Bomb Rush Cyberfunk

absolute peak, multiplayer modding goes hard. shoutout to freesoul

Hideki Naganuma you did it again

I enjoyed this game thoroughly, so much so, that I got absolutely everything there is to get and do here - all unlockable side characters, all collectibles, even got all of those ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ penguin photos (though that was needed for an achievement anyway). I adore this game. Though I haven't played Jet Set Radio (and probably never will, because it was delisted from Steam in 2024, thanks to the ♥♥♥♥♥ at Sega), I can see that this is a clear love letter. From what I've seen of Jet Set Radio, this seems like a well polished, expanded take on the game, also featuring Hideki Naganuma, one of the core composers for the original game. The game is clean - the combos, tricks and general movement works really well, it feels really satisfying to use boost combos and jumping from one railing to the next. The versatility of movement is crazy good. The only gripe I have is the camera, which sometimes gets in the way of performing tricks and combos, especially if they're in a cramped area. I love that the game doesn't teach you all there is to this game and you have to experiment yourself. For example, I've learned about the high jump only after I beat the main story and went back to clear all of the districts. Such a good tool to get up places that you would normally need a platform for. 90% of the mechanics are thought though - slides, tricks, boost tricks, boost combos, corner leans etc. etc. It's magical to pull it off in one big combo after you learn the district's map. The story is alright. Crews up against a corrupt police force, lead by one of the big 3, culminating in a big mecha monster kaiju battle where you employ all of the tricks you've learnt across the way. Great, the core gameplay loop of needing to beat a rival crew not only to progress the story, but also to unlock new areas, secrets, grafitti spots, dances and unlockable characters (which are sometimes a part of the rival crew themselves). Most of the collectables you'll get along the way, if you keep an eye out and visit all of the locked off areas by the Oldheads. However some of them are hidden in random vending machines and dumpsters, which without either hitting every single one you come across or using a guide, is nigh impossible to get just through normal gameplay and exploration. I think I adore this game, because I feel the same kind of (bomb) rush, that I felt while playing Sunset Overdrive. The sheer amount of movement options and the hand crafted world that compliments every movement mechanic so you're practically never not moving around and creating chaos around you is SUPERB. This is exactly what I want from every single game. To sum up - play this game whenever you get the chance, you deserve the experience it provides.