Ra Ra BOOM: A Beat-'em-up's Unfulfilled Promise

Unleashing the Beat: When Ambition Meets Reality in Ra Ra BOOM

The Unique Premise: Sci-Fi Cheerleaders with a Twist

Ra Ra BOOM introduces an intriguing premise: a quad of unlikely heroines, futuristic ninja-cheerleaders, who trade their traditional attire for an arsenal of melee weapons and potent firearms. Aris, a scythe-wielding redhead; Saida, a cyborg on rollerblades; Ren, a swift martial artist with a katana; and Vee, the squad's heavily armored tank, unite to avenge a fallen comrade and safeguard Earth from a malevolent artificial intelligence. This imaginative setup promises a fresh take on the beat-'em-up genre.

Visuals and Sound: A Feast for the Senses

Upon initial inspection, Ra Ra BOOM presents itself with commendable qualities, now accessible on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X, and PC. The distinct character designs effectively mirror their respective playstyles, offering a visual cue to their combat roles. Furthermore, the game's environments are rendered with striking colors, and its soundtrack is notably captivating, contributing to an immersive aesthetic experience. These elements collectively lay a strong foundation for an engaging gameplay journey.

Narrative and Character: A Disconnect in Design

While the surface-level concept of Ra Ra BOOM is appealing, the narrative execution and character portrayal reveal notable inconsistencies. The in-game text dialogues often feel generic, and the inability to accelerate text speed during NPC interactions outside of cutscenes can prolong these encounters unnecessarily. Although cutscenes benefit from competent voice acting, their lack of full animation diminishes the overall cinematic experience. Moreover, the "sci-fi cheerleaders" theme, despite its potential, fails to translate convincingly into the character designs, with only one character bearing a remote resemblance to a cheerleader, and the game offers minimal in-game reinforcement of this unique identity.

Combat Mechanics: A Frustrating Encounter

The core gameplay of Ra Ra BOOM struggles with significant mechanical issues, particularly concerning hit detection. Characters often feel insubstantial, leading to considerable difficulty in landing successful attacks on enemies. Conversely, adversaries face similar challenges in striking players, creating extended and often exasperating combat sequences. The game's reliance on thin hitboxes means that even in close proximity, attacks frequently miss their targets. While firearms offer some recourse, precision aiming remains a challenge. The inability to cancel attack animations, even light ones, further exacerbates the combat frustration, particularly given the initial difficulty in connecting with opponents.

Co-op Experience: A Challenge in Player Identification

The cooperative mode, while offering the innovative mechanic of character swapping upon respawn, introduces a significant obstacle: the absence of player markers. This omission makes tracking individual characters a nightmare, especially in multi-player scenarios where partners might assume control of previously played characters. The lack of visual cues to distinguish players creates confusion, severely impacting the fluidity and enjoyment of collaborative gameplay, particularly in a full four-player setup.

Progression System: Limited Long-Term Engagement

The game features a "Scrap Shop" where players can upgrade abilities and acquire new skills across Stunts, Melee, and Ranged categories using "Scrap Metal" collected from defeated enemies. While these upgrades initially enhance gameplay, the ease with which all skills can be unlocked diminishes the sense of progression and long-term engagement. Many players may find themselves fully upgraded well before reaching the game's midpoint, leaving little motivation to continue collecting Scrap Metal beyond its influence on end-of-level grading.

Difficulty and Replayability: A Lack of Dynamic Challenge

Despite the existence of "Homework Assignments" that offer specific objectives for replaying levels, Ra Ra BOOM largely lacks a robust difficulty curve. The absence of adjustable difficulty settings and an anticlimactic final boss encounter contribute to a less challenging experience. While collecting Scrap Metal significantly boosts end-of-level scores, the overall design suggests a game that, despite its intriguing premise and potential, struggles to maintain player engagement through varied challenges or compelling difficulty options.