Summary
The producer behind the upcomingLollipop Chainsaw: RePOPgame reveals that it will no longer be a remake, changing it to be a remaster of the original.RePOPwas originally announced back in June 2022 by its publisher, Dragami Games. This announcement coincided withLollipop Chainsaw’s 10th anniversary, with the remake being made to capitalize on it. This would bring the game from seventh gen consoles to modern platforms, with an original targeted date of 2023 before it was delayed into 2024.
The originalLollipop Chainsawreleased in 2012 on both PS3 and Xbox 360 as a collaboration between Suda51 fromGrasshopper Manufactureand esteemed filmmaker James Gunn. Players control high school cheerleader Juliet Starling, who has just turned 18 years old. Her high school is then attacked by zombies, which she can slay using her chainsaw. From there, her boyfriend gets bitten and she decapitates him to prevent him from turning into a zombie, and even carries his disembodied head around. This strange premise combined with wacky tone and visuals made the game a cult classic, but it will no longer be remade for the new platforms, instead being remastered.
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This announcement was made on the Twitter accountLollipop Chainsaw’s original director andRePOP’s producer, Yoshimi Yasuda, who posted this message in both English and Japanese. In it, he states that the game design ofRePOPhas gone from a remake to a remaster, based on the requests of fans. He also attached a screenshot of the game, showing howRePOPcompares to the older versions.
The game becoming a remaster instead of a remake has not been received well. A lot of fans of the cult classic were interested in a remake, as it would help smooth out the clunkygameplay of the originalLollipop Chainsaw, which was a common criticism of the 2012 title. The reasoning behind this scope change was also similarly lambasted, with many wondering who Yasuda was referring to in his statement, where he worded it as if the changes were made based on the requests of fans even though those who were excited for the game were fine with it being a remake instead of a remaster.
Lollipop Chainsaw RePOPwas already delayed to next yearwhen it was still being developed as a remake, where it would be releasing in Summer 2024 instead of 2023. There were a lot of fans who were already skeptical about the remake - now remaster - due to the lack of involvement from either Suda51 or Gunn in its development, as well as the delay. Gamers will have to see if their fears and critiques over this choice hold water when the game releases next Summer.
