When Square Enix announced its all-new multiplayer shooter Foamstars, the internet expectedly reacted with Splatoon comparisons and endless jokes about, err, bodily fluids, on account of all the frothy foam that you’ll be pumping on opponents. Funnily enough, both sentiments are only kinda true. The game’s foam actually does ooze out of at least one character’s body, somehow, while the rest is sourced through nuclear-type factories. Oh, and the game only sort of resembles Splatoon in both fun and unflattering ways.
Foamstars’ 4v4 competitive matches have you spraying the map with coloured foam, at which point you can surf across the bits that your team has foamed for an extra speed boost (like Splatoon), although marking the map in your team’s colour isn’t the goal here, in any game mode.
Foaming enemies slows them down until they’re so drenched, they’re trapped in one giant foam ball which you can then surf into for an elimination (unlike Splatoon), unless an enemy surfs there first and bashes them out, encouraging you to get close and aggressive. My favourite part of this whole idea is that saves/eliminations can also be countered if you surf into the foam balls before they hit terrain, which sometimes leads to soapy football chaos as giant balls fly back and forth across the arena.
Also unlike Splatoon, foam can be layered. Spraying enough of the stuff will build small candy-coloured mountains and crevices and speed bumps and walls. The obvious advantage to aiming at the floor as opposed to other players is that you can reach or create higher ground, and blocking foes from an objective or sliding off a player-made ramp is doubly satisfying.
Cutting across the foam clouds, hopping over enemy foam, and retaining momentum is genuinely tons of fun. Eventually, the warm bathtime tones lulled me into a flow state where I’d dive into a surf, jump into the air, aim down to cover more ground, rinse and repeat. There’s an easygoing rhythm to Foamstars that sits comfortably with its casual party-based goals.
Bubbles jump up when you do a quick drift. Projectiles deliver an oomph when they land. It tickles a special, childlike part of my brain. That’s probably why I filled up the entire lobby area with foam while mentally checking out of a boring phone call in the real world. (Also the ideal area for phallic foam art, for what it’s worth.)
