Is Foamstars a Splatoon clone or something else? First impressions | Ruetir

At the PlayStation Showcase a few weeks ago, Square Enix showed that it has more to offer than just Final Fantasy XVI. We are referring to Foamstars, which immediately reminded us of Splatoon, the Nintendo shooter that managed to position itself as one of the company’s most popular online multiplayer games.

By the same token, it seemed obvious that Square’s intention with Foamstars was to steal a slice of the pie, but on the first day of Summer Game Fest’s Play Days we got a chance to try it out, and discovered that it’s much more than just a clone. This game adds a couple of elements that offer something different and generate its own identity.

Related video: FOAMSTARS – Revelation Trailer | PlayStation Showcase 2023

It did copy, but not that much

Online multiplayer will offer a couple of different game modes, and the one we tried was 4v4 team battles, where each side has 7 lives. We start from one side of the map and the joke is to fill the ground with our foam to be able to surf on it and move faster. Once we meet the enemies, we have to shoot to kill, either with our main weapon or with special movements.

Something interesting is that the foam can be piled up to form barriers and defend ourselves or attack from above. So the layout of the map expands vertically if we go about creating these walls.

Once our life bar runs out, a huge ball of foam traps us and leaves us vulnerable, and there are 2 choices: either one of our teammates rescues us or the enemy can surf over us and finish us off. When we die, we start back on our side, but the team’s score is reduced.

The concept is very similar, but there are some differences

aim for the stars

When the score reaches 0, the best player from the losing team becomes the star and his teammates must defend him at all costs because if he is eliminated, the game ends. The interesting thing about this concept is that his life bar now lasts longer, so the others can be eliminated and the game continues. So, while the rivals are distracted chasing the MVP, the teammates can take advantage to even the score. We played 5 games and most of them were very close, although at first one team dominated, because just when everyone is looking to eliminate the star, they get careless and lose lives, so in the end it is MVP against MVP. Some matches were literally defined by a shot.

In Foamstars there are 8 different fighters with 4 respective uses. Some are more balanced, others faster but less strong and vice versa. This is useful for us to try each one and discover which one we play better because in addition, their powers and special movements are unique, so this aspect is also worth exploring. So, between the available characters, the combinations of styles that can be given in the teams, the semi-construction of foam barriers, the need to attack but without neglecting yourself and other details, there is more strategy than you would think in a shooter of this style. . This sum of characteristics makes it very interesting.

In the presentation of the game they told us that there will be a single player mode, which will probably help to learn more about the history of the characters and practice with them. In addition, there will be another multiplayer mode, so Foamstars promises to have several options to keep the fun going.