Don't Stop, Girlypop!

I went in expecting a gimmick wrapped in pink glitter, and I came out genuinely impressed by the core idea, even if the execution has some rough edges that are hard to ignore. Don't Stop, Girlypop! is a first-person arena shooter from Australian indie outfit Funny Fintan Softworks, built entirely around a single punishing rule: the faster you move, the more damage you deal and the more you heal. Stop moving and you are basically dead. It is that simple, that demanding, and at its best moments, that thrilling. The movement system, called Wave Hopping, chains a ground slam into a double jump into a dash to keep your speed multiplier climbing. Basic movement tops out at a 10x multiplier, while grappling and dashing push you into the 11x-13x range, with 15x as the theoretical ceiling. In practice, learning that rhythm takes real time, and the game does not always communicate the speed tiers clearly. When you hit a flow state, though, the whole thing clicks into something that feels genuinely kinetic and original. The arsenal is a highlight: you have a stake-firing sniper rifle, a magic wand that pulls objects toward you for hurling at enemies (a gravity-gun-style weapon), an uzi-style bubble gun where alt-fire plants pink bubbles you detonate with a single primary shot, and a three-round shotgun whose alt-fire launches a disco ball that you then shatter for a rain of shrapnel. Each weapon has a secondary function on a cooldown. The synergies between them are the best argument for sticking with the game past its roughest stretches. The art direction is the other thing nobody else is doing. The maximalist Y2K aesthetic, loud bubblegum-pink arenas, FMV cutscenes delivered through an in-game flip phone, and a hyperpop soundtrack that critics broadly agreed was catchy enough to get stuck in your head for days. There is also cosmetic weapon customization: rhinestones, leopard print, ribbons. None of it changes gameplay, all of it commits to the bit. If the vibe lands for you, it lands hard. If it does not, nothing about the design will convert you. A useful accessibility menu lets you dial down particle effects, which has the side effect of also making the game easier to read in combat. That is a genuine design tension the game never fully resolves. Here is where the honest accounting has to happen. The campaign runs roughly four hours. There are no extra modes, no endless waves, no challenge runs after credits roll. Some of the weapons feel underpowered compared to the shotgun and sniper combo, with the SMG and magic wand trailing off significantly in the mid-to-late game. Wall running feels clunky compared to games that have made it a signature mechanic. Enemy readability suffers when the screen is at full-effects spectacle mode, and certain rooms devolve into wave-after-wave encounters that drag on longer than the pacing can sustain. The story, told through flip-phone calls and villain monologues between levels, is thin, and the in-game dialogue interruptions are a consistent complaint across reviews. On the technical side, the 16GB RAM minimum is notably high for a game of this scope. Who is this for? Movement-shooter fans who want something visually unlike anything in their library right now, players who appreciate a short but focused campaign they can finish in a single session, and anyone who genuinely connects with the feminist-hyperpop identity the game wears without apology. If you need deep replayability, weapon balance, or a polished narrative, this is a harder sell. Treat it like a punchy arcade experience with extraordinary style ambitions and real heart behind it, and you will likely have a good time.

Alex · Scout Team

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