Good news, Lollipop Chainsaw fans: Dragami Games has given us our first peek at Juliet Starling's new look.
Well, I say new look, but let's be honest: not much has changed and - true to the studio's word - it looks like Juliet has neither had a boob reduction surgery nor a wardrobe change since she first broke hearts in the 2012 hack-and-slash game. You can see her faithfully recreated concept art in Dragami's happy new year message:
㊗️謹賀新年2023㊗️本年もLollipop Chainsaw RemakeをはじめDragami Gamesをよろしくお願いいたします…!!!#ドラガミゲームス#ロリポップチェーンソー#リレイヤー#ラヴアール pic.twitter.com/ti8O7yUF8ADecember 31, 2022
If you can't quite remember how she appeared last time around - we won't hold it against you given the original Lollipop Chainsaw released over a decade ago now - the tweet below may help, not least because the Twitterer helpfully put Juliet's 2012 and 2023 versions side-by-side:
First Look at Juliet in Lollipop Chainsaw Remake Released original vs. remake pic.twitter.com/JiEskzqnX4January 5, 2023
Primarily, it looks as though extra attention has been given to the material used to craft Juliet's skimpy cheerleading outfit, and it looks like she spends a little less time on sunbeds these days. I could be wrong, but her nose and lips seem a tad thinner, too.
The team behind Lollipop Chainsaw was forced to issue a statement last year to clarify its plans for the eagerly-anticipated remake, outlining its "thoughts and intentions" for the project, and explaining why it's billed as a remake rather than a remaster.
"The primary goal of the Lollipop Chainsaw remake project is to make it so that players who wish to play Lollipop Chainsaw can do so easily, not to make a new Lollipop Chainsaw game," producer Yoshimi Yasuda said at the time.
"Of course, the ideal thing to do would be to make a remastered version of the original game, changing nothing. However, we were unfortunately unable to include 16 of the licensed songs, which were a great part of the original game's feel, and so we are instead aiming for a remake that is as close as possible to a remaster."
The remake is going forward without two of the key creative forces behind the original game: filmmaker James Gunn and game designer Goichi 'Suda51' Suda. Gunn said on Twitter last year that neither he nor Suda are involved with the new version, adding that "I neither endorse nor condemn it! I simply don’t know anything about it."
We gave the original 2012 game 3 out of 5 stars in the GamesRadar+ Lollipop Chainsaw review, saying that despite the inherent joy of chainsawing zombies and its inventively funny script and soundtrack, the hack-and-slasher lacked variety, was too short on content, and wasn't good enough to "support its pedigree".
Dig into our list of the best action games to get your thrills.
