FOAMSTARS Producer Tired of Comparisons with Splatoon

FOAMSTARS caught attention from its official reveal in the middle of last year. Beyond its anime style and whimsical characters, it sparked discussions due to its apparent similarities with Splatoon, the popular exclusive for Nintendo Switch. One of the key figures behind the project is aware of these comparisons.

This week, much information related to this new multiplayer offering from Square Enix surfaced. For instance, we now know that it will debut on day 1 on PS Plus Essential early next month, and the developers experimented with artificial intelligence to create a series of visual elements.

Producer Believes FOAMSTARS Is Very Different from Splatoon

In a conversation with VGC, executive producer Kosuke Okatani discussed the supposed similarities with Nintendo's franchise. While he is tired of players comparing the project to the colorful shooter from Nintendo, he acknowledges that people who have already tried it in test sessions noticed the differences.

"First of all, yes," the producer said with a laugh when asked if he is tired of comparisons with Splatoon. "There were many comparisons on the internet, but we also saw on social media that people who actually played it found out that it's a very different game," he continued.

Kosuke Okatani hopes that people will notice the differences when they play FOAMSTARS for the first time. Additionally, he assures that it would be "a great honor" if fans create a term, similar to Soulsborne or Metroidvania, to refer to such proposals or genres.

It's worth noting that Square Enix categorizes FOAMSTARS as an "online party shooter." Although the concept looks very similar to Splatoon, the mechanics are different, and there are unique elements. For example, the foam modifies the terrain and serves to create paths or hinder opponents.

Despite this online title not having a story or a narrative mode that delves into the background of the characters and their world, the developers confirmed that there will be a special PvE mode where players can complete missions and face waves of enemies.

But tell us, do you think this project will be a success? Have you played it yet? Do you think it is different from Splatoon? Let us know in the comments.

FOAMSTARS will be available for PS4 and PS5 starting February 6.