In the summer of 2023, we had the pleasure of having Gylee Games CEO Chris Bergman on a Spotlight podcast to talk about their upcoming beatem up, Ra Ra Boom, a game about a group of ninja cheerleaders from outer space that is charged with saving humanity and the Earth from malfunctioning AI robots.
The game has a striking art style, great character designs, and a bold multimedia approach you don’t normally see from an indie dev. That level of confidence from Bergman showed me that this was no ordinary indie title and I needed to pay attention to it.
Going to PAX East, you expect to see a lot of games, and I mean A LOT of games. Some will be vertical slices that devs are nervously guiding you through, some will be early builds that will break, and some will just downright not have sound effects or music because it’s so early, but as media we hopefully understand all of that going in.
Its hard, especially for smaller devs, to make that jump to show off a game they’ve worked so hard on and make sure the player has the expected experience.
Now eight months after our interview at PAX East, I finally got my hands on Ra Ra Boom at the Midwest Games booth and I was totally blown away.
With its TMNT / Streets of Rage inspirations and its modern twist on special attacks and weapons, Ra Ra Boom was a blast to experience. Set up in a real arcade cabinet, I played four-player co-op with other media members. The chaos was overwhelming in the best way possible, with rockets flying around the screen, rainbow explosions going off from all of our specials, and even a surfboard race very reminiscent of (but definitely not as annoying as) TMNT Arcade during a boss fight.
Of course at the end of our demo, there was also a heartstring pulling story beat that hooked us all.
There are four main playable characters, Aris, Saida, Ren and Vee, all with their own specials and weapons that make each of them feel truly unique, something that is difficult in a side-scrolling beatem up.
I felt like I was in control of the action the entire time amid all of the chaos on-screen. During my playthrough, I played as Saida, who is described as the protector of the group. She wields cybernetic blades that are great for a midrange game while also armed with a rocket launcher that causes a massive amount of damage and explosions, which I found was incredibly useful for our boss encounter.
Impressions and Final Thoughts
Ra Ra Boom is a must play and I look forward to cheering on the future of this franchise. Thanks to Chris Bergman, Larry Herb, and the Midwest Games team working the booth for the generosity and hospitality as well. This is a team worth rooting for.
Head to the Midwest Games website to learn more about all of their games. If you want to learn more about Gylee Games, head to their website and check out the Gylee Gang Webcomic. It’s a great read.
Wishlist Ra Ra Boom on Steam today.
Source: Gylee Games, Midwest Games, PAX East
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