Bomb Rush Cyberfunk is an immensely conflicting outing that capitalizes on nostalgia by drawing water from the identical punk-as-hell metropolis faucet as Jet Set Radio. Typically the cup runs over. Others, rusted pipes bleed into the water, poisoning the expertise.
Jet Set Radio casts a low-poly shadow over any sport about road tradition or graffiti—cel-shaded or not—and Bomb Rush Cyberfunk deserves higher than getting labeled as an imitator and getting hocked in some again alley vacationer entice with knockoff Gucci luggage and Rolex watches. However regardless of its effort to tag its personal turf, Bomb Rush finally ends up retreading previous floor and portray over tags left by the Dreamcast traditional and reigning king of the microgenre.
For these unaware, Jet Set Radio is a cult traditional from Sega’s ill-fated however fondly-remembered Dreamcast console, which launched in 1999. US-based readers could understand it as Jet Grind Radio, although later variations (just like the one discovered on Steam right this moment) go by its unique Japanese title. The cult traditional has gone on to affect counterculture and gaming alike due to its distinct sense of favor and singular understanding of Japanese road tradition within the late ’90s and early 2000s.
Its affect is so pervasive that even Nintendo took a couple of cues from its immutable fashion in creating Splatoon. Apart from PC, it is obtainable to play on trendy platforms solely by way of the soon-to-close Xbox 360 market, and it is by no means graced a Nintendo platform earlier than (minus the GBA de-make), so the mere existence of a sport like Bomb Rush on Swap is de facto thrilling as a result of, apart from a couple of minor variations, Jet Set Radio and Bomb Rush Cyberfunk share near-identical gameplay loops.
You’re a part of a crew of graffiti artists (or writers) whose purpose is to tag town’s varied boroughs together with your crew’s graffiti and in doing so, turn into the ruler of the streets. Spraying your tag entails a collection of directional prompts and efficiently tagging one thing may alert the police to your presence. Coping with the cops is difficult; they’re corrupt and trigger-happy. Wanting to take down you and your crew of vandals, they are going to use deadly pressure, so that you’ll must outrun them.
Bomb Rush introduces a couple of improvements to the system, although nothing that re-invents the urethane wheel. You’re not locked to skates; as a substitute you’re given the selection between BMX bikes, skateboards, and traditional skates. And, apart from a couple of story moments, you possibly can play as any of the characters within the Bomb Rush Crew.
The opposite main innovation right here is tagging; as a substitute of following the sport’s directional prompts, you’re in a position to determine from a couple of instructions to press that may lead to totally different pictures to throw up on the partitions of New Amsterdam. Totally different mixtures will lead to totally different work, although as a substitute of discovering them by yourself, you’ll be tasked with unlocking them after defeating rival crew members in varied forms of competitions designed to indicate off your expertise, road smarts, and pace.
In between tagging partitions, you may encounter a variety of diversions all through the sport’s 5 sprawling ranges. Mini-challenges that encourage you to high-five a set variety of little statues round every stage scatter New Amsterdam and offer you alternatives to unlock secret songs and new outfits for the playable characters. That’s the place one other innovation is available in: when the cops get sensible to your paint-spraying antics, you possibly can head to a rest room to vary your outfit and lose the warmth.
Ranges are additionally completely filled with miles upon miles of rails to grind on, making certain that even one thing so simple as going to the other facet of a stage to finish an goal turns into a sport inside itself as you get the possibility to attempt to construct up the largest combo you probably can by leaping from rail to rail, using on billboards and pulling off manuals to increase your string of fancy strikes. Pulling off a sick combo faucets into an unbeatable sense of momentum that deserves reward, however combos hardly ever really feel conclusive or significant until you’re within the midst of competing towards a CPU to get essentially the most factors. It’s completely baffling that the scoring system doesn’t monitor your factors in particular person sorties into Bomb Rush’s bustling boroughs. Even a score after finishing a stage or chapter could be good, however gamers are awarded no such factor on finishing a stage.
Simply as troublesome as it’s to debate Bomb Rush Cyberfunk with out additionally mentioning Jet Set Radio, it’s unattainable to carry up Bomb Rush with out additionally paying respect to its completely stellar soundtrack. Hideki Naganuma, the notoriously Household Man-obsessed composer whose work on Jet Set Radio performed a serious half in cementing its cult standing makes his triumphant return to creating lo-fi beats to skate to alongside a cypher of different newcomers, together with 2 Mello and GRRL. It’s exhausting to speak simply how spectacular this soundtrack is, however suffice it to say, it’s simply among the best of the 12 months and a worthy contender for among the best soundtracks of the Swap period. We’re positive to be listening to it for some time to come back.
Half-in-parcel with its audio design, Bomb Rush Cyberfunk is an absolute deal with to take a look at. Even on a day one, launch-edition Swap that’s seen scratches, falls, and dozens of strikes, Bomb Rush’s environments and colours pop off the display screen in handheld mode. From the pink mild district in Mataan to the intense yellow energy plant, every atmosphere boasts its personal distinct fashion and vibe and set of environmental challenges. We spent hours in every stage simply making an attempt to discover each nook and cranny within the sport’s sprawling ranges. It’s a disgrace it’s so exhausting to take screenshots whereas racking up a 90-trick combo. One standout facet past the stainless vibes seen in BRC’s environments is its graffiti. Every particular person piece oozes character with loads of totally different kinds on show. Artists are even credited individually for his or her work throughout the sport, which is a uncommon, refreshing contact.
In fact, with such excessive biog, busy environments, and the flexibility to fly by way of the sport’s ranges comes a couple of drawbacks and efficiency points. For essentially the most half, the sport simply drops a body or two, however going from space to space prompts painfully lengthy loading screens, even in comparison with the lengthy load screens you may discover in Tears of the Kingdom. Lengthy load instances are removed from Bomb Rush’s biggest tech subject, although. We encountered a number of full-on crashes that misplaced some progress and required us to re-open the sport, which exacerbated the lengthy load instances.
Conclusion
Regardless of how wonderful its soundtrack or sense of momentum could also be, there’s no shaking the sense that Bomb Rush Cyberfunk is in a race towards its personal sense of nostalgia. The sport rips, however most of the time it appears like that is as a result of Jet Set Radio ran earlier than it. That’s to not say it’s dangerous, however a part of what makes Jet Set Radio so enjoyable and distinctive is its uncooked originality. Bomb Rush Cyberfunk appears like a sequel in every part however title—for higher and for worse. For each banger in its soundtrack, there’s a second of jank or a sense that this sport hasn’t left 2000. Once more, it’s nonetheless a good time, however it’s missing that lightning-in-a-bottle really feel that JSR had. That’s completely wonderful, and for individuals who missed out on it, it will really feel a lot more energizing.
