Grind rails and spray graffiti in this Jet Set Radio successor - Bomb Rush Cyberfunk Quick Review

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SHOULD I PLAY BOMB RUSH CYBERFUNK?

If you’re a fan of Jet Set Radio, Bomb Rush Cyberfunk is a must-play. Developed by indie studio Team Reptile, it’s a near-perfect throwback to Y2K-era gaming. While it’s an undeniable nostalgia bomb, it’s worth playing even if you don’t really remember the Dreamcast games. The stylish cel-shaded graphics, streamlined gameplay, and killer soundtrack are enough to make Bomb Rush Cyberfunk stand on its own. Playing it brought back some happy memories, but it’s a solid title in its own right.

TIME PLAYED

I played around seven hours of Bomb Rush Cyberfunk, which was enough time to check out four of the five explorable areas in the game. There are objectives to complete, but for the most part, I could play at my own pace, which I really appreciated. Every location I’ve seen is filled with detail, and there are all kinds of secrets to discover. I had a blast dropping graffiti tags, racking up combos, and avoiding the cops, but I would have been happy to just skate around and explore in this lively, colorful world.

WHAT’S AWESOME ABOUT BOMB RUSH CYBERFUNK?

• Spectacular soundtrack. A game like Bomb Rush Cyberfunk is all about vibes, and the killer soundtrack breathes life and personality into its retro-futuristic world. The music was composed by Hideki Hideki Naganuma, who also did the soundtrack for the original Jet Set Radio, and every track I’ve heard is an absolute banger. Some of the tracks feel straight out of the 90s, but others feel a little more experimental. Once I discovered a new track, I could play it at any time from via my handy flip phone.

• Incredible aesthetics. Bomb Rush Cyberfunk oozes style, and while the game definitely looks like a throwback, the visuals are amazing even by modern standards. Character animations are extremely fluid, and locations are bursting with color and detail. The urban environments are filled with fashionable people hanging out and doing their own thing, and all that activity makes the cartoony world feel like a real place. I loved seeing people on the street playing with their dogs or chatting with friends, even when I inevitably wound up knocking them over with my skates.ﾠ

• Surprisingly solid story. Bomb Rush Cyberfunk has an unexpectedly involving narrative filled with twists and turns. It opens with a high-stakes prison break, and it manages to pick up the pace from there. There are turf wars and other goofy subplots, but there are also some fascinating mysteries to uncover. I love to explore every inch of a game, but there were times when I was so curious to see what would happen next that I tried to avoid distractions and get to the next area as quickly as possible.ﾠ

• Addictive, varied gameplay. Bomb Rush Cyberfunk blends smooth controls with free-form gameplay, resulting in a combo that's hard to put down. Every location is ruled by a different crew, and when I painted the walls with my own graffiti, I caught the crew’s attention. When I earned enough rep, I unlocked challenges that let me battle it out with crews head-to-head. Tagging walls also got me attention from the cops, so I always had to be prepared to make a quick getaway.

I could explore via skateboard, rollerblades, or bike, and each set of wheels gave me access to a huge selection of tricks. Not only could I combo tricks together to rack up points, but I could use boost tricks to get extra air and access parts of the map that were hard to reach. At times, the skating challenges felt a little like Tony Hawk Pro Skater, which is a huge compliment. I pulled off tons of ollies and rode lots of rails, but there was also some unconventional content to keep me busy, like coating cops with spray paint and going head-to-head with giant robots.

WHAT SUCKS ABOUT BOMB RUSH CYBERFUNK?

• Combat is a little clunky. I loved that Bomb Rush Cyberfunk let me battle against enemies, but the fighting segments are undeniably the weakest part of the game. The combat controls feel far less refined than the rest of the game, and that meant battles could quickly become tedious. Fighting on the ground was fine, but aerial battles were a huge headache. Targeting my enemy was a struggle, and I had to repeat the same moves over and over to get through the fight.ﾠ

• Uneven sound design. Bomb Rush Cyberfunk has amazing music, but the soundtrack drowns out most of the in-game sound effects. SFX volume can be adjusted via settings, but even when the sound effects are audible, they’re not that interesting. Skateboarding and rollerblading basically sound the same, and there’s no satisfying “thump” when you kick an enemy. It’s not a huge deal, but it’s disappointing that a game with exceptional audio has so many lackluster sound effects.

[Written by TapTap editor Ndi]

💬 Will you paint the town with graffiti in Bomb Rush Cyberfunk, or will you keep your head down and stay out of trouble? Let us know in the comments!