You already know about Suda51, right? The guy behind No More Heroes, Killer7, and others like it? Well, back in 2012, Suda51 collaborated with Filmmaker James Gunn, the man behind movies like Guardians Of The Galaxy and Super (2010), to create a game about a cheerleader who wields a chainsaw to fight off a horde of zombies and the five “Dark Purveyors” that are over them.
The game did well for a Suda51 game but did not do exactly what Warner Brothers thought it should have. Getting scores from a 6 to a 7.5 out of ten helped but most critics said that “It’s a shame that there isn’t a lot of steaks to go along with the tremendous sizzle of Lollipop Chainsaw. The opening cutscene is fantastic, doing a great job of introducing you to the world of Lollipop Chainsaw and making you laugh. The world is so creative and fun to be in that it’s really unfortunate the gameplay is so mediocre. If you were to rate this game based off the combat alone this game would be rather terrible, but it’s everything else in Lollipop Chainsaw that makes it a passable experience and worth checking out.” Which is sad. But to me, the game works perfectly.
The game is easily one of the funniest games I have ever played based solely on the script being written by James Gunn and the characters also being made by Gunn as well. The characters are creative and imaginative as the antagonists are based on stereotypes of different aspects of music centered on themes of rock and roll. One boss is based on Punk Rock, while another is based on Psychedelic Rock. Each character has great humor and even the enemies have some funny lines. But the game truly shines in the chemistry between the main character Juliet Starling (voiced by Tara Strong) and her boyfriend Nick Carlyle (voiced by Michael Rosenbaum).
The entire game makes fun of cliches in horror and video games while adding the spunk of the 1980s into the soundtrack. The soundtrack includes songs like Hey Mickey! By Toni Basil, Pac-Man Fever By Buckner and Garcia, and of course, Lollipop by The Chordettes. Yes, the gameplay is lacking in a lot of areas but the game shines in ways I had no idea possible. The combo system is fun, the costumes are rewarding, and the entire game makes me happy each and every time I play it. The jokes make me laugh harder than I realize and that is because of the amazing script and the talented voice actors behind those characters on screen.
The reason I think this is the best Suda51 game is because of how much style the game has without even pointing it out. The aesthetics of the world and menus are very apparent from the comic-like intros for each character to the vibrant settings you see yourself in. Other games by Suda have these things but they usually are squandered by unfun bosses and boring middle sections. This game is a gem and will be for quite a while.
What is your favorite Suda51 game? We would love to know!
