some particularly tough specimens can be found among them, though they turn into regular enemies as you level up.

The bosses themselves stand out with their design and charisma. They boast a varied set of attacks, requiring a distinct approach. However, boss fights are executed exceptionally clumsily and drag on outrageously. It took me five attempts to defeat the final boss. And not because he was difficult. The boss simply bugged out three times, and Juliet did once. 

Juliet boasts a rich arsenal of abilities and skills to fight enemies. She uses her cheerleading moves to briskly beat up zombies, and her chainsaw to spectacularly dismember them. Over time, the heroine learns to shoot and dash using the chainsaw. Shooting has auto-aim, but it functions erratically and seemingly at random. The dash mechanic is not very convenient, requiring some getting used to. 

Nick’s head can also be used in combat. By spending special tickets, Juliet uses her boyfriend to deal damage or stun zombies. You can also literally shake cash out of him. However, moves cannot be activated just like that: every time, you have to spin a roulette wheel, where picking the right move depends on your reaction speed. Considering all the hassle and the payoff—it is much easier to wipe out the undead with your trusty chainsaw.

Destroying zombies and the environment rewards you with in-game currency. Grateful civilians you rescue also pay up. Money is used to buy new moves, concept art, and music. Outfits purchased for Juliet appear not only in combat, but also in cutscenes. Slaying a group of zombies grants a bonus. Achieving this is easy, which causes the combo cutscene to interrupt gameplay far too often. 

Periodically, Juliet engages in side activities. She can pole dance, slicing anyone who dares come close, or leap across zombie heads to make them explode, quoting the iconic line from the anime Fist of the North Star: «You are already dead». However, some activities are shockingly clunky. At one point, Juliet gets behind the wheel of a combine harvester and grinds zombies into mincemeat in a long, tedious sequence. How the developers managed to make that part boring is beyond my comprehension. 

Quick Time Events (QTEs) have returned from the depths of time. You have to rapidly mash buttons to open doors, dodge in cutscenes, finish off bosses, and cheer on Nick when he takes control of a zombie’s body. This could have been a fun mechanic were it not for having to use it constantly. You are forced to hit prompts for mundane actions like vaulting over obstacles. In one instance, the prompt failed to appear, and I had to wrestle with the controls just to progress.

You also have to put up with the local autosave system. If you die or encounter a bug, your progress can be rolled back quite far. And if you exit the level early, the game will not return you to your last checkpoint—you must start the stage from scratch. 

The game is bright and visually striking. Something is always happening, and crazy cutscenes play frequently. Ancient technologies like reflective mirrors can even be found. There are two main modes:

1. Original: Brings back good old Lollipop Chainsaw. In it, the gory carnage left behind by Juliet contrasts with an abundance of special effects that look like unicorn vomit;
2. RePOP: The graphics look better, but due to censorship, everything happening on screen looks like unicorn vomit. At the same time, the edge of many jokes is lost. I did not appreciate this mess and switched to the original mode

The game is aimed at a mature audience. It is full of crude jokes and cursing zombies. It is an absolute delight to hear the voice of Tara Strong once again, a true veteran among voice actors. She is best known for her roles as Raven in Teen Titans and Twilight Sparkle in My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic. 

The game's music is energetic without distracting from the gameplay. And it was composed by none other than Akira Yamaoka. It was his tracks that made the atmosphere even creepier in the Silent Hill series.

Diagnosis

The remaster of Lollipop Chainsaw attempted to bring back a shamelessly scandalous game. It is a major title that lets you control a sexy blonde and thoroughly enjoy the bloodshed without constant moralizing or politics. In today’s gaming industry, such titles are a rare treat.

However, it is astonishing that the developers carried over not just the core content, but also the bugs and rough edges. Moreover, these flaws are glaringly obvious, yet nothing was done about them. In the worst possible way, the game takes you back to 2012—the year it launched on Sony PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360.

The game’s price tag on Steam is a massive turn-off. Without a discount, it costs 3,956 rubles. That is more than the standard edition of Space Marine 2 and Black Myth: Wukong! Given its current state, it is clearly not worth that kind of money!

Pro:

• A fun and high-octane game that defies the agenda
• An overwhelming amount of content
• Character voice acting
• Soundtrack

Contra:

• Glitches and rough edges carried over from 2012
• Overpriced
• Lack of Russian localization

***

All images belong to DRAGAMI GAMES, LTD. Preview image sourced from SteamDB