Ra Ra Boom Preview
Ra Ra Boom is about a group of space-faring teens sent to Earth to fight rogue AI robots. Intriguing. It could be the premise for an anime-style, turn-based RPG, or maybe an action game in the style of Stellar Blade. Instead, Ra Ra Boom goes in a totally different genre direction. My title gives it away.
Unexpected Beats and Beat Downs
Indie Developer Gylee Games describes Ra Ra Boom as a beat-em-up with heart, which translates to the game having a more substantial and emotionally varied narrative. In a floating space station above Earth, a quartet of young women have been training for years in case they are deployed to the planet — which, incidentally, they’ve never been to in person. They’re a little bored with their life and school — pretty relatable — and are itching for some real action. The developer refers to them as ninja cheerleaders from space, combining the enthusiasm of a pep squad with the badassery of fighters. It’s the kind of ironic twist that Buffy the Vampire Slayer set in motion decades ago.
The playable characters — trainer Aris, Saida, Vee, and Ren — each bring a specific set of skills to the action. For example, Ren is a master of ninja-like melee, whereas Vee holds a brutal shield, and Aris swings a bladed weapon. Each character has some sort of ranged weapon and a special attack that’s on a cool-down timer. Despite some similarities, the game does a good job of making each fighter feel unique to play. Naturally, characters and weapons can be upgraded between missions.
Unfortunately, most of my time was spent playing the game alone, which is not the intended mechanic. But because the game rotates players through each fighter, I still got a pretty good sense of how each contributes and synergizes with the others.
Stay in Your Lane
Not unlike Streets of Rage 4 — an acknowledged influence — Ra Ra Boom is a 2D game with 3D elements. The environments are split into lanes, but these are usually clearly indicated, especially during boss fights. Both player characters and enemies can move between lanes. I’ve often found this mechanic frustrating, because the fudged semi-3D mechanic often obscures the exact placement of enemies when they’re mobile. I can’t say Ra Ra Boom entirely escapes this issue, but having well-defined lanes helps.
Ra Ra Boom’s visual design alternates between the anime-inspired cutscenes and narrative and 2D characters during gameplay. Both are attractive in their own way. I especially appreciated that the developers opted out of the retro pixel art that seems to dominate the genre. All of the cutscenes are voiced. While the vocal performances and writing vary in effectiveness, Ra Ra Boom’s narrative has more emotional range than your typical beat-’em-up. This might sound intolerably sexist, but the choice of an all-female cast of main characters might be the key.
While we’re talking about the art, Ra Ra Boom’s level design promises a lot of variety, from swamps to decrepit streets to an amusement park based on one of developer Chris Bergman’s favorite haunts. Since rogue AI Zoid is the game’s big bad, most of the enemies are robotic or biomechanical.
Get Ready to Throw Down
Judging by the number of recent games in the genre, co-op action is still a favorite among players and developers. Ra Ra Boom makes a case for itself through a strong story concept and memorable characters. But of course, gameplay is what’s most important, and Ra Ra Boom looks to be solidly on the right track. I’m looking forward to seeing where the story goes and experiencing the entire range of levels and action.
***PC code provided by the publisher for preview***
