Overview – developed by Pippin Games and published by Eastasiasoft, Maiden Cops is a side scrolling brawler set in Maiden City, a metropolis where monster girls and humans live in harmony. However, the peace is shattered when the Liberators, a criminal syndicate make their move to take over the city, with the Maiden cops deployed to stop them. This title is on all consoles (the Nintendo Switch version is Asian only), with a link to each version at the bottom of this review.
Disclaimer: before I get into the review, I would like to thank Eastasiasoft for providing the versions of Maiden Cops that were used for this piece. The provision of this software has not influenced the contents of this review, all thoughts and opinions contained within are my own. Please note, if you want to play Maiden Cops on Nintendo Switch, you will need an account for either the Japanese or Hong Kong region.
Now with the introductions out of the way, let’s get into the review, starting with the story. I will be covering the core experience of the game, with some of the secrets and special content covered briefly.
Story – In Maiden City, monster girls and humans live in harmony, with the Maiden Cops keeping the peace across the city. On what was meant to be a regular peaceful day, the peace is shattered by the Liberators, an underground crime syndicate who seek to take over the city. An explosion at the Maiden City Prison leads to the criminals getting free. To deal with this incident, the Maiden Cops Nina, Priscilla and Meiga are deployed to take the city back and bring the Liberators down.
Gameplay – Maiden Cops is a side scrolling brawler, with three playable characters to select from, making up the Maiden Cops squad. The cute crime stoppers are Nina Usagi, an agile bunny girl who uses roller blades and acrobatic strikes. Then there is Priscilla Slamander, a lizard girl that uses her tail and claws to deal damage to enemies. To round it out is Meiga Holstaur, the powerhouse of the trio who uses her raw power to use the environment to beat enemies down.
There are two game modes for this game, with Maiden Cops Classic, where two players will be able to go through the game together. There are three credits, with three extra lives per credit to try and clear all of the stages. Then there is Maiden Cops Arcade, where a single player has 5 lives to get as far as they can. When all lives are lost in arcade mode, the game will end and players will be able to sumbit their scores to the leaderboard.
As a brawler, the player moves through each of the areas, fighting waves of enemies that will attempt to take out the crime fighters. The Maiden cops have a pretty easy to use set of moves, featuring a standard combo attack string, the ability to block and grapple attacks. The standard combo for each character allows for big damage to be done. These basic skills are shared across all of the girls, with varied animations tied to the character.
Alongside the core skills of the girls, there is a super move system, offering three powerful attacks to wipe out the criminal horde. These super moves require the player to charge up a meter on screen, which will cause icons to light up next to the character portrait. Each of the three attacks use up the stored energy, dealing massive damage to the enemies struck. The amount of energy used varies, so it is important to decide what move to use in each encounter.
As the players make their way through the battles, there will be items that appear, either dropped by enemies or from breaking objects. Many of the items provide points, like accessories and even the underwear for the girls can be picked up. Then there are the food items, restoring lost health when picked up. Last are the weapons, which can deal heavy damage to enemies, but these have durability and will disappear when used up or thrown.
Each of the stages is made up of multiple segments, with a boss fight at the end of the final segment. These battles can be pretty challenging, as the boss will strike with devastating power. Within these encounters, the player will need to use all their skills to be able to avoid being defeated. The special moves will be most effective to fight these powerful foes, which can be charged up easily, as there will be minions that appear with the boss.
If the player loses all their health, they will lose a life before jumping back into the game. When the player respawns, they will have full energy to use their special moves to get into the action quickly. In the event that all lives are lost in Maiden Cops Classic, a credit can be used. If all credits are used, the player will be able to continue playing, but their score will freeze at that point. This makes it possible to clear the game in a single session, at a cost.
When the stage is cleared, if the player still has their score active, the results screen will appear. In this screen, the player will get bonus points based on various points, like enemies defeated and time between waves. Based on the score gained, players will get a medal based on the score earned, with bronze, silver and gold. These add a mild competitive element to multiplayer, pushing players to get the better score during 2 player.
Between stages and at points during them, there will be story cutscenes that push the narrative forward. These scenes are comedic and well made, offering players a humorous narrative that brings the world of Maiden Cops to life. The in-stage scenes are lively, with the character sprites showing their unique personalities. Whereas, the scenes that occur between stages are relatively static, with little animation for them.
There is a world map that will show all of the stages that the player can work through. As the player gets further into the game, each of the levels will be unlocked. When the players unlock stages, they will be able to jump to the cleared stages, allowing the player to quickly jump into the stage they stopped. This is good as it allows players to work through the game at their own pace, gaining as many points as possible to add to the total.
At the end of a play through for the game, players are given a results screen showing their performance during play. The score that they end the game with is then added to the bank, which can be used in the Maiden Shop. This is a special menu providing several bonuses for players to unlock, including images, costumes and more. There is also the inclusion of special awards, which are unlocked by fulfilling special requirements.
There is a lot of replay value in this release, as there are special unlocks that will change the way the game plays. Alongside the gallery features, with music and artworks that can be added, players can access a variety of game modifications. These will affect the way that the game plays, making it more chaotic when playing alone or with a partner. It will take a few attempts to unlock everything that game has to offer.
Now with the gameplay covered, it is time to discuss the other aspects of this release, starting with the controls.
Controls – as a brawler, there is a relatively standard control method, giving the game an arcade like feel. This emulates the 6 button setting, commonly used in arcades and by SEGA, which makes it perfect for using third party controllers. With remappable controllers, all players will be able to enjoy the game with their favourite pad. All of the inputs are responsive, reactive and feel great, especially with a Saturn controller or Arcade Stick.
Difficulty – this is a challenging game, but it is not the toughest arcade brawler out there. There are three difficulty settings, which will modulate the challenge on offer. The changes include the amount of super energy generated in battle, the number of credits to use and more. But with the ability to keep playing, the game can be beaten by players of all skill levels. The only flaw is one stage is an auto scroller, which is can feel unfair to some.
Presentation – visually, Maiden Cops is reminiscent of older arcade games, with bold sprites and colourful environments. All of the animations look very smooth, which are lively and have a charm to them. The stills for the load screens are amazing, with some amazing artwork and portraits, showing off the different characters. The sound ties all of the experience together, with a rocking soundtrack that works perfectly with each of the stages, the only thing missing is more voice work.
Final Thoughts – for many years I have been a fan of the arcade brawler, enjoying games like Final Fight, Streets of Rage and the various TMNT games. So when Maiden Cops was announced for console, I was very excited to jump into it. As a brawler it may feel basic, but there is a lot of depth with the combat and gameplay mechanics. There is a satisfying gameplay loop, with characters that have their own unique mechanics, personality and charm.
For players looking for a brawler with some meat on the bone, this has plenty to offer. The bonus content, replay value and general gameplay experience is well worth the price, especially as a budget arcade style brawler. There is a hefty amount of fanservice too, but this doesn’t get in the way of the experience. In general, I am more than happy to recommend this game, as it is perfect for fans of the brawler genre, offering chaotic fun for one player or a pair.
In the end, I give Maiden Cops a final score of 4.75/5. This arcade style brawler has a fun story, cute characters and lots of chaotic combat against monster girls, perfect for at home or on the go. There is lots to sink your teeth into, with plenty of challenges, unlocks and a global leaderboard for each platform to challenge. If you want to check this game out for yourself, a link to each version will be below.
Link to Nintendo Switch version (Japan)/(Hong Kong)
Link to PlayStation version (HERE)
Link to Xbox version (HERE)
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