Square Enix’s 4v4 hero shooter Foamstars looks like another popular Nintendo title and that’s probably valid. You spray foam to capture, surf to move quickly, and defeat the opposition playing as anime pop stars.
I got a chance to play Foamstars at PAX West and one of the game’s modes ‘Smash the Star,’ which involves killing players on the opposing team enough times to cause the best player to become the ‘Star.’ At this juncture, the team must defend their star player while the opposing team aims to eliminate them and win the match. There’s a strategic shift when this occurs and keeps Foamstars from becoming too stale.
There were 12 playable characters in the demo and each had its own unique weapons and designated class types. I started out with a balanced character to start with rapid-fire pistols but eventually switched to one with a shotgun to inflict more damage. You can also change characters during the match, so don’t feel like you’re stuck to one at the start.
The matches themselves felt pretty chaotic, as the constant splashing of blue and pink foam was a bit hard to follow. Players will inevitably get caught in the other team’s foam and movement will slow down. Others will take advantage of this and see you as a walking target to eliminate. Once you’ve reached near death, you’ll have a chance to be revived by another player before you’re fully engulfed in a foam snowball.
Foamstars will be released on PlayStation 5 and PlayStation 4 with a release date to be announced.
