In February 2021, 21 years after the original Jet Set Radio franchise fell silent, developers Team Reptile embarked on a risky journey. They decided to follow the classic ideology of “screw it, we’ll do it on our own” with Bomb Rush Cyberfunk, the rare sort of spiritual successor that isn’t made by the same developers as the originals, but revisits its unique game concept.
An indie action-adventure platformer focused on skating, biking, and graffiti? Sounds like a lot but not only have they topped the rest of their own catalog with this release, but they’ve even beaten out the series that served as their primary inspiration.
The Dutch game devs are mostly known for the Lethal League series: fighting games focused on fun characters and awesome music. I can’t speak much of the games myself, but I did know of them from remixes of the Lethal League Blaze song “Ain’t Nothing Like A Funky Beat.”
It was an oddly familiar style of song: electronic, funky, and almost hyperpop-esque. As it turns out, its creator is Hideki Naganuma, the man behind the soundtrack for the Jet Set Radio series. So, when the devs announced they were making BRC, their own take on the franchise, they did so by showing off a new Naganuma track, “Get Enuf.”
Many fans were sold on the spot, especially because the soundtrack is one of the reasons why Jet Set Radio became a classic. Even if you haven’t played the games, you’ve likely heard tracks like “Sneakman” before in YouTube videos. That same eccentric quality remains in Naganuma’s tracks in BRC, along with a healthy mix of other artists and genres: from pure funk and R&B to experimental ambient tracks.
Now, while the sound of a Jet Set Radio remake is crucial, the goal of recreating Jet Set Radio’s gameplay from scratch was an even tougher task. The game is meant to look like it originated in the 90s or early 2000s. The colors are vibrant, the camerawork is easy, and the environments are both cyberpunk and Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater in the best possible way. I don’t use that comparison lightly, as Jet Set Radio, and by extension BRC, is essentially a mix of THPS and Splatoon.
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Go to an area, graffiti the walls, beat enemies in skating contests, find all the cool spots to pull off combos, and then compete to earn the location before moving on to the next one. It’s a classic form of gameplay that most major games today skip for a more open-world, quest-line focus, but one that fits perfectly with what BRC is going for.
There is a story, and I won’t spoil much outside what you’d find out in the first 15 minutes of gameplay. You play as Red, a former hot-shot in the world who gets broken out of prison and gravely wounded, only to be saved by new friends who want to help you rule New Amsterdam through skating, biking, rollerblading, and tagging, alongside getting some revenge at the end.
Related: Sega is reportedly working on ‘big-budget reboots’ of Crazy Taxi and Jet Set Radio
Grinding is clean and doing tricks is fun, but the real goal is to earn your keep by one-upping your opponents. The final battles for territory are some of the most fun aspects of the game, really leaning into the skating game aspect more than the graffiti one.
The fighting can be a little tedious, but thankfully it’s rare outside of some set combat sequences. Most of the time, your focus is to get better at the core gameplay, with a lot of the variety coming from the different things you can ride around New Amsterdam in. The complexity of the tricks isn’t as deep as in something like Skate 3, but the experience is completely different thanks to the goals.
I didn’t grow up with the Jet Set Radio series, I was introduced to it almost 10 years after the final was released. But I instantly fell in love with its gameplay, music, and overall vibe, and BRC was my chance to experience all that on day one.
I can confidently say that it’s hitting the same way that Jet Set Radio Future did for me. New music to add to my playlist, new gameplay to master, and a new world to conquer. Bring it.
