The stylish hack-and-slash zombie game had its return teased a few weeks ago. Yoshimi Yasuda, ex-CEO of Kadokawa Games, the publisher of the game tweeted, "Lollipop Chainsaw is back in Dragami Games. please expect to have fun and wait…!!!" We now know what he was referring to: a remake of Lollipop Chainsaw is coming in 2023.
Revealed by IGN, this is great news for fans of the cult hit, released on the PS3 and Xbox 360 back in June 2012. The ten-year anniversary of the title has just passed, so this is excellent timing for the announcement.
Yasuda left Kadokawa Games earlier this year and formed Dragami Games. He said, "we purchased the Lollipop Chainsaw intellectual property from Kadokawa Games, and decided to develop a remake.
"Unfortunately, various factors resulted in things making it so that fans can no longer easily play Lollipop Chainsaw, and it has been some time since players have not been able to access the game on current consoles. We, the original development staff on Lollipop Chainsaw, think of the game as very precious to us, and did not want to leave it in limbo."
While a modern remake is on the horizon, the game won't be exactly the same as long-time fans remember. "Aside from a few licensed tracks, the soundtrack will consist of new music." The game, known for its heavy stylisation, will also have "a more realistic approach to graphics."
Developed by Suda51's Grasshopper Manufacture and written by Guardians of the Galaxy director James Gunn, Lollipop Chainsaw sees you take control of Juliet Starling, a cheerleader trying to rid her high school of the zombie menace. It contains plenty of tongue-in-cheek wit that helped it gain favour amongst fans.
TheGamer's editor-in-chief Stacey Henley recently praised the original for offering a female lead character who breaks the mould of rugged women that often have to eschew their femininity to fit in with the leading men. "Juliet is a bimbo. With her blonde bunches, thick lip gloss, cutesy voice, and short skirt, she is unapologetically herself in every way."