Update [Wed 23rd Aug, 2023 01:35 BST]:
We've updated this round up post with some new reviews to give you an ever better idea about what to expect. Enjoy!
Original article [Sat 19th Aug, 2023 03:45 BST]:
It's been an action-packed week of releases on the Switch, with a number of highly anticipated releases launching on the hybrid platform.
In amongst the likes of Red Dead Redemption and Vampire Survivors, we've got Team Reptile's Jet Set-inspired game Bomb Rush Cyberfunk. Now that the game is out on Switch, the critic and YouTube reviews have begun rolling out.
The good news is it seems to have been positively received so far, with some outlets even praising it as a true spiritual sequel. So while you wait for our own review to drop here on Nintendo Life, here's a handful of the reviews so far...
The folks on the YouTube channel GameXplain "loved" it:
"Everything that made Jet Set Radio a cult classic franchise is perfectly recreated and improved upon. While there are issues with the execution of the story and the game's awkward combat, at its core [Bomb Rush Cyberfunk] is a love letter to the franchise forgotten by its creator but beloved by many."
The Team at Noisy Pixel gave it an 8.5 out of 10, also referring to it as a "love letter" to Sega's game:
"Bomb Rush Cyberfunk is a love letter that undoubtedly does more than enough to captivate Jet Set Radio veterans and those who have no idea what it is. Between the contextually stellar soundtrack, fantastic movement system, and intricate narrative, you’re bound to find yourself attached to some part of this experience that boasts its heart on its sleeve. Even though the combat scenarios can overstay their welcome, and the pacing can be a turn-off, looking past those faults provides a one-of-a-kind skating dream."
YouTube channel Retro Rebound thought it was "awesome" and highly recommends it to Jet Set fans, even if the cutscenes and combat aren't always the best:
"If you're a Jet Set fan...this is the game you've been waiting for, it's not perfect...but it really is a treat..."
Nintendo Everything gave it a thumbs up, calling it "incredible from top to bottom":
"The game somehow manages to evoke everything that was great about its inspirations, while also forging its own identity by establishing a unique cast of characters and an incredible world to explore."
SVG called it a "blast from the past with a modern beat" - awarding it eight out of ten:
"Bomb Rush Cyberfunk is a fascinating blend of the past and the present. While it borrows heavily from its predecessors, it adds its own unique twist to the mix while far outdoing other titles that fell short of being the next "Jet Set Radio." Some areas need refinement, but the overall package is solid."
GameCrate wasn't quite as glowing with its prase, serving up a score of six out of ten:
"There’s no doubt that some Jet Set Radio fans hungry for more will enjoy Bomb Rush Cyberfunk...but in the end, it did little more than inspire nostalgia for the original, gorgeous though it may be."
And last but not least Shacknews gave it eight out of ten:
"This game is like a long-lost Dreamcast game in so many different ways, and most of them are good. Clearly, the developers at Team Reptile understand the concept of love."
That's it on the review front for now, but again - our own one here on Nintendo Life is on the way, so be on the lookout for that.
Have you tried out Bomb Rush Cyberfunk on the Switch yet? What are your own impressions so far? Leave a comment below.
Comments 46
I’m all in on this one.
Even though the inclusion of an ‘intricate narrative’ is a betrayal on levels we’ve never before seen.
I've been playing this for a few hours. It's really fun so far and the soundtrack is already legendary.
ill wait on a sale......
The reviews seem odd. Kinda saying it's an average game but reminds them of a classic Dreamcast game. Nostalgia seems to be bumping the score.
I have it and honestly, the combat is not fun at all. Overall the game is repetitive but super nostalgic and still a blast!
So, I broke down after watching a couple of reviews and got the game using some of my eshop credits for about $25, and....
Oh. my. goodness. If you are/were a fan of JSR or JSRF GET THIS GAME!
Bomb Rush Cyberfunk is Amazing! It oozes style and has the substance to back it up. It just FEELS fun to play and move the character around (though it may take a bit to get accustomed to the controls/trick system/combat). Lots to see, unlock, learn and do. There's even a 60fps mode available called "Unleash the Beast" and it looks beautiful!
It doesn't hurt that the soundtrack is S-tier level of hip-hop, funksoul, dance and electro. I hope NintendoLife likes the game as much as I do. Team Reptile should be proud and show off their achievement by sending as many review codes out as possible! This game was MADE to be played with headphones on a Switch OLED! 😂
Hopefully SEGA sees this game and gives this team a call for a possible future collaboration...It would definitely fit right in with SEGA's favorite band of taggers with swagger.
İ did not played Jet Set Radio but Jet Set Radio looked good in that time on the Xbox. İ have picked other games on the Xbox in that time. Like Halo 1 and 2, Fable, Ninja Gaiden, Blood omen 2, Splinter Cell games like that.
@Abes3 It's not a perfect game but considering it's an indie game it's about as close as you can get to a modern version of JSR with lots of modern updates and features. It's honestly probably about $10 too high for what they are asking but it's probably to cover the costs of the many many licensed music tracks (which are well worth it for the most part imo)
Sold on the game, but not on the price. I'll wait for a sale.
Definitely a wait for a heavy sale kinda game for me.
I've never played JSR and judging from those review snippets strong nostalgia goggles are needed to fully enjoy the experience.
Still on the fence about this one. I sort of have hangups about these "spiritual sequel" types games and I usually try to avoid them. I just don't like the idea of a company making money off another game's legacy. There's a big difference between being inspired by another game, and just blatantly ripping it off.
For $40, I'll wait until it's about half off to buy it.
It’s sort of a stretch to say “the reviews are in” for this game, given there’s literally only three reviews in.
I’m definitely curious, but too broke to purchase at its current list price.
I can't wait to get it in a couple of days 🙂
I still need to play Jet Set Radio so will go for that first since I have it on PS3.
I did play JSR on Dreamcast, and the sequel on the original Xbox. I did like the games, they were quite unique. I remember on Dreamcast you could download JPEGs using the internet browser and use them as your tag!
I have too many games I've recently bought to play another, but this will go on my wish list.
@Bizzyb There's a 60 fps mode available?? Weird that they made that an option that you need to enable. I checked out some Switch footage and mostly lost interest in the game due to it running at only 30 fps. I'll have to see the 60 fps mode in action to see how consistent it is but if it manages to hit 60 fps most of the time like Future did on Xbox then the game is back on my radar!
Removed - unconstructive
Just found some footage of the "Unleash the Beast" mode and watched for a bit. It doesn't hit 60 a lot of the time but it's still close enough that it looks far superior imo to the 30 fps mode (which does appear to consistently hit 30)
@Bizzyb what about the combat?
I never played JSR so I am interested but hesitant.
@accc Yes the 60fps mode is in the options and it must be toggled on. As far as I can tell it only slightly lowers the resolution. Not enough to impact the visuals heavily. It runs at a buttery smooth 60fps for the most part but if action gets too heavy (boss fights) it might slightly dip. Otherwise it looks great.
@Dr-M There's combat but it's not incredibly deep from my experience in the first 6 hrs. The more you tag, the higher you gain "Heat". The higher the "heat" the more the police try to stop you. When you are on-foot (you can toggle your skates on and off with a button press) you have about 3 or 4 (there's also a slide attack) different attacks you can combo together to beat up the police and other various law enforcement devices and can then finish them off by actually tagging them lol. Combat is not mandatory since you can always just run away from the police, except for when it's a boss fight.
@HeeHo Nostalgia definitely helps but its still a Fun, stylish romp whether you've played JSR or not. Unless you just don't jive with the style/music/arcade like gameplay, then it's a game anyone can pick up and play and bop their head to.
Having played JSR is not in any way a necessity to having fun with or enjoying this game. It just makes it that much more fun for previous fans. I'll say this, if you like what you see and hear (musically), this is a no-brainer @ $20-$30.
@Bizzyb Thank you for answering.
I will try it at some point when I have time.
Been playing it (almost) non-stop since it launched, and it’s really great. If anything, having good camera controls and other little QoL features like the double jump mean going back to vanilla Jet Set Radio on the Dreamcast will be quite hard! My progress has been quite slow as I’ve been determined to find all the hidden items in a level along with completing the cat chain challenges I’ve found.
I've heard switch performance is really bad. Apparently even music won't play and it's 20fps?
it's genuinely such a blast to play a Very Dreamast-Type Game in a way that nails all the best parts of that era of games. like, the reason people keep bringing up nostalgia imo (aside from the obvious, long live jsr / jsrf) is that it really just hits all the high points of sitting down and picking away at something very ambitious and Fun that got washed away with the advent of the Ubisoft Open World Formula. i think if people enjoy games where you Build Speed and Go Fast even if you hadn't played jsr / jsrf you'd still enjoy it. honestly well worth it for the price point if only because Nobody is doing it like this anymore and i think thats something to support
edit: imo it's good when indie games charge a lot also but that's neither here nor there
@gojiguy You heard wrong, the Switch version runs at 30 fps by default and hits that target nearly 100% of the time. It also has an option to unlock the framerate to run at up to 60 fps and it actually manages to reach 60 when there's not much going on, though most of the time it seems to be running in the 40s or 50s.
@gojiguy Tell your source theyre talking *****.
I keep mixing this games name up with something I'm interested in for some reason.
Good for people who liked JSR though. I tried playing that again recently on my phone and made it about 10 minutes before I realized how boring it is and how I never cared for fruit booting to begin with as an ex skateboarder.
Never played jet set radio or craving for that ‘era’ of games so no nostalgia can bring me to buy it for that price, and well, don’t even know if I’d like it at all. I’ll just wait, there’s plenty of more interesting stuff releasing at the moment so that I can hold off on this.
@Ristar24 that was possible also on Dreamcast.
is this game coming to physical media?
May get it during a sale.
I feel bittersweet about this success.
On one hand, Team Reptile deserves a lot more publicity for their work. Always.
The other; I was hoping to see Lethal League being their tentpole title that gets them there. Though I am glad any of their games get them noticed, was always rooting of LL.
Ultimately it is a negligible issue, more power to Team Reptile. BRCF is amazing.
Once I saw on YouTube how this game runs in unleash the beast mode I went ahead and bought it. I've only played the beginning(I'd assume what others have said about it dropping into the 50s and 40s is true), but it does look lovely at 60fps in handheld gameplay. And honestly, the music is so good that I often can't believe it. Amazing soundtrack.
@Bizzyb thanks for gushing over the game, and especially for mentioning the 60fps mode. I wasn't even considering this game because I assumed it ran at 30. It is amazing!
A shame people have to straight up lie about Switch performance, lol.
Anyway, I'm glad this game turned out well. Definitely want to check it out later down the road.
For those who think the price is too high, buy it from the Brazil eshop where it's much cheaper.....
Where's the NLife review ??
I’m itching to buy it, but bought too many other games that were on sale, and I plan on FaeFarm in September. I’ll wait for physical, or a sale…
I’ll listen to the soundtrack online until purchase.
The soundtrack and excellent controls and 60fps mode make it amazing. I had Jet Grind Radio on Dreamcast way back, and have played it quite a bit on other systems, but this is better. I had to deal with some of the awkward aspects of the controls in the original, but Bomb Rush Cyberfunk is a dream to control. The double jump, the easier and smoother wall rides(billboard rides), and the improved frame rate make this game such a joy to play around in.
Of course I do wish they could clean up beast mode to get it smoother in the larger play areas...
Still waiting for the NL review! 😘
@Janeygo Review is up! Solid, if not Spectacular...(depending on who you ask) 😅
I would absolutely buy this game on PlayStation. Perhaps I will before too long. It totally looks like it is worth the price of admission.
@Bizzyb thanks 😊 I have read it now
Critics: "It does nothing new or different compared to the 20 year-old game it's copying."
Gamers: "It's exactly like the classic game we all love! YESSS!!!"
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