Warner Bros' upcoming Lollipop Chainsaw, developed by Grasshopper Manufacture, is a bit odd. The name kicks things off, but things don't get much less odd once you start actually playing the game.
You play a cheerleader called Juliet Starling (voiced by the very experienced Tara Strong) and, heading to school one day, you notice that almost everyone has become a mindless zombie. Fortunately, you happen to have your bedazzled chainsaw of undead decapitation in your gym bag, so without hesitation you start it up and get to work.
The way this plays out is as a roaming brawler, with three key buttons to think about. You can chain melee attacks by spamming one button, while a second links together various chainsaw based attacks, and a third initiates a dodge. Initially simplistic, this control mechanic opens up over time as you learn simple combos or purchase more advanced moves at the in-game store.
During a recent hands-on session, I began by concentrating on chainsaw attacks: I mean, would you want to risk punching the bad guys when you've got a roaring saw thing in your hands? Very soon, however, the sheer weight of numbers meant the chainsaw alone was insufficient at keeping the undead at bay.
Next, I learned (by way of well-placed in-game tutorials) that utilising melee attacks was a useful way to both stun the zombies and also push your way through them, as Juliet actually makes forward progress as she chains together various attacks in this way. It's all just pushing one button over and over, but the way Juliet flips and kicks and spins and punches makes it feel satisfying nonetheless.
