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More than 14 years after the zombie hack-and-slash game Lollipop Chainsaw was released, Juliet the undead slayer returns for an official sequel. While many of the original game’s creators — namely DC Studios co-CEO James Gunn and Grasshopper Manufacture’s Goichi Suda — don’t appear to be involved in the sequel, the new game’s style and substance feel authentic and familiar, at least on the surface.
Having spent some hands-on time with the build of Lollipop Chainsaw 2: Back2Back that’s playable at Tokyo Game Show this week, you should temper your expectations for the long-awaited sequel. It’s too early to tell if we really needed another Lollipop Chainsaw.
Lollipop Chainsaw 2: Back2Back is being produced by Nada Holdings and Dragami Games (which was responsible for 2024’s remaster, Lollipop Chainsaw Repop). Also involved is the development company JP Games, which is led by former Square Enix exec and Final Fantasy 15 director Hajime Tabata. Original Lollipop Chainsaw scenario writer Masahiro Yuki and artist Nekoshogun return for the sequel.
What is Lollipop Chainsaw 2 about?
According to the official description of Lollipop Chainsaw 2: Back2Back from the PlayStation Store, Juliet will return to the town of San Romero, which has been reborn as “Jaredwood,” a metropolis centered around the film industry. “Trapped in a distorted zombie movie world by a mysterious director, Juliet must join forces with her friends to uncover the conspiracy hidden behind the chaos and stop the looming threat of corrupt zombies,” the game’s description reads.
An early build of Lollipop Chainsaw 2 is playable at the Sega/Atlus booth at TGS, offering a thin slice of gameplay. Much of the action feels familiar to the first game, with Juliet combining cheerleading moves and chainsaw slashes to take down shambling hordes of slow-moving zombies. Some of the animation is quite fun; Juliet can deploy roller skates to swiftly move through packs of the undead, and she can use her chainsaw to propel herself forward by jamming the blade into the ground, shredding anything that crosses her path. The game’s camera is unpredictable, dramatically and sloppily zooming in on cinematic kills. The effect almost works, but the game’s wonky camera is indicative of the game’s early nature.
More strange is the complete absence of voiceover work in the demo. Outside of a few zombie moans and groans, neither Juliet, her boyfriend Nick (returning as a severed head), nor the zombified Barbie-inspired boss Zorbie has anything to say. The demo feels lifeless and repetitive as a result, but there’s no small amount of promise if the developers are given enough time to polish the experience. Lollipop Chainsaw 2: Back2Back is slated for release sometime in 2027, so there’s still time.
Lollipop Chainsaw 2: Back2Back is confirmed for PlayStation 5.
