Square Enix's Foamstars to Arrive as PS Plus Monthly Free Title on February 6, Will Reportedly Include AI Art

Foamstars, Square Enix's Splatoon-like 4v4 online party shooter announced last year, is coming next month. The PlayStation exclusive will release February 6 as a day-one launch title on PS Plus, Sony and Square Enix confirmed Tuesday. The game will be available to download for free on PS5 and PS4 as part of the PlayStation Plus Monthly Games lineup for next month, starting February 6 through March 4. Foamstars was announced at a PlayStation Showcase in May last year, showing off soapy shooting and colourful characters, both heavily inspired by Nintendo's Splatoon games. A PS Plus release will likely attract more players to the multiplayer title in its early days.

PlayStation Plus subscribers will be able to redeem, download and play Foamstars at no extra cost. As with all free PS Plus monthly games, the Square Enix shooter, once redeemed, can be accessed beyond February as long as players hold on to their PS Plus membership, the publisher confirmed in its blog announcing the release date. After its PS Plus run, Foamstars will be available to buy on the PlayStation Store for $29.99 (roughly Rs. 2,494), starting March 5. Bear in mind, the multiplayer-only title would still require a PS Plus subscription for online play.

Ahead of Foamstars' release, Square Enix also confirmed that the party shooter will include some AI-generated art. Foamstars producer Kosuke Okatani told VGC recently that the developers had used Midjourney, a popular generative AI-based image generation tool, to create some art for in-game icons. “AI was used in the creation of the in-game album covers for the music featured in the FOAMSTARS' soundtrack. As developers, we're always looking at new technologies to see how they can assist with game development,” Square Enix later clarified to the publication.

Okatani said that major bulk of the game, including its core gameplay elements, was hand-crafted by the developers, adding that AI-generated content in the game amounted for “0.01 percent or even less.” This confirmation follows a company-wide New Year's letter from Square Enix president Takashi Kiryu, claiming that AI had the potential to reshape video games and the ways they are created. “We also intend to be aggressive in applying AI and other cutting-edge technologies to both our content development and our publishing functions,” the letter went on to say.

Foamstars will launch with three PvP modes — Smash the Star, Happy Bath Survival (both previously released in the Foamstar Open Beta Party), and the newly announced Rubber Duck Party. Smash the Star will require teams to foam up and take down the opposing team and get to their Star Player. Once seven players from a team have been defeated, the highest performer on that team will receive gameplay buffs and will be named the Star Player. Taking down the other team's Star Player will result in an instant win.

Happy Bath Survival mode splits up the two teams, keeping half inside the play arena and half outside it. Those inside engage in head-on battles, while outside team members provide defensive support. The new Rubber Duck Party mode will require players to take possession of a rubber duck at the centre of the stage. Climbing aboard the duck will make it advance towards the opponent's goal. The team that crosses the line first wins. Each of these 4v4 modes include three maps, which will be randomized during matchmaking.

Additionally, Foamstars will also include a single-player PvE mode called Missions, which will include both solo and four-player co-op experiences. The Missions mode will dole out more information on Foamstars characters, allow players to experiment with their abilities, and take on waves of enemies with friends.

Sqaure Enix confirmed that Foamstars will receive free themed seasonal updates over the span of one year. These would include cosmetics, playable characters, maps, and additional game modes. Additionally, each new season will include an optional Premium Season Pass priced at $5.99 (roughly Rs. 498).

Foamstars will arrive as a PS Plus launch title on February 6 across PS4 and PS5.