I’m not going to lie, I’m not the nicest person on Foamstars. Upon seeing the game’s trailer, which was decidedly a CGI trailer at the recent disappointing PlayStation Showcase (another rabbit hole I won’t delve into here), I was very skeptical about the title . This appears to be a rather unapologetic clone of Splatoon, and the game even appears to include live-service elements, which makes it a less than enticing premise, however, after being able to feature Foamstars as part of the Summer Game Fest Play Days event After playing the game, my perception of the game has changed quite a bit in direction.
But before I get into why I’m so excited about Foamstars, let me reiterate that the live-service element the game seems to have is still a huge concern. Foamstars is one of those games where, if it doesn’t make a splash six months after its release, the sun goes down pretty quickly, and while I did like what I saw in Los Angeles, that’s still a serious problem with the game. But let’s not dwell on the future just yet, since Foamstars doesn’t have a release window, let alone a release date, so let’s talk about the core gameplay and how it works.
The core concept of Foamstars is based on team multiplayer action. Two rosters of four players work together to battle and defeat opposing teams in a plethora of events and game modes.I said“model”I was thinking about the future, as the preview session I attended didn’t offer multiple game modes, and instead saw the press and creators knock it out with a single mode: Smash the Star.
The effect of this game mode is pretty simple, as it’s effectively a team deathmatch, where teams need to beat as many opposing players as possible to see one of their team members dubbed a star player. Once a player is given the title, they become more resistant and harder to beat, but are clearly marked as the winning condition requires the opposing team to knock out the opposing team’s star individual, or another A team protects their men, keeps them alive, and then the opposing team’s star player is eliminated. The catch, however, is that, like Splatoon, Foamstars isn’t just a shooter, it’s a game where you need to keep an eye on the environment and how your team controls and dominates it.
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While I can’t comment on other game modes yet, for Smash the Star, the team needs to watch and make sure they paint the battlefield with their respective color bubbles (whether it’s blue or pink) as players will be more agile or attack more easily, this Depends if they stand on the team’s color bubble. This is similar to Splatoon’s paint swim mechanic, which only applies to allied colored paint, but is less restrictive, as the game mode’s win condition is not actually drawing the map, but beating and defeating the opposing team. However, as I just mentioned, the player is more vulnerable to attack, or the enemy is easily knocked down due to restricted movement when on the opposing bubble, so environmental control is crucial.
It’s not as simple as a normal shooter or even Splatoon when it comes to defeating enemies. The player has a bar that must be filled by hitting them with foam, when this strength is at its maximum the player will be encased in a foam snowball, making them an easy target for a smash attack, knocking them out before the spawning process starts fall. Allies can crush other allies, saving them from foamy knockdowns, giving Foamstars a game design that isn’t just about all-out aggression, but about teamwork and teamwork. The really fun part of this game is that because Foamstars is such a simple game, you don’t need days of practice to lock in the core mechanics – you can pick it up and play, and master the basic system in no time.
Foamstars’ 3D shooter gameplay seems pretty smooth, but that’s not the game’s only strength. Square Enix makes a unique roster of characters and, for the most part, fall into one of four categories. You have aggressive characters that use shotguns and close-range skills, some are about spreading bubbles and environment control, some are more forgiving of powerful abilities, and so on. Beyond that, each character has a unique set of moves, lore, and abilities that make them even more different from each other. During my time with the game, Soa and her twin foam pistols became my favorite characters because I found a connection to the fast-paced gameplay and aggressive ability sets she offered.
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A few weeks ago, I saw Foamstars as one of the main reasons why the PlayStation Showcase was such a disappointment, but now I see the game in a different light. Admittedly, I only got a fraction of the wider Foamstars experience, but the eight characters I had a chance to test out – each of which felt truly unique and operated differently – and the fun Smash the Star game mode gave me reason to at least play in Excited for this game in the near future. Does it have enough engaging gameplay loops to keep players engaged months after the inevitable launch? This is a question I still don’t quite believe. But is it a shameless Spratton clone? Absolutely not.