Lollipop Chainsaw 2 Revives the Cheerful Zombie-Slaying Action of the Original

More than 14 years after the release of the zombie hack-and-slash title, Juliet the undead slayer is back with an official sequel. While some key figures from the original, like James Gunn and Goichi Suda, aren’t involved this time around, the new game manages to capture a familiar vibe, at least on the surface.

After getting some hands-on experience with the playable build of Lollipop Chainsaw 2: Back2Back at the Tokyo Game Show, it’s wise to keep your expectations in check for this long-awaited sequel. It’s still too early to determine if another Lollipop Chainsaw was truly necessary.

Lollipop Chainsaw 2: Back2Back is being developed by Nada Holdings and Dragami Games, the latter of which also worked on the 2024 remaster, Lollipop Chainsaw Repop. Additionally, JP Games, led by former Square Enix executive and Final Fantasy 15 director Hajime Tabata, is on board. The original scenario writer Masahiro Yuki and artist Nekoshogun are also returning for this sequel.

According to the PlayStation Store description, Juliet will find herself back in the town of San Romero, now transformed into “Jaredwood,” a bustling metropolis focused on the film industry. “Trapped in a distorted zombie movie world by a mysterious director, Juliet must team up with her friends to uncover the conspiracy behind the chaos and confront the looming threat of corrupt zombies,” the description reveals.

The early build of Lollipop Chainsaw 2 is available at the Sega/Atlus booth at TGS, providing a brief taste of gameplay. Much of the action feels reminiscent of the original, with Juliet using a mix of cheerleading moves and chainsaw slashes to dispatch slow-moving zombie hordes. Some animations are quite entertaining; Juliet can don roller skates to zip through groups of the undead, and she can use her chainsaw to propel herself forward by jamming the blade into the ground, slicing through anything in her way. However, the camera can be erratic, zooming in dramatically on cinematic kills, which, while almost effective, highlights the game’s early development stage.

Strangely, the demo lacks any voiceover work. Aside from a few zombie groans, neither Juliet, her boyfriend Nick (who returns as a severed head), nor the Barbie-inspired boss Zorbie have any dialogue. This absence makes the demo feel somewhat lifeless and repetitive, but there’s potential for improvement if the developers have enough time to refine the experience. Lollipop Chainsaw 2: Back2Back is set to launch sometime in 2027, so there’s still time for enhancements.

Lollipop Chainsaw 2: Back2Back is confirmed for PlayStation 5.