'Ra Ra BOOM' Is Beat 'Em Up That Will Hit You With Feelings

Source: Gylee Games / Ra Ra BOOM

Gylee Games’ new original game, Ra BOOM, aims to deliver a gut punch and not be just another mindless button-mashing beat ’em up experience. We are genuinely in a beat ’em up game renaissance, with games like TMNT: Shredder’s Revenge, Double Dragon Gaiden: Rise of the Dragons, the forthcoming Double Dragon Revive, Streets of Rage 4, and others restoring the feeling of the classic video game genre that used to gobble up all the quarters in arcades. With Ra Ra BOOM, Gylee Games hopes to keep that momentum going. In essence, the game is a classic beat ’em game in which playable characters take out hordes of villains and eventually the big boss. Still, once you pick up the sticks and press start, you will see the game studio is hoping to deliver a much deeper experience.

Source: Gylee Games / Ra Ra BOOM

Ra Ra BOOM’s Story

In the vibrant, fast-paced game, players can choose from five playable ninja cheerleaders, a combination we are sure you never thought of. They aren’t your typical cheerleaders; they have been trained to take on a rogue AI that has forced humans to leave Earth, but find themselves back on the planet, and must punch, kick, and shoot through hordes of angry robots and other foes and fight as a squad to save humanity.

Each character is fully upgradable, has unique hand-to-hand abilities, and wields a firearm to allow players to fight from a distance. To use your character’s special ability, you fill up a meter by landing hits on enemies; the power of the ability is determined by how full the meter is.

Source: Gylee Games / Ra Ra BOOM

HHW Gaming got hands-on with the game at PAX East and experienced the two levels during a brief demo. Ra Ra BOOM has been on our radar since seeing it during Kinda Funny’s Game Showcase two years ago.

Why Ra Ra BOOM Uses Ninja Cheerleaders?

Source: Gylee Games / Ra Ra BOOM

Speaking with the game’s creative director, Chris Bergman, our first question was why cheerleaders? His answer? Why not cheerleaders? “I wanted to create a 90s aesthetic. And, like, Saturday morning cartoons, fun and vibrant,” Bergman tells HHW Gaming. “Like what the f**k’s more vibrant than a cheerleader?” He also notes that teens who still attend school while living off the planet were raised to fight AI-controlled robots but use cheerleading to build teamwork. That makes all the sense in the world when you think about it.

Ra Ra BOOM Features A Deeper Narrative

Source: Gylee Games / Ra Ra BOOM

What also sets this game apart from other beat ’em up games is that Bergman wanted his game to have a meaningful narrative, as he feels that’s where the video game genre traditionally falls short. “Well, I don’t think beat ’em up games have good narratives,” Bergman said. “They’re really limited in what you can do. So part of it was a creative challenge of, like, can we introduce a real narrative into a new creative IP and a new game, and I fell in love with these characters so much. I wanted to make sure that that story was heard.” In crafting the game’s story, Bergman also used his personal experience, his father-in-law’s passing, and the grief he experienced from a traumatic moment to enhance Ra Ra BOOM’s narrative experience further. He also used writing the game’s story to help him cope with his father-in-law’s death, and hopes the story will do the same for players. Ra Ra BOOM is due out this summer and will be available on PC via Steam, PS5, and Xbox Series consoles, and will most likely cost $19.99 when it releases. It will have DLC content sometime after its launch, ensuring players will keep running it back after they beat the game.