Maiden Cops is an upcoming brawler from Pippin Games, launching on Steam in the third quarter of 2024. At first glance, Maiden Cops looks like an interesting brawler but there seems to be more to it than just looks.
What if Tecmo’s Team Ninja worked with Sunsoft to create a brawler. I know that may sound like a weird team up but for some reason, playing the demo of Maiden Cops gives me a strong Sunsoft feel. I can’t really pinpoint it but their games usually had a certain feel to them – like controls and collision were almost just right. Key word being, almost.
The Tecmo connection should be easier for people to understand. Most of the characters in Maiden Cops are voluptuously designed. Their physics models are very similar to what Tecmo gave us in the Dead or Alive series.
I am not saying any of that is bad. Just something feels slightly off.
Graphically Maiden Cops is impressive. The viauls may feel a little washed out but the angles gave me the impression we are viewing the fighting through a security camera. Once I realized that, the slight blur made sense and was actually a kind of cool filter.
Would I prefer a sharper image? Sure, but for aesthetics, this was an interesting change of pace.
The only problem I really have with the demo is one I have with many brawlers. That is feel. It just doesn’t feel like the hits have any weight behind them.
This is something Final Fight by Capcom had in spades, the Streets of Rage franchise by Sega had it as well. Punches, kicks, everything had weight to it.
Little bits of additional animation here and there will go a long way.
Maiden Cops as it is right now is impressive. It is ahead of many other brawlers. I just hope they continue working on animation to give the attacks more weight.
Grab the demo on the Maiden Cops Steam page.
