![]() ![]() Most bosses also fling so many projectiles it becomes part bullet-hell shooter, keeping you on your toes while trying to deal with their shifting weapon vulnerabilities.įashion Police Squad follows a traditional linear structure over 13 main missions and a half dozen challenges, though you have an overworld map to replay them to complete challenges or to find all the secrets posters. There are only three traditional boss fights but they’re all entertaining with multiple phases and several feature mini-games that draw on other classic genres. At the end of each level, you get to watch them parade on a catwalk alongside your completion statistics. There are even elderly flashers that need to be stunned before blasting them with the appropriate weapon, and techno DJs with lethal AoE attacks that require a good soaking. To get yourself out of a jam, you slowly build up a “fab meter” that lets you trigger the “fab slap glove”, boosting your health and allowing you to dash around, slapping fashion sense into offenders with one glorious strike.įashion offenders are drawn from common stereotypes: drab office workers that fling briefcases and need to be blasted with your 2-DYE4 shotgun hipster vapers that fling a stream of bubbles and need to be beaten with your Belt of Justice and annoying Karens that fill the area with vision-obscuring teargas and need a barrage from your “Tailormade” Sewing Machinegun to defeat. It takes a few levels to get going but, with your belt whip in one hand and a half-dozen fashion-inspired firearms in the other, you’ll soon get into a groove of tearing around levels, stunning the most dangerous targets, and blasting fashion violators back into style. ![]() As you progress, you’ll encounter them in deadly configurations with each other, or the environment, forcing you to constantly stay on the move and switch up weapons while isolating and picking off priority targets. Success is primarily down to player skill using the tools provided.įashion Police Squad keeps the combat tactical by introducing offenders that are only susceptible to one or two weapon types, or require their alternate fire modes to defeat. There’s no ammunition limit, no puzzles beyond simple key hunts, no dialogue choices, and only a limited accessory system that provides a few passive buffs and outfit changes. The controls are simple and intuitive: you run, jump, whip, and shoot your way through levels alternating between fashion offenders and platforming sections, sometimes a mix of both to create challenging encounters. Unlike many indie retro FPS that stick to emulating the aesthetics, Fashion Police Squad keeps the gameplay reasonably retro too. Now as a heterosexual male with a utilitarian fashion sense, I’m not best suited to critique the representation of Des as a fashionista or the dialogue, but I will give credit to developer Mopeful Games for taking a non-violent and camp approach to a genre typically associated with extreme violence and hypermasculinity.Īll that said, while Fashion Police Squad is enhanced by its novel premise, quirky cast, and visual style, it’s still a competent and enjoyable shooter without it. However, the humour won’t land for everyone and it wears thin if played for too long. It is, at least, consistent and committed to its flamboyant characters and fashion-focused capers. From the mid-point, it veers dangerously close to excessive – well, more excessive – when the number of puns escalates and it crams dozens of videogame and pop culture references into the major boss fights. There are cliched archetypes like noble heroes and nefarious villains, with plenty of predictable plot twists and ridiculous contrivances. It’s one part crime story, one part family feud, and incredibly stupid in a charming way. After investigating a spike in fashion crimes, they soon become embroiled in a plot to destroy the city’s reputation as the fashion capital. Oh, the humanity!įashion Police Squad places you in the exquisite boots of Trendopilis officer Des as he tackles daily fashion crimes with his partner. However, nothing has changed when it comes to level design and the often fluctuating difficulty curve, so it remains a game best consumed in short bursts. Arriving on consoles five months after the PC release, Fashion Police Squad is as entertaining and charming as ever, and translates well to consoles with solid gamepad support. ![]()
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