This summer has been chock-full of epic games to play, but sometimes, I need a game I can play where I’m able to focus on fun and not so much on skill or too many different gameplay mechanics. It seems as if Ra Ra BOOM had fallen from the sky, as this title offers that and more, as up to 4 players can enjoy its arcade beat-em-up style gameplay together. But just how well does it all come together?

Story and Gameplay

To be honest, I'm very specific about my arcade beat-em-ups. I have to like the premise to be engaged, as the gameplay can grow stale for me. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and River City Girls are perfect examples, and luckily for me, so is Ra Ra BOOM with its amazing cast of female characters and their unique personalities.

The team that makes up Ra Ra BOOM’s roster of player characters is a varied one, both in their personalities and playstyle. Every girl on this team brings her own unique style of combat to shake things up and differentiate herself from the next. And truly, the gameplay feels different from one character to another. The dynamic of the team is also on full display as these characters feel more like a cast in a television show like Teen Titans, where each one has their own strengths and weaknesses to bring to the team.

Gameplay, in a nutshell, isn’t complex or trying to reinvent the wheel, which is something that I was very happy about. Every game these days seems so focused on bringing in new mechanics when sometimes, it’s ok just to have a clear and simple fun game. That’s how this title all comes together in the end. Sure, there are upgrades and things to work towards as you progress through this title, but you aren’t going out of the realm of what’s come to be expected from a title such as this.

But honestly, it’s the 4-player co-op that is what sells the concept of this game. Just as you’d hope to see in such a fun arcade title such as this, the gameplay blows up differently. I think that’s co-op in this game is how it shines the brightest. When you have all of the girls on-screen together fighting side-by-side, is when you really get to see this team at its strongest, both physically and in vibes.

Graphics and Sound

Arcade action has never looked or sounded so fresh. Audio is crisp and clear yet still offers that lovely arcadey noise that we come to these games for. I was pleasantly surprised to see that the girls are fully voiced in cut-scenes within the game, bringing them to life even more.

As for visuals, it’s what honestly pulls me into games like this. The main Ra Ra girls are really well-designed with their own personalities and even combat styles shining through just by looking at them. If anything, the enemies at times can appear a bit too samey-looking in my personal opinion. Though color schemes separate them, they’re the same design at their core.

Environments look absolutely amazing here, whether we’re talking about the foreground or the backgrounds that travel the screen. I really appreciate that even in an apocalypse, the world can still thrive in color. Lighting is crucial in that aspect as I think that the developers executed the lighting really well, allowing for it to come across retro but with beautiful modern techniques.

Feedback and Verdict

At the end of the day, Ra Ra BOOM is a stellar arcade title. I really liked this one. Its cast of empowered female characters is superb, the gameplay is fun, and it’s a gorgeous title to look at while you’re playing. If anything, the aspect I’d complain about is the overall sameness of a few enemies we encounter. Whether it’s their visual appearance or just how often we fight them, there were just a few that I grew tired of combating with, but many games such of suffer from the same thing.