The first-person shooter arena has long functioned as a fortified masculine stronghold. Demographics for the genre remain disproportionately male-centric, a trend often attributed to toxic online environments, hyper-violence, or the statistical reality that ballistic enthusiasts skew male. Yet, this divide is also a product of cyclical reinforcement. Because the prevailing wisdom dictates that shooters are “for the boys,” developers frequently lean into aggressive machismo as a primary marketing pillar. It stands to reason that women aren’t inherently averse to the mechanical satisfaction of a shooter; rather, the genre’s very architecture often feels designed to alienate them.
Don’t Stop, Girlypop! arrives to dismantle this status quo with a glitter-coated sledgehammer. The debut title from Australian outfit Funny Fintan Softworks feels like the sort of high-octane, experimental project one might find under the Devolver Digital umbrella. It is a kinetic, visceral romp that shares its DNA with Doom, yet it swaps scorched-earth hellscapes for a vibrant Y2K fever dream. Instead of guttural heavy metal, players are propelled by a high-tempo saccharine pop score. It’s a defiant, pink-hued declaration: Hell yeah, sister.
By subverting established conventions, Don’t Stop, Girlypop! forces a necessary conversation: why does a feminine-coded shooter still feel like a radical act of rebellion in 2026? It possesses the same mechanical polish and adrenaline-fueled loops as its “gritty” contemporaries. The game suggests that if a pink coat of paint feels transgressive, it’s only because we’ve allowed the alternative to become an unchallenged default.
Players step into the boots of Imber, a celestial being tasked with dismantling a predatory mining conglomerate’s apocalyptic agenda. Equipped with a devastating shotgun and a bedazzled flip phone, Imber tears through linear environments, neutralizing mechanized threats with the “power of love”—which, in this context, is a euphemism for high-velocity ballistics. Don’t Stop, Girlypop! cleverly rebrands genre tropes, using playful terminology and whimsical items to mask its traditional foundations. Strip away the aesthetic, and you have a pure “boomer shooter” core: clearing arenas of hostiles and hunting for color-coded keycards to progress.
The gameplay loop mirrors the frantic joy found in indie darlings like Ultrakill or Warhammer 40,000: Boltgun. The opening act is particularly transcendent, tossing the player into a fray of fragile drones that serve as perfect fodder for the shotgun. Upon impact, enemies disintegrate into a kaleidoscope of particles, making the weaponry feel more like an arcane scepter than a firearm. The visual feedback is unapologetically maximalist; your targeting reticle is a glowing heart, and victories are punctuated by bursts of sparkles rather than gore. It’s a fascinating stylistic experiment. If we celebrate the visceral excess of Doom: Eternal, then the Lisa Frank-inspired explosions here are equally valid. It’s all about the thrill of the spectacle.
As the campaign unfolds, the complexity escalates. The shotgun features a secondary fire that deploys bubbles to amplify incoming shots, while an SMG coats adversaries in volatile pink orbs. These reinterpretations of snipers and explosive launchers feel perfectly integrated into the game’s exuberant identity. Even the customization options—allowing for stickers and textures reminiscent of 90s stationery—reinforce the theme.
Everything moves at a blistering pace. Girlypop is a momentum-driven experience where speed is life. Imber’s damage output and regenerative capabilities are tied to her velocity, encouraging a playstyle of constant jumping, dashing, and grappling. For players with the requisite dexterity, firefights become a rhythmic, high-skill dance. However, it’s worth noting that the game’s accessibility features feel somewhat sparse, which is a missed opportunity for a title aiming to welcome a historically underserved demographic.
Why have we been denied shooters that look and sound like this when the result is so undeniably fun?
While the initial rush is potent, the game eventually settles into an “adrenaline plateau.” The later, more protracted encounters can feel slightly exhausting, aggravated by a cluttered UI that makes tracking health a challenge. Occasional platforming segments also disrupt the flow, echoing similar pacing issues found in Doom: Eternal. While it attempts to vary the formula—such as a mission that channels the rhythm-based mechanics of Metal: Hellsinger—the core joy remains in the simple, early-game carnage. This is a common trait among high-speed shooters.
Despite these minor lulls, Girlypop feels essential. From the first boot-up, it feels like gaining access to an exclusive, impossibly cool club. The bold use of color—hues usually reserved for ironic weapon skins in other games—is handled with genuine confidence. The Y2K aesthetic breathes new life into tired tropes; even receiving mission briefings via a flip phone feels oddly refreshing. The soundtrack, a collection of bouncy, energetic pop, acts as a digital personal trainer, keeping the energy high. It is an unapologetic celebration of feminine energy that effectively rewrites the genre’s lexicon.
Playing Girlypop triggered a nostalgic memory of 1998, when The Powerpuff Girls debuted. It was a formative moment in the “Girl Power” era—a show that featured heroines who could appreciate a pretty dress while simultaneously pulverizing monsters. It wasn’t a joke or an ironic subversion; it was a sincere assertion that femininity and strength were not mutually exclusive. Decades later, Girlypop poses that same question to a gaming industry that often behaves as though “girly” things are still a threat to its serious image.
Ultimately, Don’t Stop, Girlypop! is about insurgence. This theme is woven through its infectious title track and its narrative, as Imber rebels against a corporate overlord who demands her compliance. In a striking late-game shift, the upbeat atmosphere curdles; the world darkens, and the pop themes mutate into the dark metal typical of the genre’s “gritty” roots. It feels like the genre itself is trying to reassert control, terrified of the inclusive potential Girlypop represents.
Even if it doesn’t perfect every moment, the impact of this game is undeniable. Perhaps in a decade, when the genre’s player base is more diverse thanks to a new wave of inclusive design, we will look back at Girlypop as the catalyst that finally kicked the doors open.
Don’t Stop, Girlypop! is available now on Windows PC. This review was conducted on Windows PC and Steam Deck via a code provided by Funny Fintan Softworks.
Source: Polygon
