They say that imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. In that case, Nintendo’s Splatoon franchise should be blushing scarlet red as Foamstars, a new PS5 game included in the PlayStation Plus monthly lineup, wears its influence on its sleeve.
Available from today (Feb. 6) to PlayStation Plus members at any tier level (Essential, Extra or Premium) Foamstars is described as a “4v4 online party shooter” and is clearly hoping to mimic the success of Rocket League and Fall Guys, which also launched via PlayStation’s online subscription service in 2015 and 2020, respectively.
The basic concept of Foamstars is simple, you select a character from a quirky cast and enter a neon-lit arena to battle against an opposing team. Winning a match involves eliminating enemy combatants with an arsenal of foam-spouting weaponry, and you can also coat pretty much every surface you find in foam to surf across the arena in style.
Foamstars looks pretty familiar
Ever since Foamstars' debut reveal in spring 2023, the game has been drawing comparisons with Splatoon. It's not hard to see why either. Swap foam for ink, and you’ve pretty much got the core gameplay loop of Splatoon. This hugely popular shooter series debuted on Nintendo Wii U in 2015 and was most recently updated in 2022’s Splatoon 3 on Nintendo Switch.
Foamstars producer Kosuke Okatani lamented that “it’s a completely different game” in an interview with VGC last month but the similarities between the two games are pretty hard to gloss over. But when you consider that the ink-based shooter is exclusive to Nintendo consoles, Foamstars could be well-positioned to fill a void for PS5 owners.
Foamstars is also an online-only experience without any form of single-player. Several games of this ilk have debuted via PlayStation Plus to great success, including the aforementioned RC car soccer game and zany bean-centric battle royale, so Foamstars could be set to become the next hugely popular online experience on PlayStation.
Jump into Foamstars right now
If you have an active PlayStation Plus membership, you can download Foamstars from the PlayStation Store and it’s playable on both PS5 and PS4.
You have until March 4 to claim the game, and once you’ve added it to your game library it’s yours to keep so long as your PS Plus subscription remains active. So, be sure to claim it even if you don’t have time to get stuck in right now. You might want to circle back and give Foamstars a shot at a later date.
Foamstars is the headline act of February’s PlayStation Plus lineup, but the other two picks are worth checking out as well. Rollerdrome is an arcade indie that mixes Tony Hawk-style skating with fast-paced shooting, while Steelrising is a Dark Souls-inspired action RPG set during the French Revolution that offers tough combat and rewarding exploration.
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