When Lollipop Chainsaw was released, it was met with a wave of criticism for being rooted in pure exploitation. It's easy to see why. This is, after all, a game based around a barely legal cheerleader hacking up zombies with a chainsaw while sucking on lollipops (hence the title), and the opening cinematic of the game is a slow pan up main character Juliet Starling’s body intercut with shots of her doing yoga as she announces that it's her 18th birthday. The exploitation is there, and on the surface, it's the focus of the game.

But here's the thing: Lollipop Chainsaw is a lot smarter than it looks.