Team Reptile is trying to make graffiti and break dancing cool again with Bomb Rush Cyberfunk—a funky, futuristic 3D platformer with some X Game elements thrown in.
Nothing screams late 90s and early 2000s quite like rail grinding, graffiti tagging, and cel shaded graphics, which developer Team Reptile’s upcoming title Bomb Rush Cyberfunk has in spades.
The devs are obviously drawing heavy inspiration from the hit Sega Dreamcast classic Jet Set Radio (JSR). So much so, in fact, that one could call their upcoming game the unofficial successor to Sega’s long dormant franchise.
According to Team Reptile’s official website, the game is slated for release sometime next year. The studio left no mention of a console release.
'Bomb Rush Cyberfunk' pic.twitter.com/OzHK5bhYQi
— Team Reptile (@ReptileGames) July 22, 2020
Bomb Rush Cyberfunk is an even more futuristic JSR
Bomb Rush Cyberfunk is turning it up a notch and ditching JSR’s inline skates for jetpacks, granting players a whole new level of mobility.
Gamers will use these gadgets to slide, jump, and airdash their way around town, with their goal being to plaster their name in graffiti on certain walls across the level. This, of course, while giving the cops the slip.
But it doesn’t stop there. There will be some tricks and dancing involved, all to the funky sounds of Hideki Naganuma – the legendary Japanese composer behind Jet Set Radio’s critically acclaimed soundtrack.
via Steam: https://t.co/z9zqOqohcU pic.twitter.com/M16HxTrov8
— HIDEKI NAGANUMA | 長沼 英樹 (@Hideki_Naganuma) July 22, 2020
JSR fans who miss grinding on rails all over the city can rest assured. The devs made sure to keep that iconic feature in Bomb Rush Cyberfunk, which should make for an interesting combination with the jet pack mechanic.
According to its Steam store page, the game is focused on being a single-player experience, but left a cryptic hint that online multiplayer may be in the books for the future.
The shadow that Jet Set Radio casts
Jet Set Radio is a futuristic extreme sports title that was released on June 29, 2000 for the Sega Dreamcast. Gamers play as a member of a gang called the GGs, who zoom across Tokyo using inline skates, spraying graffiti everywhere while ducking the police. Sound familiar?
The game sports a very distinct cel-shaded graphical style, which Bomb Rush Cyberfunk is trying to emulate and improve on. In addition to the vibrant graphics, JSR’s soundtrack is a crazy blend of hip hop, funk, electro dance, rock, J-pop, and more.
Critics and gamers absolutely loved the Dreamcast version, praising it for its innovative art style and musical score, while patting it on the back for just being an all-around incredibly fun game. It even took home the E3 Game Critics Award for Best Console Game in 2000.
— Best of G+ (@Bestofgplus) July 23, 2020
That being said, Bomb Rush Cyberfunk has some mighty big shoes to fill, but judging by Team Reptile’s screenshots, the game seems to be headed in the right direction.
Featured image courtesy of Bomb Rush Cyberfunk/Steam