Dragami Games has announced that Lollipop Chainsaw RePOP will be releasing digitally on September 25 for PC via Steam, as well as for Microsoft Xbox Series X|S, Sony PlayStation 5 and Nintendo Switch consoles.

A physical worldwide release will be announced at a later date. The first trailer for RePOP showcases the game’s polished new graphics.

Lollipop Chainsaw RePOP was initially intended to be a remake of the 2012 hack-and-slash action game by Grasshopper Manufacture. However, likely due to cost and complexity, the plan shifted, and the game is now a remaster instead.

The original Lollipop Chainsaw, released for the PS3 and Xbox 360, is set in a high school on the West Coast of the United States. It follows Juliet Starling, an high school cheerleader who comes from a long line of zombie hunters.

On her 18th birthday, Juliet discovers a zombie outbreak at her school and must use her combat skills and trusty chainsaw to fight off the undead. The story begins with Juliet rushing to meet her boyfriend, Nick Carlyle, who gets attacked and bitten by zombies.

To save him from becoming a zombie, Juliet decapitates Nick and uses a magical ritual to keep his head alive. Nick’s disembodied head then becomes Juliet’s sidekick throughout the game, providing comic relief and support.

The game was quite niche due to its exclusive console release and absence of a PC version, but it eventually became a subtle cult classic, largely thanks to the thrills and fanservice provided by its attractive protagonist, Juliet, enticing costume outfits and her acrobatic move set.

According to Lollipop Chainsaw RePOP’s producer Yoshimi Yasuda, the upcoming remaster will preserve the original Lollipop Chainsaw’s script, scenario, and worldview while introducing quality-of-life improvements and new gameplay features.

Some specific changes mentioned include enhancements to battle mechanics, speed adjustments, and corrections to input timing for chainsaw combo attacks. Additionally, players can expect improvements in resolution, frame rate, and loading times, but that’s a given considering how the original game released over a decade ago.

The original game included DLC add-on content, with Japan receiving several costume outfits that were commercial tie-ins with esteemed franchises such as High School of the Dead, Deadman Wonderland, Is This a Zombie? and Manyuu Hikenchou. Unfortunately, these collaborative outfits as well as the original soundtrack will not be included in the remaster.

To compensate for this disappointment due to licensing issues, the original game had 28 different outfits, including pre-order bonuses specific to North America and Japan’s iconic DLC costumes. Excluding additional content, the game only had 19 outfits.

Lollipop Chainsaw RePOP plans to make up for this loss by providing players with 30 outfits in total, alongside four new hair colors and chainsaws, offering 750 different costume variations. All the original costumes, minus those that are copyrighted, will return.

Based on promotional imagery, none of the costumes appear to be censored or modified in any way, including the enticing “Sexy Seashell Bikini” which can be seen on the second row from the bottom on the far right, alongside various other outfits both old and new that are also suggestive.

Naturally, I’d still hold off on pre-ordering this game just yet. Despite the producer Yoshimi Yasuda’s assurances regarding the absence of censorship, nothing is guaranteed anymore.

Lollipop Chainsaw RePOP will release on the Nintendo Switch and Microsoft’s Xbox consoles, with Xbox being particularly notorious for opposing sex appeal and fanservice.

Given the missing content, such as some outfits and the original soundtrack, it’s wise to wait until the game’s release on September 25th to ensure there’s no modified (localized) dialogue or any form of day-one censorship patch which has become all too common in today’s landscape, the fact that the game will release digitally at first also does not bode well for this theory either.

Ideally, your best bet would be to purchase the game on PC as it will likely be modifiable to incorporate the original soundtrack, additional outfits, or even nude mods. I won’t judge.

Alongside the fact that this particular game will be releasing on all mainstream consoles, it would likely be censored in one way shape or form for Microsoft and Sony systems. And if it were to be censored upon release, you could always give the original game a whirl via emulation anyway.

All in all, with the new trailer and promotional imagery for the costume designs that haven’t been modified, this release is shaping up to be as faithful a remaster as possible within the limitations of Dragami Games.