When Foamstars was announced, many initially thought of Splatoon, but for PlayStation. Our author Mark Sellner was able to play the colorful shooter at the gamescom and was pleasantly surprised.
What is Foamstars? Colorful and fast primarily, but one step at a time. Foamstars is a shooter that will be released for PS4 and PS5, relying on the hero formula. Similar to Overwatch, Valorant, and others, there are different heroes that you can play.
They all have different abilities and are divided into various classes. Here, there is a lot of choice from classic tanks to nimble attackers and precision shooters. How many of these heroes will be available in the release version is currently unknown.
In teams of 4, these “Foamstars” will play against each other. In the battles, similar to Splatoon, the goal is to color the battlefield as much as possible in your color. Because you can surf on foam from your team and move really fast, while enemy foam severely slows you down.
At release, the game is supposed to offer various maps and game modes; in the preview version at gamescom, we have only seen one map and one mode so far.
The battles are not only colorful but also dynamic
How does fighting work? In fact, Foamstars is much more than it seems at first glance. Of course, the comparison with Splatoon is obvious, but there is a fundamental difference between paint and foam.
While in Splatoon you can only color the ground, in Foamstars you can use the foam to create three-dimensional structures, thereby changing the battlefield’s height. Here, a gameplay feeling arises that can best be described as a combination of Splatoon and Fortnite.
I can quickly build a wall of foam in front of me when an enemy approaches. I can build a tower to reach a higher sniper point or simply bury the unsuspecting opponent under an avalanche of foam, rendering them nearly immobile.
This plays out more tactically than initially expected and is still a lot of fun in the 5th round. With each round we played with our press colleagues, the game got better as we learned to use the foam more effectively.
Who surfs right, wins
What makes the gameplay so dynamic? Aside from the constantly changing battlefield, it is mainly the surfing that makes the fights exciting. Because here it becomes clear who embraces teamwork, which is usually the path to victory.
The background to this lies in the death mechanic of Foamstars. When you get knocked out, you roll around the battlefield in a foam ball for a few seconds before you actually die and respawn in your base 5 seconds later.
As long as you are in this ball, both enemies and friends can surf through you. If a friend catches you, you respawn with low health in the same spot; if an enemy catches you, it means your immediate demise.
All these mechanics, combined with the heroes’ special abilities, make the game colorful, fast, and dynamic, but never confusing. Which is quite an achievement in this color spectacle.
When you can get your hands on it or when the title will be released is currently unknown. We only know that the game will be released for PS4 and PS5. The monetization of Foamstars is also still unknown.
However, the project leader revealed to us during the meeting that accessibility is prioritized, which would suggest a Free2Play model. Moreover, heroes should also be obtainable without spending real money.
What do you think of Foamstars? Feel free to let us know in the comments here at MeinMMO.
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