Maiden Cops Review (XSX)
Summary: Overall Maiden Cops is a serviceable game for a Beat ‘em up as long as you don't expect anything revolutionary you should have a more than pleasant time. It's also a short game with only 6 levels meaning it does not waste your time and a play through can be done normally within 1-2 hours. The Pixel art is well done if you can handle the fan service characters you should enjoy this game.
3.5
Pleasent Beat 'em up
With the recent uptick in Retro Pixel art style games, how does one stand out? Well, for EastAsiaSoft, it was making the characters busty monster girls. While not everyone’s cup of tea (mine included), it does make the game stand out. But does Maiden Cops have anything more than fan service to entice you to play? Well, let’s find out.
Story
Maiden Cops, like most beat ‘em ups, has a simple story and premise. The secret organization ‘The Liberators’ is trying to take over Maiden City. All that stands in their way are the three Cops of the city (which seems a bit unfair). The story is conveyed in nice animated cutscenes. But for those who don’t care as much about the story and want to get back to the punching and kicking, an option to skip cutscenes is available
Gameplay
Maiden Cops is a 16-bit style beat ‘em up in the same vein as classics like Streets of Rage, Final Fight, and TMNT Turtles in time. With that comes all the highs and lows of a genre that struggles to innovate. Maiden Cops is no different in that regard; despite a different look, you still have all the same tropes. The three playable characters follow the pattern of the small, quick character with weak attacks, the slow, strong one, and the balanced character.
What Maiden Cops does give you is the ability to block attacks, which becomes more useful in later levels and adds a dimension that a lot of older and new beat ‘em ups miss.
When it comes to the enemies, do not expect much more than the usual styles or repeating enemies. Even when gender and creature-swapped, this beat ‘em up offers nothing new to the formula as you will soon become well versed with the patterns and looks of enemies.
To help you along the way, there are a variety of useful items that happen to be hiding in convenient places like under crates and in bins. These items range from crowbars, to knives, bats and the occasional revolver. Alongside health items like food and energy drinks and items that gain you points and 1-ups.
The final piece of the game is the power-up moves, which, if you are using a controller, use the two shoulder buttons. These work very nicely and don’t take much of your health when used. The system is also not spammable so it gives a good balance between use and not being too OP.
Visual and Audio
Visually, Maiden Cops shines. Regardless of your opinion on fan-service-style character designs, the rest of the pixel art is vibrant and has a lot of time and detail. It gives the game a distinct style that carries throughout the game. The character sprites are large and detailed with no ghosting even during larger movements. The game has a decent soundtrack and sound effects, and nothing becomes too overbearing and annoying. Additionally, for those who want to get the retro look down, you can also play with a CRT overlay and borders. It does add a certain retro charm but I personally think the pixel art looks better without the overlay.
Final thoughts?
Overall, Maiden Cops is a serviceable beat ’em up. As long as you don’t expect anything revolutionary, you should have a more than pleasant time. It’s also a short game with only six levels, meaning it doesn’t waste your time and a playthrough can be done normally within one to two hours. The pixel art is well done, and if you can handle the fan service characters, you should enjoy this game.
Related Posts
Ninja Gaiden: Ragebound (XSX) Review →
Nacon Revolution X Unlimited Review – The Apex of Controllers? →
Gex Trilogy XSX Review →
