Foamstars Reviews
Foamstars' combat mechanics are unexpectedly engaging, but confounding time-gated modes and aggressive monetization make them harder to enjoy.
Foamstars is a serviceable paintballer in the vein of Splatoon, lathered with some wild lore and underwhelming hero shooter elements.
As promising a foundation there may be here, Foamstars sadly finds itself buried beneath a malaise of lackluster content and an underdeveloped world alike. Occasionally enjoyable and suggestive of greater potential the foam-centric mechanics can be, as both an offensive and defensive tool alike, it's everything going on in and around the core gameplay, that ultimately makes the experience feel hollow and at worst, jarring to deal with. From its all-too-cheery presentation, to its laughably one-dimensional attempt at instilling personality into its world and characters. Right down to the horrid monetization practices at the very start of its life-cycle. A commitment to further updates and new content may stave off a small amount of concern, but it's hard to see where Foamstars' longevity will land. By no means the worst attempt at a multiplayer-centric experience by way of its handful of hopeful, admirable elements here and there, but still one that could've been far better given the promise.
Foamstars has its moments, but the frantic gameplay, annoying dialogue, and microtransactions do little to keep you playing for long.
Foamstars is a lot of unrealized potential. It's like getting excited about a bubble bath only for the bubbles to quickly dissipate and leave behind only some filthy bath water.
Foamstars' core gameplay offers plenty of strategic fun, but you'll have to grit your teeth through some of its worst instincts to enjoy them.
Foamstars is a vibrantly inventive take on the hero shooter and Splatoon, though the bubble will quickly burst for those who can't gel with its floaty, fluid-based gunplay.
While Foamstars has a strong foundation in terms of core gameplay, I found myself quickly growing weary of the small annoyances that kept rearing their heads. Awkward navigation, ho-hum singleplayer offerings and egregious monetisation and design choices bring down an experience that is really fun if you can ignore those things, which is something that shouldn't have to be done. I hope updates are able to address some of these issues in the coming months, but for now this party has left me feeling exceptionally mixed overall.
Foamstars is a colourful, unique, and entertaining shooter. The modes and characters on offer at launch are fun twists on genre staples, and the central foam mechanic is a playful addition with some potential for strategy. It's lighthearted, fast-paced fun with plenty of style. While the steep microtransactions and the so-so co-op missions keep it from being squeaky clean, there's a lot to like about this bubbly multiplayer title.
There is so much good to say about Foamstars, with its quirky characters and cheerfully energizing feel. While at launch the matches do not feel entirely balanced, that will even out with time, yet the microtransactions look as though they could only get worse. Currently, Foamstars is free on PS Plus for anyone to try it out, but after March 5th anyone who does not already have the game downloaded will have to purchase it for $29.99. That price, combined with the costs of Premium Seasonal Passes and in-game store purchases can quickly add up and is overwhelming. Cosmetic items don't have to be purchased, of course, but to be faced with that many instances of trying to get players to spend money simply feels much dirtier than a soap-filled game ever should.
If you have PlayStation Plus and want to try it out, there is the option to add it to the library, and I think it would be a good idea to purchase it now. But in case you reach the time when they will sell it for $30 USD, the truth is I would not recommend making the purchase, it is better to save the money for a product that does provide value for money.
Review in Spanish | Read full review
Foamstars has a few distinctive elements on its side and also knows how to provide a few hours of fun.
Review in Italian | Read full review
Foamstars can be a blast under the right conditions. It's colorful, fast, fluid, and has a great party atmosphere. It's also disgustingly over monetized, has terrible voice acting, and a boring single player mode. When you're in a match with players of a similar skill level playing as your main, it's a ton of fun. But with only three main modes the fun can run out fairly quickly. Who knows how long Foamstars will last, but even with the negatives it's still worth giving it a shot.
FOAMSTARS knows what it's doing following the Splatoon blueprint, but it's an easy pop that values its in-game economy more than fostering a community during the teething period of its release. I worry for the future of this one in the live service vacuum. While there are aspects that feel fun, this game still needs to prove itself in the market which is no easy feat. Locally, this is a tall ask but with server numbers untenable it really may be the writing on the bathroom wall for such a new multiplayer game – bubbles not included.
Foamstars definitely has some charm to it, but the general lack of polish in the gameplay department and shoddy single player can bring the experience from initially impressive to ultimately underwhelming.
FOAMSTARS from Square Enix is an interesting competitive game that borrows its surface-level gameplay concept from Splatoon while offering deeper and more intriguing gameplay underneath led by solid upgrade and buff systems. Unfortunately, the lack of meaningful solo missions does hurt the game, as it feels like half a game made it to launch.
Foamstars isn’t terrible, but its uninspired gameplay, deficit of content, and obscene monetization make it a forgettable experience.
FOAMSTARS is a game of two extremes where not all the foam and style in the world can hide the lack of substance. It shows signs of variety and depth, but it sins by being shallow. Its short matches entertain but don't hold you in the long run and the repetitiveness in its PvE mode tires before the player sees the best it has to offer.
Review in Portuguese | Read full review
FOAMSTARS has some fun elements and offers some frenetic, chaotic and exciting matches, but it also lacks creativity, identity and shame with one of the most abusive microtransactions we've seen.
Review in Spanish | Read full review
Foamstars is a successful 4vs4 online foam party shooter that is unbelievable fun. With its fast rounds, the game is convincing and is probably the best foam party of the year. Bath-Vegas is currently convincing, but it remains to be seen how the game can maintain long-term motivation. Foamstars is still new, so we'll have to wait and see what the next few seasons bring. But we are optimistic.
Review in German | Read full review