At its core, Bomb Rush Cyberfunk needs to remind you ways 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 would moderately play these different video games as an alternative.
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 collection that put you in charge of 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 town. Its placing cel-shaded graphics, unbelievable digital soundtrack, and common finger on the heart beat of late ’90s and early aughts Japanese road tradition nonetheless make it a standout of Sega’s catalog – up there with the greats of the time, corresponding to Rez, Seaman, and House Channel 5.
Understanding this affect means understanding Bomb Rush. It is usually an motion sports activities sport that places you in charge of 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. The truth is, you’ll be able to simply copy and paste all the above, and it straight applies to Bomb Rush. It is both an extremely earnest homage or a blatant copycat with few new concepts of its personal. I are inclined 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 fully 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 circulation for a brief drawing-based minigame, provides a little bit of flare. And I appreciated swapping between completely different gang members to experiment with the skateboard and BMX tips.
Then again, it by no means pushes the participant. The dearth of a stability meter is obvious (which, to be truthful, additionally wasn’t in Jet Set Radio, however nonetheless), that means you’ll be able to grind or guide with none ability. Tricking round is enjoyable, however after eight hours of enjoying, I hardly ever needed to truly take into consideration what I used to be doing on-screen by the tip. That is exacerbated by the actual fact each stage has roughly the identical mission construction – tag an space, beat a rival gang in a combo contest, keep away from cops or combat 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 a number of the greatest elements of the sport.
By copying Jet Set’s complete aesthetic, which, due to cel-shading, has aged fantastically, Bomb Rush pops off the display. Its soundtrack is nice, too, although its small playlist means you may be listening to even your favourite tracks fully an excessive amount of. Hideki Naganuma – of Jet Set fame – additionally has a number of songs right here; unsurprisingly, they’re rad.
However my largest challenge with Bomb Rush is simply this: as of this sentence, I’ve used the phrases “Bomb Rush” and “Jet Set” an equal variety of instances. 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 like Jet Set Radio. I want I had spent my time replaying that as an alternative.
I believe it is a common downside with the development 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 appears like another person’s higher concepts have been recycled right into a by-product 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 buddy group who’s nonetheless obsessive about speaking about highschool. Occasionally, I nonetheless boot up Jet Set Radio. I am unable to think about I will do the identical for Bomb Rush.
It is a disgrace as a result of there is a enjoyable sport right here – it is simply trapped in a hole shell. Its closing sin is having a depressing story hardly even price 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 previous glory – to remind you ways cool video games was once – however to do this, you need to add one thing new to the dialog. Neon White is a superb instance of a sport that did this proper. Bomb Rush is not desirous 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 an alternative.
