When foam starsSquare Enix’s platoonThe-esque party game, in which two teams of four face off in a giant squirt battle, was announced on the PlayStation games showcase, it was unclear what to expect. was that just platoon In PlayStation exclusive form? How was the gameplay? Will it be fun?
foam stars It’s a four-by-four sploage fest where you shoot pink and teal foam and fire at each other until your character is completely trapped and then jumps off the stage. In Star mode, which is the only mode we can try, each team takes seven lives. Once used, a player becomes a “star” relative to the person with the best overall performance for that match. They gain improved health and attack, as well as slightly faster cooldowns for their abilities. However, when the star player is killed, the game is over and the other team wins.
The game is developed internally at Square Enix with a team of developers. Dragon Quest, Nierand other franchises. It sure feels that way platoonbut a personalitystyle presentation and balance more observations. Each “VIP”, aka hero, has two normal abilities and one special ability that can be deployed throughout the match between cooldowns. There are DPS characters and tank characters that differ in weapon speed and spread. The fundamentals aren’t bad, even if they’re mostly fed from other established competitive multiplayer titles, but it’s not clear that it has any magic to stand out in a crowded field of already successful live-service shooters.
When we sat down at Summer Game Fest for a hands-on demo with free beers in hand, we didn’t know what we were getting into.
Alyssa Mercante: First of all, I would like to say that I am very sorry that you are better than me at this game.
Ethan Gach: Get rect. I like. At least for the five games we played. I don’t know how successful a successful live service game is, but the concept is practically not as silly as the PlayStation showcase reveals.
Alyssa: It’s actually pretty fun. I feel like I’m struggling to drop the goal even after five games, but I have to admit, neither am I. platoon actor. The assumption that this will kind of mimic this in terms of content? Maybe new characters and new weapons come out frequently? They don’t tell you any details, do they?
Ethan: “We want to focus on the foam right now” isn’t exactly a quote, but it’s pretty close to what the Square Enix rep said when I filled him with questions about microtransactions, unlocks, custom builds, alternate maps, and other things that are usually going on. players are coming back
The shot didn’t feel any worse than the third person Fortnite Except you’re aiming for semen bubbles instead of bullets to me.
Alyssa: Ok, it wasn’t as sticky as I thought it was, more like foam. It reminds me of the shit I put on my hair in high school. I love that the foam can be used to change the environment, like making walls and shit, which is definitely a nice differentiator. platoon.
Ethan: It has tons of a build mechanic but I wish it was more oriented. You can layer the foam by shooting at the same areas, but it takes some time to really change the topography or create anything that looks like a protective barrier.
Alyssa: Yeah, I’m wondering if different maps would be better for this kind of mechanic, as that was pretty straight forward/obvious. It would be interesting to see you playing on a map with two really different levels, and you could use the foam to cheer up certain height differences or something.
Ethan: The map itself was a rather small and bland arena, but I appreciate the city’s pop metropolitan backgrounds and general Persona-like styles. What do you think about the abilities of the different characters? Who did you like to play best?
Alyssa: I loved Tonix with blast fire. His ultimate is a rad foam launcher. Also, naturally, I only chose characters that I thought I looked really cool/wanted to dress like.
Ethan: discharge d.a You mean?
Alyssa: stop this is definitely a pornhub to call.
Ethan: The cooldown capabilities and specials were neat enough, but I couldn’t quite figure out the best way to put it all together. a game like more observations It has maps that guide you to choke points that make good use of the abilities of different heroes. It felt a little more haphazard here, but perhaps with more time and practice these synergies could come into focus.
Alyssa: Yeah, maybe you really need to get into the weeds to feel that who you pick matters in terms of team composition, because it felt like we were picking at random. And that shotgun guy was OP.
Ethan: During platoon Clearly the closest analog mechanically and in terms of shooting feel, the overall package reminds me of: fall guys in terms of its presentation, accessibility, and longevity, and what keeps me or anyone else coming back to make it a sustainable online dating.
Square declined to answer any questions about what meta-progress, microtransactions, or additional mods would look like, despite promising a sequential mode that seems too early.
Alyssa: Ranked mode? I was already poisoned during our cultivation, I can’t even come close to that. The fact that it’s PS specific is certainly interesting too, so I’m very curious if it has legs. I can definitely see it being a fun, silly party game in the same way as F.Everyone it was but is anyone playing fall guys not anymore? Does it have longevity? More importantly, can I change the color of the sponge?
Ethan: I’m very curious about the starting point of the game. Was this an entitlement to the developers and is that what they came up with, or did they just come up with the prototype on their own and then Square saw the potential to bring it to full release? PlayStation doesn’t Early Access, but maybe it should.
Alyssa: Also, what’s the single-player part they didn’t elaborate on? There’s a lot to think about here.
Ethan: I hope there is a hub world where I can leave bold messages on billboards for other players to explore.
kotaku It covers everything at Summer Game Fest, from Thursday’s main show to other events over the next week. Whether you’re into larger-than-life triple-A games or intimate, offbeat indies, You can follow everything about SGF here.
