At its core, Bomb Rush Cyberfunk needs to remind you the way cool different video games have been. Particularly, Jet Set Radio, Jet Set Radio Future, and a tiny little bit of Tony Hawk’s Professional Skater. The issue is, by selecting nostalgia as its sole focus, Bomb Rush lacks an id of its personal – it solely jogs my memory of why I might quite play these different video games as a substitute.
Bomb Rush makes an attempt to proper one in every of Sega’s nice crimes: the 21 years we have gone with no new Jet Set Radio sport. For the uninitiated, Jet Set was an motion sports activities sequence that put you accountable for a gang of rollerbladers terrorizing the streets of Tokyo-to, tagging each floor flat sufficient to carry paint. You fought different gangs and the police for dominance over the town. Its placing cel-shaded graphics, unimaginable digital soundtrack, and basic finger on the heart beat of late ’90s and early aughts Japanese avenue tradition nonetheless make it a standout of Sega’s catalog – up there with the greats of the time, similar to Rez, Seaman, and House Channel 5.
Understanding this affect means understanding Bomb Rush. It’s also an motion sports activities sport that places you accountable for a gang of rollerbladers (and skate boarders and BMX riders) terrorizing the streets of, on this case, New Amsterdam, tagging each floor flat sufficient to carry paint. In reality, you’ll be able to simply copy and paste the entire above, and it immediately applies to Bomb Rush. It is both an extremely earnest homage or a blatant copycat with few new concepts of its personal. I are likely to lean in direction of the latter.
This is not to say there aren’t areas the place the sport shines. Primarily, it is enjoyable if completely senseless. Motion sports activities video games are about momentum, and tricking by New Amsterdam’s quite a few ranges racking up million-plus-point combos feels fluid and pure. The tagging mechanic, which stops the circulate for a brief drawing-based minigame, provides a little bit of flare. And I favored swapping between completely different gang members to experiment with the skateboard and BMX methods.
Alternatively, it by no means pushes the participant. The dearth of a stability meter is clear (which, to be truthful, additionally wasn’t in Jet Set Radio, however however), that means you’ll be able to grind or handbook with none talent. Tricking round is enjoyable, however after eight hours of taking part in, I not often needed to really take into consideration what I used to be doing on-screen by the tip. That is exacerbated by the actual fact each stage has kind of the identical mission construction – tag an space, beat a rival gang in a combo contest, keep away from cops or struggle them with unhealthy fight, rinse, and repeat. It is monotonous after a bit. However that is modified up in end-stage ranges that function dream sequences that push the participant’s skills, that are among the greatest elements of the sport.
By copying Jet Set’s complete aesthetic, which, because of cel-shading, has aged fantastically, Bomb Rush pops off the display screen. Its soundtrack is nice, too, although its small playlist means you may be listening to even your favourite tracks completely an excessive amount of. Hideki Naganuma – of Jet Set fame – additionally has a number of songs right here; unsurprisingly, they’re rad.
However my greatest subject with Bomb Rush is simply this: as of this sentence, I’ve used the phrases “Bomb Rush” and “Jet Set” an equal variety of occasions. That is as a result of you’ll be able to’t discuss Bomb Rush with out speaking about its inspirations.
It appears Bomb Rush’s grandest aspiration is making the participant say, “Hey, wasn’t Jet Set Radio cool?” And yeah, that sport was cool. I really like Jet Set Radio. I want I had spent my time replaying that as a substitute.
I feel this can be a basic drawback with the pattern of nostalgia-focused media; by being so obsessive about wanting you to recollect how nice one thing else was, it lacks an precise id of its personal. Bomb Rush would not really feel like one thing new, distinctive, and earnest like Jet Set did when it got here out 20 years in the past. It seems like another person’s higher concepts have been recycled right into a spinoff and unimaginative product. Bomb Rush would not add something new to the dialog. It would not need to make new reminiscences – it is the man in your good friend group who’s nonetheless obsessive about speaking about highschool. Now and again, I nonetheless boot up Jet Set Radio. I can not think about I am going to do the identical for Bomb Rush.
This can be a disgrace as a result of there is a enjoyable sport right here – it is simply trapped in a hole shell. Its remaining sin is having a depressing story hardly even value mentioning. It is boring and unhealthy; we are able to go away it at that. There’s room for video games that need to recapture some outdated glory – to remind you the way cool video games was once – however to try this, it’s important to add one thing new to the dialog. Neon White is a good instance of a sport that did this proper. Bomb Rush is not inquisitive about including something new. It simply needs to have the identical conversations we have been having for years. Jet Set Radio was cool. Go play that as a substitute.
