For far too long the FPS genre has been dominated by blood, guts and explosions. Obviously games about guns are generally going to lean in the direction of violence, but I absolutely love when developers find creative ways to buck that trend. One of my favourite FPS games of recent years because of this is Fashion Police Squad, where the only crimes are those against style. Don’t Stop, Girlypop! is a similarly campy shooting experience, but don’t let the amount of pink on display distract you from the tough as painted nails arena combat.
In Don’t Stop, Girlypop! you play as Imber, a combat fairy who is ready to take on a whole lot of evil invaders led by a ridiculously gruff voiced demon. You’re guided on your mission by a woman with the brightest metallic red hair you ever did see, who only contacts you via your shocking pink flip phone. It’s the most garish early noughties experience you’ll ever have with a video game, and it’ll either bring you intense joy or make you want to vomit out of every available hole.
When you’re thrown into the poptastic action, you’re initially taught about how to get around as fast as possible. There’s a huge emphasis on speed, because the faster you’re moving the more damage you deal. At first you’ll do this almost entirely by bunny hopping like a wannabe speedrunner, but that’s only scratching the surface. There’s also grappling and dashing that’ll keep you flying around various arenas, but it’s in the chaining of various abilities together that you’ll keep moving at maximum speed and dealing stupid amounts of damage.
The best combination of moves you can do to move faster than any bullet coming your way is a little complex, but once you master it you’ll feel as good as Mariah Carey at Christmas. The game thankfully teaches you this combo for an extended period, and even keeps an indicator on the screen so you can’t forget it. First you need to ground pound (which bounces you back into the air on impact), then you need to use your double jump, and finally your dash. You can repeat this loop forever too, although controlling your direction and shooting alongside this insane method of propulsion isn’t easy.
It’s all well and good mastering motion, but if you want to beat all the stages that Don’t Stop, Girlypop! has to offer you’ll need some firepower too. Each flamboyant weapon you wield is totally unique, and comes with a primary and secondary fire. You’ll start your mission with only a wand that can pick up and launch any object you find lying around. The next gun you’re given is the FPS staple shotgun, but it’s way more than just a close combat beast. The secondary fire of it fires a portal, which when shot (which is admittedly easier said than done) damages all the enemies on the screen.
Your arsenal only gets more exciting from there, when you get my personal favourite firearm. The Bubblegun is a fairly normal machine gun if you only fire with the right trigger, but the left sprays pink goo everywhere which explodes when shot. It’s ridiculously satisfying, and I used it at pretty much every opportunity. Not all the guns captured my heart though, because the idea of using a sniper rifle at this speed is frankly absurd.
As you progress through the stages made up of arenas, doors requiring heart shaped keys and a whole lot of enemies, you’ll continue gaining new guns and even new basic abilities. For example stunned enemies can be charged at with your sword for a speed boosting finisher, and you even gain the ability to parry incoming projectiles which I can’t pretend I ever mastered. The entire single player campaign moves at a pace that ensures you can’t get bored, although admittedly you might get a little overwhelmed.
I can’t wrap up a review of Don’t Stop, Girlypop! without mentioning the gun customisation, which although entirely cosmetic is particularly fabulous. All of your guns and even your arms themselves can be accessorised with rhinestones, wrapped in leopard print and adorned with ribbons. It’s as silly as it sounds, but if you play through the game wearing anything but pink leopard print gloves we can’t be friends anymore and you’ll have to sit with the weirdos at lunch.
I had a delightful time with this unconventional first person shooter, but I can’t pretend it’s without fault. The amount of information on the screen at once is almost always overwhelming, and the vibrant visuals and breakneck pace don’t help with that. Some of the guns suffer from feeling a bit weedy too, which is never ideal. I should also mention that obviously this aesthetic won’t appeal to everyone, but I guess not everyone is cut out to be an FPS queen.
Don’t Stop, Girlypop! is a refreshing twist on a genre so often obsessed with grit or gore. It’s an unapologetic explosion of diamonds with more pink than a princess themed birthday party, and the actual shooting is ridiculously fast paced and never dull. The speed and visual flair can admittedly be rather overwhelming at times, but I certainly don’t want Girlypop to stop any time soon.
