Lollipop Chainsaw 2 Officially Revives the Zombie-Slaying Cheerleader Franchise

Over fourteen years after the debut of the cult-classic zombie hack-and-slash title Lollipop Chainsaw, our favorite undead slayer, Juliet, is finally making her triumphant return in an official sequel. While visionary industry heavyweights from the original installment—most notably DC Studios co-chief James Gunn and Grasshopper Manufacture’s Goichi Suda—are not attached to this upcoming project, the sequel instantly evokes a sense of nostalgic familiarity in both its aesthetic and overall tone, at least on the surface.

Having spent some hands-on time exploring the playable build of Lollipop Chainsaw 2: Back2Back at this week’s Tokyo Game Show, players would be wise to temper their expectations for this long-awaited continuation. Frankly, it remains a bit too early to determine whether a brand-new entry was genuinely necessary.

Lollipop Chainsaw 2: Back2Back is a joint production spearheaded by Nada Holdings and Dragami Games, the latter of which also handled the 2024 remaster, Lollipop Chainsaw Repop. The development roster also boasts the talents of JP Games, an independent studio steered by former Square Enix executive and Final Fantasy 15 director Hajime Tabata. Furthermore, original scenario writer Masahiro Yuki and artist Nekoshogun have both returned to lend their talents to the sequel.

Image: JP Games/Dragami Games, Nada Holdings

What is Lollipop Chainsaw 2 about?

According to the official PlayStation Store synopsis for Lollipop Chainsaw 2: Back2Back, Juliet finds herself heading back to the town of San Romero, which has since been transformed into “Jaredwood”—a sprawling metropolis entirely consumed by the film industry. The official narrative blurb explains: “Trapped in a distorted zombie movie world by a mysterious director, Juliet must join forces with her friends to uncover the conspiracy hidden behind the chaos and stop the looming threat of corrupt zombies.”

The early vertical slice available at the Sega/Atlus TGS booth offers a brief yet telling taste of the core loop. Mechanically, the combat closely mirrors the original game, tasking Juliet with chaining acrobatic cheerleading maneuvers alongside brutal chainsaw arcs to obliterate shambling hordes. Some of the traversal animations are delightfully absurd; Juliet can strap on roller skates to glide seamlessly through masses of the undead, or plunge her chainsaw directly into the pavement to rocket herself forward, shredding any unfortunate creature in her wake. That said, the in-game camera can be erratic, aggressively and clumsily snapping in during cinematic takedowns. While the intended stylistic flair is obvious, this erratic framing ultimately underscores the raw, unfinished state of the current build.

Even more jarring is the complete absence of voice acting throughout the current demo. Aside from the occasional groans and moans of the undead, neither Juliet, her perpetually severed boyfriend Nick, nor the grotesque, Barbie-esque boss known as Zorbie utter a single word. Consequently, the demo occasionally feels hollow and repetitive, though it undeniably hints at immense potential should the developers receive adequate time to refine the experience. Lollipop Chainsaw 2: Back2Back is currently scheduled to launch sometime in 2027, leaving the team plenty of runway for polish.

Lollipop Chainsaw 2: Back2Back has been officially confirmed for release on the PlayStation 5.