Is Lollipop Chainsaw a Game for You?

I finally played and finished my first play-through Lollipop Chainsaw. And I had a very great time. This is definitely one of the best games I have played in the last few years. But I am me, and what I may find awesome may not be awesome for everyone. A lot of people is in doubt if they should give this game a chance or put their money elsewhere. So, I expect with my little Q&A help people to understand what the game is about and if it fit in what they want from a game. So let's start with...

Q: Can everyone enjoy this game?

A: Definitely no. It is not a game made for a broad audience.

Q: So, who would not like this game?

A: Many people. Starting with anyone who get offended by the used of  offensive words like fuck, vagina and scrotum, all words that appear in the game. If you hate foul language, this game have aplenty, so it is better avoid. Also, if any talk about sex is offensive to you, don't play this game.

Q: Who else would be offended by this game?

A: It goes on what kind of sensibility you have. Many will see this game as a parody and the over the top expressions, situations and characters will strike them as just crass humor. But others would feel it as bad taste.

Q: How I can know if I would be offended by this game:

A: Easy, if you have saw any slasher movie like Friday the 13th, that kind of movies with gore, some girls showing boobs and some jokes about death and such and loved it, this is the right game for you. If you cannot tolerate those kind of movies, don't bother.

Q: Wait, there is boobs in this game?

A: No. Juliet, the main character, despite have a hot body, is hardly doing anything to arouse the players. The fast paced action don't give you time to think about that. The cutscenes are also short and hardly use any camera angle trying to make Juliet the subject of any sexual fantasy.

Q: But you said there is sex in the game...

A: No, I said there is talk about sex. Usually used as a joke, not as an attempt to give players some boner.

Q: So, what the game is about then?

A: It is basically a parody of the slasher and zombie movie genre. Like Naked Gun is a parody about cop movies, Lollipop Chainsaw is a parody about those two genres.

Q: Is Juliet a good character or is just there to be hot?

A: She is not terrible, but she is not the best either. She is clearly a joke about the heroines in slasher movies, and liking or hating her will depend more on what is a good character in your head. She don't have any kind of flaw that make her unlikable, like horrible voice acting or anything. Yes, she is hot, but they don't deal with it most of the time.

Q: So, what else can turn me off this game?

A: Well, first, if you are the kind of person who think every game must be some kind of technical achievement, forget it here. Lollipop Chainsaw is not the best game ever made if you just consider technical points. It is nice looking, but not jaw dropping.

Q: So, it plays bad?

A: No, it play just great to me. It doesn't do anything original, in my opinion, but it do what it want to do greatly. I had no moments where I believed that the gameplay was cheating on me in the main game. Only in the mini-games and QTEs.

Q: Mini-games and QTEs?

A: Yes, this can turn some people off. The QTEs are like all QTEs in most games. Most will allow you a second chance, but some means instant death if failed. And since the checkpoints are farther from each other than most games today, some people can feel it as more unfair than they really are. The mini-games in the beginning aren't bad, but the ones in the 4th chapter aren't very good and can be very maddening.

Q: What is the game strongest points?

A: The colorful cast of characters are great. nick, Juliet's boyfriend, have some of the funniest remarks ever, while most of the characters say something at one point or another that is funny. None of them are really bad and unlikable. The soundtrack is awesome, with some classic songs of several genres around. It is one of the best soundtracks ever. The dialogue also have a lot of punch lines in some aspects of modern culture and several references to classic movies, TV shows and popular culture.

Q: The game is supposed to be rather short...

A: It depends on what you call short. The game took me six hours to finish on easy and it is a game who can be easily picked up for replay. It have leader boards if you are the kind of people who like to compete and two endings, along several unlockables for completionists. But also is a fun time playing and it is easy to get and play again just for laughs.

Q: How the game play, exactly?

A: It is a hack'n'slash game like Ninja Gaiden and God of War.

Q: It seems it have being very divisive among critics...

A: Different people have different tastes. By the reviews I crossed over, it seems that this is a game who will please and displease people on a very individual basis. People who disliked it, dislike very different things, so there is no people right or wrong here.

Q: Is it a mature game?

A: No and yes. It is not a game who take itself seriously or try to push it as more than a game. It is not pretentious, if I can use the term. But you will enjoy it way more if you are a mature person, who can see beyond the hot cheerleader and the gore and see some clever ideas and jokes it have in it.

Q: So, in resume, who would enjoy and who would hate this game?

A: You will hate it if you think games need to be serious, if you got offended by gore, people talking about sex and some bad words (there is a lot, but no more than many modern shooters have), if you hate zombie and slasher movies, if you think games must have some arbitrary length to be worth your money and if you believe games must be technical achievements every time. You will love it if you love slasher and zombie movies, if you love to see games who poke fun at entire genres and if you believe games can be stupid and crass if they are funny.