As a big fan of Jet Set Radio, an early-aughts action-rollerblading game publisher Sega still has yet to officially reboot, I was stoked to see developer Team Reptile unveil its spiritual successor, Bomb Rush Cyberfunk, in 2020. Here is a game that serves as a Jet Set Radio sequel in all but name alone. However, a new BRC trailer illuminates that, for all its seeming similarity to JSR, the new game is also committed to carving out its own style, and I’m totally sold on it.
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The trailer isn’t that long, running only about 40 seconds, but it’s so good! It’s got a banger track, “Agua” by Persian producer Bx’treme, and showcases the various ways you can get around Bomb Rush Cyberfunk’s world. This includes skateboarding as well as inline skating, and also gives us our first glimpse of BMX riding, something you definitely couldn’t do in the Jet Set Radio games.
Honestly, it’s a pretty slick trailer. With “Agua” playing in the background, we see various BRC characters swapping between the three available transportation methods. They’re grinding air vents and handrails while performing incredible tricks to rack up points, and looking clean doing it all!
What truly has me stoked about Bomb Rush Cyberfunk is how it seemingly combines two of my favorite sports games, Mat Hoffman’s Pro BMX and Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater, to create something that looks visually exhilarating. You can string together tricks in succession to increase your point multiplayer like THPS and hit gravity-defying corkscrews similar to MHPB.
Of course, you can’t forget the clear Jet Set Radio influences, either. From the vibrant colors reminiscent of graffiti art to the inline skating to the character designs, BRC looks like everything a JSR fan could want—and then some! Had the game been called Jet Set Radio 2 instead, I wouldn’t question it one bit.
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Bomb Rush Cyberfunk doesn’t have a release date yet, but game director Dion Koster said in a recent blog post that Team Reptile is “going in hard to finish the game.” When it’s complete, it’ll hit Nintendo Switch and PC, with a console launch to “follow up a little later.”