Foamstars, Square Enix’s foam-based third-person shooter, has arrived on PlayStation and PC. This Splatoon-inspired multiplayer title pits teams of four against each other in soapy combat. At launch, Foamstars has eight characters, seven of which are available to you right off the bat. The eighth character, Mel T, is locked behind the premium version of Foamstars battle pass. Each Foamstar has their own weapon, along with two normal abilities and one ultimate ability, which can be used to coat your enemies in foam and send them packing. Here’s how Foamstar’s starting roster stacks up.
8. Jet Justice
Jet Justice takes the bottom spot on this list, primarily due to his main weapon. It’s effectively a shotgun and its normal firing mode is fine, but has limited range. However, the charged shot shoots a giant foam ball in a rolling line. This attack can be effective, since it does a ton of damage, but most maps have many obstacles and changes in elevation, which makes it incredibly difficult to find a clean line in which you can hit people with it.
His Jet Vacuum Sphere ability pulls enemies into a single point, making them easier to shoot, but not dealing damage itself. His ultimate ability is the Galactic Bubble Shield, a large dome shield that blocks enemy foam. It’s a decent ultimate ability, but Jet Justice’s defensive abilities don’t really work well in Foamstars, since most modes reward more offensive play.
7. Rave Breaker
Rave Breaker has a decent set of abilities, but both his primary weapon and his ability kit are too similar to another Foamstar that is more powerful. His primary weapon functions similar to a firehose, shooting a continuous stream of foam with a short range. This weapon deals a ton of damage, but is easily blocked by high foam stacks. His Home in the Foam ability lets him dive into the foam and move around quickly, but instead of dealing damage when he pops out, he clears the foam in the area, which isn’t always advantageous.
His Decontamination ability sends out a mine that hides in the foam until an enemy approaches it, exploding, dealing damage and clearing foam. Rave Breaker’s ultimate ability The Party’s Over, sends out a rolling attack, which sucks in enemies and clears foam. It doesn’t deal as much damage as other ultimate attacks, but it does set enemies up for an easy elimination.
6. Agito
Agito is focused on close-range combat, with a powerful shotgun as his main weapon. It has a pretty high spread, but the amount of foam it puts out is incredibly high, although you really need to get in close to be effective. His Deep Blue Gank ability lets him dive under the foam and swim around like a shark. This move is incredibly effective for getting close, but if you hit an enemy, they get knocked back without taking damage. Considering Agito needs to be close-range to fight, knocking enemies back isn’t really helpful.
His other ability, Storm Shot 2EZ, throws a large shuriken, which explodes dealing heavy damage in an area. There are a ton of throwable explosive abilities, but Agito’s has some of the longest range in Foamstars. His ultimate ability THX GG spawns in a large shark named Kirimaru, which will track down enemies and deal damage. It does a ton of damage if it catches someone, but it has trouble getting over obstacles and can get stuck on occasion.
5. Tonix
Tonix is a medium-range attacker, who has multiple auto-attack focused abilities. Her rifle has two firing modes, a normal burst shot that sends foam over a medium-range and a charged shot that sends a bouncing explosive that deals damage on impact. The charge attack deals a ton of damage, but can be very difficult to aim, especially when enemies are moving quickly through the foam. Her Mr. Bouncy Bubble ability sends a bouncing bomb similar to the charge shot, but it tracks down enemies and explodes.
Her weakest ability is the Ms. Fizzy Turret III, which sets up a small turret gun that automatically shoots at nearby enemies. It has a pretty short range and deals decent enough damage, but its main flaw is that it can be destroyed by enemy foam very quickly, limiting its potential damage. Tonix’s ultimate ability is King Blaster XIII, which spawns in a giant robot, which shoots large cannons at nearby enemies.
4. The Baristador
The Baristador, who is unlocked for free at player level 3, has a long-range foam spray, similar to Rave Breaker’s, but with much more effective range. His gun deals a ton of damage and can reliably deal damage at long-range without sacrificing his short-range capabilities. His abilities are focused around creating large amounts of foam, which makes his damage output high, if a little difficult to aim.
His Bitter Drip ability creates an airstrike of foam, which lands in a straight line. It doesn’t have a large area of attack, but it does deal a ton of damage where it lands. His Super City Roast shoots forward, creating a path of foam before exploding. The path can be used to surf closer to the enemies, making it effective for path making. The Baristador’s Latte Art Royale ultimate ability is an orbital laser strike of foam, which you get to aim from a top down perspective.
3. Soa
Soa is a close-range fighter and the most agile Foamstar on the roster. Soa uses two close-range hand guns that deal a ton of damage upon impact. Her range on these isn’t amazing, but you can use her Bubble Step ability to get closer. This ability lets her do a flip in whatever direction you are moving, sending out a barrage of bubble blasts during the flip. Her fast movement and high damage output makes Soa difficult for most people to deal with at close range.
Her Spiky Beat ability is a large explosive, which sticks wherever it lands, even on walls. It has a massive explosive range and Soa can throw it incredibly far. Soa’s ultimate ability is Gotta Crush, which puts her in a spiky hamster ball that she can roll into enemies with. Taking damage shortens the duration of the ability, but Soa can’t get eliminated while using it. The main downside to this attack is that it moves pretty slow, making it difficult to catch enemies that can focus on avoiding you.
2. Penny Gwyn
Penny Gwyn operates at a medium range, but her incredible damage output makes her the second best Foamstar on the roster. Her rifle has high accuracy and can be charged to deal a larger amount of damage. This weapon does a ton of damage and is easy to aim with. Her Toboggan Bomb creates a foam path forward, dealing damage to enemies in its path.
Penny Gwyn’s Penguin Squad ability summons Waddler, her penguin, who shoots a barrage of foam in the direction it’s facing. While not the most accurate ability in the game, Waddler creates a large enough amount of foam that it’s useful, even if it’s not always hitting an enemy. Penny Gwyn’s ultimate ability is Emperor March, which spawns in a giant penguin that marches forward, knocking back enemies in its path, before exploding into a massive area.
1. Mel T
Mel T, who is locked behind the premium version of the battle pass, is the best Foamstar on the roster, thanks to her high damage output and easy to use abilities. Her primary weapon is a rocket launcher, which locks on to enemies and tracks them with homing missiles. Despite the fact that these rockets track enemies, they still deal a ton of damage on impact. Her Sweet Campaign ability summons Candy, who shoots a barrage of ice cream, which functions the same as foam.
Mel T’s Sumptuous Promo ability calls in an airstrike of foam at a particular point, dealing a ton of damage. She can send this ability from pretty far away, giving her extra range to deal damage. Lastly, Mel T’s ultimate ability, Force Beam Tasting, is the best in the game thanks to its ease of use and massive damage. Mel T aims a massive beam, which fires a large beam across the map, dealing damage to an enemy caught in it.