Ra Ra BOOM

Ra Ra Boom is a fun, colourful scrolling brawler/shooter that has plenty of charm and good replay value. Some small niggles in the combat and early game power levels aside, this is one for those looking for some couch co-op brawling good times.

When I walked away from my preview of Ra Ra Boom I was thinking that if the game cleaned up some of the preview-build jank, refined a couple of elements, and didn’t muck with the fun parts, it’d be a winner. And that’s exactly what happened.

While the nuances of Ra Ra BOOM’s combat and difficulty are things that stuck out to me, I was willing to forgive a lot thanks to its presentation. The voice acting is great, and the characters frequently sound off during fights to discuss their unique perspective on the world as teenagers who never got to grow up on Earth. There’s a real charm to the game with its catchy title music, appealing art style, and premise that leans on the best aspects of nostalgia without needing to wallow in it. Instead, it uses nostalgia as a jumping-off point to create something entirely new with classic tropes.

Grab friends or family for a colorful co-op brawler. Easy to pick up and full of frantic fun, Ra Ra BOOM has you bashing bots, blasting baddies, and laughing together in 4-player local co-op. It’s got retro roots with a modern arcade spirit.

Confusion within the mechanics hold Ra Ra Boom back from being an excellent debut from developer Gylee Games, and an excellent example in its genre in its own right. From its punchy, wholehearted aesthetic to its ambitious combat, there was tons of potential here. Unfortunately, while I still had a fun time, that potential wasn't met as I ended up just sticking to the beat ‘em up basics to get through, ignoring the bells and whistles almost entirely after growing tired of wrestling with them.