Bomb Rush Cyberfunk

Bomb Rush Cyberfunk Review
Just Can’t Get Enuf of the Funk

Intro:
“Jet Grind Radio!” That title screen, those cel shaded graphics that looked like a cartoon world that I could control and wander in, that was the beginning of the appeal of a little cult classic game called, well, Jet Set Radio or Jet Grind Radio here in the states at the time. The Sega Dreamcast was home to a myriad of games that have gone on to be regarded as classics in video games. These were games that not only looked years ahead of their time in graphics, but also combined strong gameplay, well done and unique soundtracks, and fun stories. The Dreamcast library has survived in the fond memories of gamers well past the short lived console. Many of these regarded games experimented with ideas of what games could be and laid the groundwork for more modern experiences. Yet, many ideas from that era had been left in the past with Sega’s last console with fans like myself wanting, wishing even, for a sequel of some kind.

Over the years I’ve revisited Jet Set Radio many times for the fun and simple gameplay, the visuals that have stayed appealing to this day, and the soundtrack that lives on in my memory and the music library on my devices. To me, and many others, it was a timeless classic. There was a sequel in Jet Set Radio Future on the original Xbox in 2002, and a digital release on 360, PS3, and Steam sometime back, but otherwise the series was left to be forgotten while those that experienced it were left pining for more grind filled adventures.
Enter Team Reptile, a team that began making a name for themselves with a 2D game set in the art style of Jet Set titled Lethal League. The team’s influences were clear and when they showed the trailer for Bomb Rush Cyberfunk I don’t think I was alone in my excitement. The part of me that had waited since those teenage years playing Dreamcast came alive with anticipation. I’ll discuss the game’s story, gameplay, sound, and presentation further, but to say in brief before that gets started; I’m no longer waiting for a sequel to Jet Set, I’m waiting for a follow up to the incredible Bomb Rush Cyberfunk.


Story:
Starting as though it were an Elder Scrolls entry, the game begins in a jail with a prisoner. Players take control of Faux, a skater and freestyle graffiti artist, or writer as they are referred to in this world, who has been locked up for some reason. Any story with a jail deserves an exciting jail break of course. Another writer, Tryce shows up and aids in the efforts to bust Faux out of the slammer, yet things don’t go quite without a hitch. Faux suffers an injury on the way out and when the next scene starts up Tryce, along with the girl glued to her phone, Bel, greets the player who finds themselves as a cyborg with a red angular head and no memory of who they were. Taking on the name of Red the cyberborg skater agrees to help Tryce, Bel, and the rest of the Bomb Rush Cyberfunk crew tag their graffiti all over the city and establish themselves over the many other crews and go All City as he tries to solve the mystery inside himself and the imposing DJ Cyber, the man who attacked him on his way out of jail. This aspect of a driving narrative around the main cast is one element that helps to let BRC skate out ahead of JSR.
It’s a simple story that while not taking all the time it could to flesh out its full cast gives a good motive for the player and a backdrop for the adventure. The tale still managed to keep me interested through the use of story scenes and moments of dream-like gameplay teasing out the greater mystery of the cast and their ties to each other.


Gameplay:
Like with its inspiration, Bomb Rush Cyberfunk sets up an urban playground for the player to explore and shred through while tagging spots with their gang’s spray paint signatures. There are no mechanics to master for balancing on rails or management of spray can resources like the game’s spiritual predecessor. Just pick your way of movement: skates, boards, or bikes and rip it up while dodging the cops who employ increasingly overkill ways to end your crew and their minor crimes.
Every part of the streets is able to be utilized for combinations of long tricks in a way that makes players quickly pick up on methods to extend their scores while hitting their graffiti targets. At a baseline, players that never experienced the old titles BRC pulls inspiration can still do just fine and get through the game, while those who are familiar will find joy in the overhauled system and the ability to create combos that would have been unheard of in the JSR titles.
Gameplay is my only area of any misgiving. While the combos and worlds are great, players can sometimes become lost in the urban labyrinth with no idea how to advance or find things. In addition, while the brawler mechanics that have been added to encounters with the endless police forces are ok, they are not well explained and can become somewhat repetitive in the late game sections when all one may want to do is find the last hidden collectables.
All that said, Bomb Rush Cyberfunk has a satisfying set up that takes the best parts of its inspiration and strengthens them, while leaving parts that could be given up in the past. Going for greater and greater combos will keep players coming back for a long time.


Sound:
Anyone who ever played the Jet Set Radio titles will remember the soundtrack of those games. A mix of funk, hip hop, alternative, and the occasional metal made a truly unique list of tunes that kept players bopping while playing from start to finish. It wasn’t the first game that showed how traditional music artists’ compositions could bolster a game, but it was quite the giant whose shadow is still felt today. Going into a game that seeks to pick up the torch bears with it a hefty expectation to be sure. Getting the musical artist, Hideki Naganuma, the talent behind many of Jet Set’s most memorable tracks to create music for Bomb Rush Cyberfunk was a great way to start to be sure. Cyberfunk’s OST is much more centralized in funk, EDM, and funk and it works so well. A plethora of artists contributed their skills to the game and made a soundtrack that should be taken in by listeners even if they don’t sit down to play the game. Through Bomb Rush Cyberfunk, I’ve found many new artists to follow and added many tunes to dance to in the game or out of it. I just can’t ‘Get Enuf’ of the music in this game.


Presentation:
Bomb Rush Cyberfunk has clear inspiration from the cel shaded style of Jet Set Radio to create a playable anime experience. The world players explore is bright, vibrant, with every rail and wall having gameplay purposes. It’s a look that was lovingly handcrafted by its team and shines as an example of pushing for style over what might be the most technically impressive piece. Right down to more flatly detailed faces and more blocky textures on certain parts of characters, Bomb Rush made the stylistic choice to be a new age Dreamcast game with modern polish and world sizes. It’s a look that, like its inspiration, will remain a treat to look at years to come.


Conclusion:
Whether you’re like me and other loyal Dreamcast fans, you’ve only vaguely heard of the name ‘Jet Set Radio’ and have been curious about the series, or just enjoy adventure games or the forgotten skating game genre, Bomb Rush Cyberfunk is for you. The overall length is modest, but the funky experience will stay long after the credits roll thanks to a well presented story, addicting gameplay, interesting art style, and a whole soundtrack of ear worms. Team Reptile succeeded in picking up the torch of a series it's clear the studio holds in high regard and did the ideas so much better. Team Reptile has gone All City now, and I for one eagerly await whatever it is they do next.


Pros:
Story is an engaging mix of underdogs rising up and mystery.
Keeps elements of classic Jet Set Radio series that did well and improves on them while leaving behind elements that can be abandoned.
Gorgeous cel shaded graphics bring the game to life.
Soundtrack is full of music to get players excited and dancing

Cons:
Story is engaging, but fails to flesh out some of the core cast.
Enemy encounters can be clunky and in late game sections are more annoying than engaging.
Maps can at times be difficult to navigate.

Final Rating: 4.5 out of 5
The BRC crew has taken up Jet Set Radio’s banner all while break dancing. When is the sequel?

Team Reptile are a passionate group of developers who have, for their entire careers as game devs, been dickriding Jet Set Radio's cel shading aesthetic and style.

I don't say this as an insult. From Megabyte Punch to Lethal League Blaze, all their games clearly have JSR-like influence in either sound or design. They have good framing on scope: Lethal League is a sports-derivative competitive head-to-head game. Megabyte Punch is a frantic procedural side-scrolling action game.

Bomb Rush Cyberfunk is, 1:1, with no ambition beyond being exactly this, a clone of Jet Set Radio Future. From awkward black-bar cutscenes to lowpoly chunky visuals to Hideki Naganuma running his 25-years-out-of-date skankfunk collection of music production, everything about BRCF is nothing you can't get from JSRF.

The real draw is that SEGA never puts out JSRF re-releases, isn't it?

The writing and world design have auteur intention. It's clear from the story that the devs DID want to bring something good to the table, and they mostly succeed because their inspiration's story and design are a veneer of paint spatter over a nothing sandwich. For those who miss when games were intentionally so stupid that anyone taking 'video game stories' seriously were met with eyerolls, BRCF perfectly calls back to those days on a dial-up connection.

One thing I did like, though, is that you can check your phone for messages or notifications while mid-skating set, making yourself intentionally worse at tricking as you check your phone to look up how to do specific graffiti or mark messages as read. It's characterizing.

Bomb Rush Cyberfunk was billed as a spiritual sequel to the Jet Set Radio games, and whats scary is how much these indie devs manage to improve that concept. I never got to experience Jet Set Radio as a kid, since PS2 was my console, but revisiting it now I was greeted with very dated controls and a simplistic combo system. In terms of gameplay this one feels smooth as butter, as well bringing in a combo system from the Tony Hawk series that really makes just roaming around the city more satisfying. Its not that the game is hardcore by any means, as the character will magnetically stick to slidable surfaces and there is no balance gauge. After the first hours it becomes really easy to go for infinite combos. Thats not the focus of the game, nor where it shines.

The game is all about style, and its very clear from early own the huge amount of passion that the devs poured into this project. Everything from the graffittis, to the hip hop dances that the characters performed while waiting for you to challenge them, the cel shaded art style and sound design, its all fantastic and cohesive. Its just really fun to explore the city even without going for the missions, finding out the most enjoyable gaps and sequences, as well as plenty of hidden collectibles (like songs and vestuary).

The story is rather intriguing from the start, drags a bit towards the middle, but forms some suprisingly good themes around self identity and loyalty. It complements the feel of the game really well.

A great casual skateboarding game that harkens to game design of the 6th console generation, and easily one of the best games of this year.

When this game was first announced back in the 2020s, I was pretty skeptical but also very excited about it's direction. A spiritual derivate based upon the stylistics and storylines of Jet Set Radio - a franchise that has been left into the closets for quite a while by SEGA, was quite the surprise. Especially since it was being done by a development team that had aprimorated such art style very flawlessly in it's predecessor Lethal League series - whom if it wasn't for it's large attraction back when it was a free-to-own title, wouldn't have as much of a impact/big deal as how it is now. Hearing Hideki Naganuma having some sort of direction in regards of the sound selection of this project was also really promising.

Fast forward to a ton of teasers, delays, some beta footages and a bunch of diverse tracks (mostly already released) slowly appear under the radar (not to mention the overall hype that this game built up around social medias with each new snapshot)... I'd say it was certainly worth the long wait, with some caveats:

Starting with the story. Without going into spoilers, I felt that halfway through it sort of took a very harsh turnover of events, leaving a ton of holes in the anticipation from the first two to three chapters' plot. It is alright, especially considering that although a singleplayer title this had a larger emphasis on it's playstyle throughout most of it's development rather than the overall writing.

What I am absolutely happy with BRC, is how this is more serious-toned and overall more consistent than anything that the inspired JSR series was. For those who follow through the Unreleased/Lost Media scene of the franchise, this is more or less shaped on how Evolution was supposed to be, and i'd argue a little bit further too. Representing the urban style more accurately to it's reality certainly made this singleplayer experience very interesting to go through.

For the Gameplay, most of my nitpicks are more or less in two aspects that could've been better thought of: Combat and Progression. With the first one in particular playing a very strong bar to the overall experience that i had with this title while beating it twice, and with both times doing all unlockables.

In Progression, there was often times where things just felt like they were inserted for the sake of it (especially with how characters, later in the game, are able to be unlocked as you go through your journey). It felt like lacking some extra polish in order to reach a certain deadline. This is also noticeable wen you compare some of the contents that were cut compared to the game's first Beta previews.

Although imperfect and certainly with tons of errors (especially during release-day patch, which made playing the game in it's complete/100% stage back then very annoying from experience), for Team Reptile's debut in the platformer title scenes, this is an impressively good experience and i'd argue it's one of the most fun times i have had in a game even *after* beating it. The replayability is there and all things considered, it's still pretty enjoyable.

Some people may argue about it's starting price but i'd say it's worth every penny and it helps not only supporting the developers of this project but also a massive chunk of independant artists that also deserve the shoutouts, considering it plays a massive core aspect of this game's entretainment.

This game is amazing. Pretty much another jet set radio game. There are only a few flaws but none ruin the experience. The only reason I didn't rate it 5 stars is because the switch version is a little buggy.