Developer: Mopeful Games
Publisher: No More Robots
Platform: PC, PS4, PS5, Switch, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S
Tested on: PC
Fashion Police Squad – Review
These days there is no shortcoming of awesome retro-inspired FPS titles. In the past, we had a blast with games such as Forgive Me Father or Ion Fury and today we get to add a new title to this list. In Fashion Police Squad we get tasked to give the many civilians of Trendopolis a makeover and make the town fabulous again.
Story
For an arcade shooter game, there is a surprising amount of story present. It all begins when your city of Trendopolis gets invaded by a huge range of fashion-absent people. Due to this, it is up to Sergeant Des and his crew to fix all the mistakes and make everyone fabulous again. During your interventions, you will meet some interesting characters along the way and learn to not blindly trust everything you hear. After some reported incidents, you get a tip on who the culprit might be, so you go on an investigation and uncover a long-running grey-washing scheme. The story flows nicely and doesn’t feel separated from the actual gameplay segments.
Graphics
Visually, the game was clearly inspired by the old FPS titles from the early 90s. The graphics are a mix between nicely pixilated weapons and hud while the environment is a mix of both 2D and 3D elements. In the background, you get the 3D walls, buildings, and stairs, while in the foreground your enemies and scenery placements like lanterns and scooters are flat, much like in a Paper Mario game.
Sound
For the sound design, it is noticeable that the developers wanted to keep it retro just like the graphics. It all begins with an amazing chiptune soundtrack that is playing when browsing the menus and during the missions. Those who really enjoy the soundtrack can always grab a copy of it on the Steam store. Then you have the polished sound effects. The weapons really sound original. The ‘tailormade machine gun’ sounds like a sewing machine and the Sock Gnome spews gibberish before throwing it. Whilst in combat, you will notice that your enemies do not appreciate you messing up their outfits but they will be thanking you when you’re done with their makeover. These small voiced lines also add a lot of charm to the equation.
Gameplay
Fashion Police Squad is an FPS in the same vein as traditional Boomer Shooters such as Doom, Gunscape, or Wolfenstein. In the game, however, you will not be blasting your enemies to bits but you’ll use your weapons to blast them into new snazzy outfits. You’ll do this with your paintball gun, for example. The game explains its concept early on, as your first enemy is a ‘grey’ salaryman. You will have to add some color to his attire and from this point onwards more and more challenges of this sort await you. You then step into the shoes of Sergeant Des, he is part of the Fashion Police Squad, a task force that keeps the streets of Trendopolis fabulous. Lately, there have been a lot of people with fashion blunders and it is up to you to give them a makeover or even a makeunder. Such a surge in untasteful people is certainly strange and your team wants to get to the bottom of this. Will it have something to do with the local fashion icons or can the culprit be found in a politician or celebrity? Your ultimate goal is to put an end of the blandness that has taken over Trendopolis and you’ll do this one makeover at a time.
When starting a new game you can select your difficulty settings, which is typical for the Boomer Shooter genre. The difficulty setting has an influence on how aggressive the enemies are and how many item pickups you’ll find. The game starts at a low pace and will gradually pick up speed with more and more enemies trying to stop you. After getting around your first group of enemies, you notice that by helping more and more people your FAB meter fills. This is your special meter and when it is full, you get the ability to literally slap some fashion sense into all the people surrounding you. After you are done with your first large group, you might get a bit disoriented about where to go next. In most Boomer Shooters you are dropped in an open world and are tasked to find your way all by yourself. In this game, however, you get clear instructions on where your next objective is. While this is great for those struggling to find their bearings, it also makes the game a bit more linear. Those who are vigilant enough will find secrets tucked away in hidden spaces around the map and collecting these secrets will give you extra goodies in your career such as unlockable costumes and equipable swag to make you stronger.
While these starting items might give you an extra edge on the battlefield, it is advisable to take good care of yourself. The fashionless people of Trendopolis will try to turn you into one of them, by attacking you with their various weapons. Some will throw their briefcase at your face while others try to run you over with their scooter or take unwanted pictures of you. When you are starting to feel as bland as them, it is a good time to search for some mocktails to feel better and some swag to give you some armor against their blandness.
The game might look like an old shooter but it plays like a modern title thanks to its refined engine and simple controls. In the beginning, you move around on the ground level but after a few missions, you get the ability to use your belt as a grappling hook. With this new ability, you are able to move around various buildings by clamping onto the flagpoles and using these to get on top of roofs for a better view. If you have played platformer games, you might remember how clunky the grappling hook sometimes feels, yet in Fashion Police Squad it feels very smooth and you’ll get the hang of it in mere moments.
Having the means to quickly move through the levels can also lead to completing some missions really fast. On average it will take you around ten to twenty minutes per mission, and you will face a boss every few stages. In total, your career consists of thirteen missions and a few challenges scattered around the city. This could mean that you complete the game in only a few sittings or one long session, yet you can always try to complete each level with the maximum score if you’re a completionist.
Conclusion
Fashion Police Squad is a title that brought a lighthearted and fun story in one of the best arcade FPS experiences of this year. While the game looks like a classic Boomer Shooter it plays like any other modern FPS. Visually the game looks great with its blend of 2D pixelated assets and 3D environments. The mood is then further enhanced by the chiptune soundtrack and the cool SFX. If you enjoy these kinds of shooters then it could be a fun addition to your library, just don’t be sad when you blast through this game in only a few sessions.
No Comments