Maiden Cops is very much the definition of self-explanatory. The name of the game immediately gives away what it’s about (i.e. female police officers) and the most cursory of glances at a screenshot or video of the game will immediately tell any seasoned retro gamer just what’s in store for them in Maiden Cops, namely, a good old-fashioned side-scrolling arcade-style beat ‘em up like the ones we all loved so much back in the day. In fact, with the likes of The Takeover, TMNT: Shredder’s Revenge, Streets of Rage 4, and Final Vendetta, the genre has been experiencing something of a renaissance in recent years, and believe it or not, despite being a budget title, Maiden Cops can pretty much hold its own alongside these recent retro-style classics.

For a start, Maiden Cops boasts some truly gorgeous anime-style pixel art, which tells the game’s story via comic book style stills with speech bubbles, a device that works really well, allowing Maiden Cops’ story to be told without unnecessarily slowing down the beat ‘em up action. One thing worth  noting about the game’s graphics (not that you could miss it!) is that the  titular Maiden Cops’ heaving bosoms are bursting out all over the place, so it’s perhaps not a game for the prudish, and it does sometimes feel as though the game’s artists have had a little too much fun animating all the jiggling, if you see what we mean, though despite this, the game never crosses a line into being inappropriately sexual or seedy. And if we’re honest, most  women in beat ‘em ups have been on the scantily dressed side, so it’s arguably an appropriate style of dress  for the genre, and one could even make the argument that Maiden Cops is actually a triumph of feminism, as there are very few games that offer an all-female roster of playable characters, and each of the Maiden Cops can more than hold her own against the evil-doers they encounter.

In the game, you have three Maiden Cops to choose from, each sporting their own unique look, as well as packing their own special move and fighting style, so there really is more to each of the Maiden Cops than just great looking pixel art!

Indeed, not only is Maiden Cops a sumptuous feast for the eyes, but it also plays very well indeed, with tight controls and gorgeous, slick animation. You’ll find beat ‘em up staples along the way to help you in your beating up endeavors, such as knives and baseball bats, and food to replenish energy, but there are also some rather more unusual, but endearing collectibles to pick up as well as the  tasty treats and deadly weapons, such as teddy bears and toy cop cars, which adds something a little different to the usual beat ‘em up formula.

Maiden Cops is the latest release from the budget indie publisher Eastasiasoft, whose game Tiny Pixels Vol. 2: Stormy Knights we recently reviewed and enjoyed, and Maiden Cops is yet another great value budget title from the publisher. This time, courtesy of developers Pippin Games, who describe themselves as “an independent game studio that specializes in creating casual to mid-core games with exciting themes,” adding that “our team is passionate about video games, anime, and manga, which drives our creativity and fuels our games.” Maiden Cops certainly shows off the developers’ love of anime and manga to a great extent, perhaps bringing to mind 80s anime classics such as Project A-Ko. Maiden Cops was previously released on Steam last year, where it currently boats “very positive” reviews, and it began patrolling the streets on consoles today (July 30^th, 2025), when it was released on PlayStation 4&5, Nintendo Switch Japan/Asia only), Xbox One, and Xbox Series X|S (version reviewed). If you’re a fan of the side scrolling beat ‘em up genre,  and you’re looking for something new to play, you could do far worse than splashing out a few bucks on Maiden Cops, We’re sure you’ll enjoy it, and the game’s chunky anime-style pixel art graphics and the old-school arcade beat ‘em up mechanics truly are a match “Maiden” heaven!

So, if you’re a fan of retro-style arcade beat ‘em up action, why not pound the streets over to the Microsoft Store, PlayStation Store or Nintendo eshop (Japan) right now to help the Maiden Cops kick, punch and throw crime and conspiracy out of their city once and for all?