How is Foamstars Different from Splatoon?

Foamstars is a cute, cartoony-looking foam shooter that was announced at the 2023 PlayStation Showcase for PS4 and PS5. Players are put into two teams and play in a 4v4 turf war. Many have noticed the similarities to Splatoon, but how is Foamstars different from Splatoon?

Splatoon vs Foamstars

Producer at Square Enix, Kosuke Okatani, said in a blog after the trailer released that the foam has additional uses beyond enemy attack and that it can be used to build up vantage points or barricades to add difficulty for the enemy team. While there isn’t a lot of information about the game, this was one big difference that was present in the trailer that could have easily been missed. You see the pink and blue-haired champion battling another champion on top of a blue mountain of foam which shows a peek of what’s possible with building up the foam, but probably not the full extent of how it can be used.

The art style of the characters and maps displayed in the video are more of an anime style than the 3D cartoon style shown in Splatoon.

The Similarities

The overall feel of Foamstars feels very similar to Splatoon. They utilize bright team colors for the foam colors much like the Splatoon ink. It is also more family-friendly with the use of bubbles instead of dangerous ammo just like ink in the Splatoon series. Even the main idea of the game, where you have two teams attempting to cover the terrain with their color the most, is identical.

The trailer also shows tools the champions have that allow them to move more quickly on the foam. You will see players moving at normal speed while shooting their foam guns and then hopping on a board to surf the bubbles. This is similar to Splatoon’s ink helping your team move faster on your color ink’s terrain.