I won't lie, I haven't been the kindest person to Foamstars. Upon seeing the game's reveal trailer, which admittedly was a CGI trailer at the recent disappointing PlayStation Showcase (that is an entire other rabbit hole I won't be diving into here) I was left very sceptical about this title. It seemed to be a rather unapologetic clone of Splatoon, a game that even looked to embrace live service elements making it even less of an enticing premise, however, after being able to play Foamstars as part of the Summer Game Fest Play Days event, my opinion of the game has taken a rather sharp change in direction.
But before I get into why I'm actually quite excited by Foamstars, let me just reiterate that the live service elements that this game will seemingly feature is still very much a concern. Foamstars comes across as one of those games that if it doesn't become a sensation six months after launch, it will be sunset soon after, and while I did enjoy what I saw in Los Angeles, this is still a serious concern about this game. However, let's not dwell on the future just yet, as Foamstars doesn't have a release window never mind a release date just yet, so let's talk about the core gameplay and how that works instead.
The core concept of Foamstars is based around team multiplayer action. Two rosters of four players work together to battle and defeat the opposing team in a plethora of events and game modes. I say 'modes' with a nod to the future in mind, as the preview session I attended did not have multiple game modes on offer, and rather saw press and creators slugging it out in one singular mode: Smash the Star.
This game mode is very simple in effect, as all it really is a team deathmatch where teams need to take down as many opposing players as possible to see one of their team members dubbed the star player. Once a player is dubbed with this title, they become more resistant and harder to defeat but are clearly marked, as the win condition demands that the opposing team knocks out the opposite star individual or the other team protects theirs and keeps them alive before the opposing star player is knocked out instead. The catch however is that in a similar vein to Splatoon, Foamstars isn't just a shooter, it's also a game where you need to keep tabs on the environment and how your team controls and dominates it.
While I can't comment on the other game modes just yet, for Smash the Star, teams need to watch and make sure they are painting the battleground with their respective colour foam (be it blue or pink foam), as players will be more agile or prone to attack depending on whether they are standing on their team's colour foam. This is similar to Splatoon's paint swimming mechanic, which is only available on allied coloured paint, but is less restrictive as the win condition of the game mode is not about actually painting the map and is instead about defeating and besting the opposing team. However, as I mentioned a moment ago, players are more open to attack or enemies are easy to take down due to restricted movement when on opposing foam, so environmental control is of the utmost importance.
When it comes to defeating enemies, this isn't as straight forward as a regular shooter or even Splatoon for that matter. Players have a bar that must be filled up by hitting them with foam, and when this is maxed out, the player will be encapsulated in a snowball of foam making them an easy target for a smash attack that knocks them out before starting a spawning procedure. Allies can smash other allies to save them from a foamy knockout, giving Foamstars a gameplay design that isn't just about all-out aggression and is instead about teamwork and teamplay. The really interesting part about this game is that because Foamstars is a very simple game to understand, you don't need days of practice to lock down the core mechanics - you can pick up and play and get to grips with the basic systems in an instant.
The 3D shooter gameplay of Foamstars, which seemed to work rather fluidly for that matter, isn't the only strength of this game. Square Enix has crafted a roster of characters that are unique and for the most part, are split into one of four categories. You have aggressive characters who use shotguns and close-quarters abilities, some who are about spreading foam and environmental control, others that are more lenient on powerful abilities, and so on. Adding to this, each character has a collection of unique moves, lore, and abilities that set them apart from one another even further. During my playtime, Soa and her dual-foam pistols became my clear favourite character, as I found a connection with the fast-paced gameplay and the aggressive ability set that she offered.
A few weeks ago, I was looking at Foamstars as one of the prime reasons why the PlayStation Showcase was such a let-down, but now I see the game in a different light. Granted, I have only been given a very short snippet of the wider Foamstars experience, but the eight total characters I had the chance to test - each of whom felt truly unique and different to operate - and the entertaining Smash the Star game mode have given me a reason to be excited for this game for the immediate future at least. Does it have a compelling enough gameplay loop to keep players engaged for months after its inevitable launch? That's a question I'm still not quite convinced about. But is it a shameless Splatoon clone? Absolutely not.
