When No More Robots publishes a game, I am straight there. They release so many fantastic indie games on to the market, so naturally I was keen to check out Fashion Police Squad developed by Mopeful Games. I wasn’t quite sure what to expect when I saw the title, but when I heard it was a retro-style first-person shooter, it peaked my intrigue. I grew up with games of this style, classics such as Doom, Heretic and even the most recent 90’s inspired Prodeus. Whilst this title borrows some inspiration from these nostalgic memories, the whole experience has a witty and brilliant sense of humour with its own unique twist. I had some reservations though, as a game in this genre has a lot to live up to with the competition.

Introduction

After spending a little over 6 months on Windows PC, we finally see the arrival of Fashion Police Squad on consoles. This isn’t a dark gritty shooter that prides itself on gore and slaughter but instead knocking some sense into people of varying attire. Ever walked down the street and spotted a delightful winter wolf fleece in the height of summer or glanced across the street to see someone sporting crocs and socks? It is your job to traverse the missions and fix potential fashion mishaps and put them right with the range of weaponry in your arsenal.

Gameplay

The game does present you with plenty of dialogue and direction throughout and the gameplay loop had an aura of Doom about it for me personally. Whilst it doesn’t bring the gore and guts it almost feels identical with slightly more fluidity in the control scheme. The different enemy types make you think on your feet as they all appear to attack differently. One minute you’ll have businessmen hurling their briefcases at you and the next you will have casually dressed enemies flying towards you on their scooter. Gunplay handles as you’d expect from your standard shooter and it felt fun to play for the most part. There is plenty of intensity throughout with dodging projectiles and using a belt as a grappling hook to jump from platform to platform. To mix things up you can go on a mad backhanded slapping spree and attempt to chain your attacks from one enemy to another. Everything is insane, wacky and plays buttery smooth.

Graphics & Audio

Visually I kind of knew what to expect but wasn’t anticipating it being as glorious as it was when it graced the big screen. Performance is brilliant on Xbox Series X with no graphical hiccups or issues in sight. The use of colours throughout the game works really well especially when it comes to using the different weapons, some of which animate NPCs with colour. The HUD and UI weren’t overbearing in any way and I loved that the game always provided you with objectives rather than leaving you to just seemingly navigate the space like other shooters in the genre do. Character design was quite humourous but I did find them a little repetitive as time went by with lots just looking almost identical to each other. As for sound, everything was as expected and fueled the high adrenaline-style gameplay loop. Overall a polished and well-presented experience.

In Conclusion

My time with Fashion Police Squad was enjoyable and I had an absolute blast, mostly to the fact it is so easy to pick up and play. It brings all the qualities of the games I mentioned at the beginning of my review but the development team have been clever enough to create its own atmosphere. The control scheme has been ported across well for the most part and the presentation is fantastic. I especially loved the witty dialogue and pop-up-style enemies like something straight out of Guess Who. The only downside is finishing the game and wanting more, but all good things have to come to an end right?

At just a little over £15 it is a belting price for a retro-style FPS with solid gunplay mechanics. If you are a perfectionist or completionist, then there are hidden objects to find scattered across the levels. Unfortunately though, once you’re done and dusted there is little reason to go back since it is single-player only, but this is still one to check out for fans of shooters for sure.

Overall
  • 70%
    CX score - 70%
70%

Summary

Pros

  • Humorous and unique take on the genre
  • Enemy types keep you on your toes
  • Great use of lighting and colour

 

Cons

  • The game felt a little short
  • Feels a little overwhelming when there is too much going on
  • Dialogue slows the pacing of the game at times

 

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