Steam Subsequent Fest: Maiden Cops performs like a console port of a misplaced arcade brawler
The spirit of the ’90s is completely alive in all of the devoted arcade-style beat ’em ups which were popping out in recent times. Indie devs clearly infatuated with the style have been doing it justice, and the newest try is Maiden Cops. Take one half anthropomorphic animal anime lady and add just a few dashes of Remaining Struggle and River Metropolis Women and also you get the thought. What has me most on this one, nonetheless, is the way it manages to seize the essence of a barely offbeat dwelling port of an arcade brawler.
A demo made its manner on-line as a part of Steam Subsequent Fest, giving us an opportunity to take a look at just a few hard-hitting areas. It’s straightforward to see what Maiden Cops goes for from the primary body. You possibly can select from considered one of three Maiden Cops: Priscilla Salamander, Nina Usagi, and Meiga Holstaur. Each gives your normal mild, medium, and heavy fashion of fight. Meiga, as an illustration, comes from a household of fighters and is basically your beefy Hagar. Nina is the oldest of the workforce however seems to be like a bit of bunny-eared lady. Priscilla has all the time dreamed of being a Maiden Cop, and specs-wise she’s the proper center floor.
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Assault on Precinct Jyusan
Taking part in a single degree — which consists of three completely different areas — isn’t fairly sufficient to know all of the nuances of every playable character. You’ll get a good overview, although, and the 15 or so minutes it takes to finish the demo is loads of time to introduce your typical enemy fodder and a boss. Strolling in from all sides are… extra anime ladies! There are tall girls, small girls, and even girls in jail. Once more, it’s robust to complain about enemy selection while you’re coping with such a small slice.
Taking up these foes is fairly simple. Every character has their very own melee strikes and throws, in addition to tremendous strikes which are good for clearing some area. There are additionally loads of scattered weapons to choose up, from knives to metal beams. I often had points with choosing weapons up off the bottom within the demo. Fortunately, that downside by no means carried over to well being or different collectibles. When all of it comes collectively, the motion is pretty satisfying, if just a bit slow-paced. That’s the place these console port vibes come into play. It usually feels such as you’re taking part in a second-hand interpretation of what Maiden Cops actually is, and that’s not essentially a foul factor. Whereas I doubt it’s intentional, it’s oddly becoming given the fashion on show.
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Are we the baddies?
The demo closes out with a battle in opposition to Miranda, a Maiden Cop who’s gone corrupt. Like most beat ’em up bosses, she’s nice at knocking you in your ass proper as you’re about to do the identical to her. Whilst you battle her and her minions, crunchy chiptune approximations of electrical guitars wail within the background. Even the soundtrack — which is completely becoming as brawler BGM — has that mid-’90s “I simply rented this on SNES” air about it. Taking part in Maiden Cops is like getting a few days over the weekend with a well-worn copy of Most Carnage. I do know that’s not Spider-Man, that’s an anime lady with massive boobs. The comparability nonetheless stands.
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These comparisons carry over to the character animation, which appears a bit stiff in locations. Then again, the backgrounds are actually spectacular. The burning buildings, the overflowing trashcans; it’s all very Konami in its prime. And despite the fact that pace is a lingering concern, the areas within the demo are comparatively brief and candy. You by no means spend an excessive amount of time in a single location, so even the repetitive enemies don’t have a lot of an opportunity to put on you down.
Maiden with love
Regardless of just a few points and a common want to choose up the tempo, it’s clear the devs have love for the style. Pippin Video games has dabbled in equally styled throwbacks with earlier efforts. Kawaii Death Desu had gamers taking management of supernatural idols and beating up overzealous followers. Wife Quest noticed Mia heading out on a side-scrolling journey to rescue her kidnapped husband, Fernando. Each have garnered followers of their very own with loads of constructive evaluations on Steam. Maiden Cops takes their abilities and applies them to an much more conventional beat ’em up, and hopefully, the ultimate package deal continues to increase upon what makes the demo enjoyable. We’ll discover out when Maiden Cops launches someday in This fall 2023.
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Extra Tales by Joseph Luster
Supply: www.destructoid.com
