Bloody Hell, Ra Ra BOOM, What Happened? The Curious Case of the Cheerleaders Who Couldn't Stick the Landing
AI Gaming News Author · Polygon ·
Ra Ra BOOM, a co-op beat-'em-up with futuristic ninja-cheerleaders, boasts a cool concept and vibrant visuals but ultimately stumbles on core gameplay, with frustrating hitboxes, confusing co-op, and a progression system that fizzles out too quickly, leaving its potential sadly untapped.
Right, so you hear 'futuristic ninja-cheerleaders in a four-player couch co-op beat-'em-up', and your brain immediately does a little happy dance, doesn't it, mate? Mine too. It conjures up images of gravity-defying kicks, pom-pom powered energy blasts, maybe even a human pyramid that doubles as a laser turret. That’s the sort of wonderfully unhinged concept Gylee Games dangled in front of us with *Ra Ra BOOM*, a game promising to unleash an elite squad of heroes against an evil AI.
But here’s the thing about grand concepts: sometimes you cast a spell, and it just… doesn’t quite stick the landing. And *Ra Ra BOOM*, despite its vibrant visuals and catchy soundtrack, feels a bit like a high-flying cheerleading stunt that ends with everyone sprawled on the mat, wondering what went wrong. I’ve been tinkering with this story all morning, and fair dinkum, it’s wilder than it first appeared.
Let’s start with that core concept, because it's genuinely mint, absolutely top-tier 'what if?' territory. You've got Aris, the scythe-wielding redhead; Saida, a cyborg on rollerblades; Ren, an agile martial artist with a katana; and Vee, the squad's heavily shielded tank. Sounds like a bloody good time, doesn't it? A diverse crew, each promising unique playstyles as they avenge a fallen friend and save Earth. And aesthetically, the character designs *are* unique, with striking, colourful environments to match. The game really knows how to make a first impression, visually speaking.
But then you dive deeper, and you're left scratching your head, wondering if the 'cheerleader' part was just a whimsical note scribbled on a napkin that nobody ever properly integrated. As Polygon aptly pointed out in their review, these characters look about as much like cheerleaders as I look like a perfectly groomed lawn gnome. There are no pom-poms, no backflips in combat, no human pyramids of pain. Just... girls who apparently *are* cheerleaders because the game says so, not because they actually, you know, cheerlead. The game starts in a classroom, not a gym, and the only hint is the occasional 'Ra ra BOOM!' shout. It's like someone cast a 'cool idea' spell but forgot the 'make it work' incantation. The thematic coherence? Poof. Gone with the digital wind.
Now, I'm a forgiving sort when it comes to quirky narrative choices, especially in a beat-'em-up. Most of us are there for the visceral satisfaction of bonking baddies, not for an Oscar-worthy screenplay. (Though, a quick aside: the dialogue is generic, and you can’t speed up the text boxes, which makes those NPC encounters feel like an eternity. And while the cutscenes are well-voiced, they're not fully animated, which feels a bit like having a great story read to you, but only seeing static pictures.) But the *real* stumble, the one that knocks *Ra Ra BOOM* completely off balance, is its core combat.
Imagine trying to hit a ghost with a wet noodle while blindfolded. That’s roughly the combat experience, particularly when it comes to hitboxes. Both your characters and the enemies feel impossibly thin, meaning you can be practically kissing an enemy, swing your weapon, and somehow miss them entirely. And vice versa, which, while offering a weird kind of fairness, just means fights drag on *forever*. It’s like a cosmic joke where everyone's trying to hit the same invisible pixel, leading to immensely frustrating encounters that feel less like a dynamic brawl and more like an endless game of digital 'tag, you're it... no, you're not!' And to add insult to injury, you can't cancel moves. Want to dodge out of a committed attack because you realised you were swinging at thin air? Nope, sorry mate, you're locked in. This isn't just a minor annoyance; it's a fundamental issue that turns what should be a satisfying brawler into a test of patience, sucking the energy right out of the room like a misplaced vacuum spell.
And if playing alone is a bit of a spatial challenge, imagine adding three more digital wizards to the mix for couch co-op. The game’s co-op is, bless its heart, a bit of a mosh pit for your eyeballs. There are no player markers. None! You know, those little 'Player 1' floating bits that tell you who you are in the chaotic fray? Gone. This is especially wild because the game has a neat mechanic where if you die, you can respawn as a different character. Cool, right? It could prevent players from getting stuck with a character they're not vibing with. Except when your mate respawns as *your* previous character, and suddenly everyone's doing a frantic 'Who am I?!' dance, trying to figure out which pixel cluster belongs to them. It’s an interesting idea, but without the most basic visual cues, it turns into delightful chaos for about five minutes, then pure frustration. Bloody hell, it's a simple fix, but a huge omission.
Then there's the progression system, built around collecting 'Scrap Metal' to upgrade your abilities. On paper, sounds grand! Stunts, Melee, Ranged skill trees – proper RPG-lite stuff to increase health, damage, speed, and unlock new moves like dodges, aerial attacks, or special ammo types. But here’s the kicker: it’s incredibly easy to unlock everything. Like, before you’ve even hit the halfway mark of the game. That feeling of 'what's next? What can I work towards?' just evaporates like a poorly cast invisibility spell. It feels like the game inadvertently gave you a cheat code for progression, but you didn't even ask for it.
And the scoring system at the end of levels? Hilarious. You can basically get an A+ just by hoovering up scrap, even if your combat score is dismal and you spent most of the level swinging at shadows. Points from damage done? Minimal. Time bonus? Zero, naturally, with those hitboxes. But the 'Scrap Bonus'? That's your ticket to academic success in *Ra Ra BOOM*. Apparently, Gylee Games is looking into balancing this, which is good, because right now it’s like giving out participation trophies for breathing. For those craving a challenge, there are 'Homework Assignments' like melee-only runs, but these don't compensate for the overall lack of difficulty settings or an underwhelming final boss.
So, why does a game with such a cool premise and genuinely good character designs (aesthetically speaking) struggle so much with the fundamentals? It really comes down to execution, doesn't it? It feels like *Ra Ra BOOM* had a brilliant spark of an idea, a proper 'eureka!' moment, but then the development process didn't quite carry that vision through to the intricate details of gameplay. The 'cheerleader' concept wasn't woven into the mechanics or even the visuals in a meaningful way. The hitboxes suggest either a design oversight or a fundamental miscalculation about how players interact with space in a brawler. And the progression system, while offering choices, undercuts itself by making them too readily available.
It’s a classic case of potential galore, but the follow-through just wasn't there. It reminds us, mate, that a killer concept is just the beginning. The magic happens in the minutiae, in making sure every part of the experience, from the moment-to-moment combat to the overarching progression, feels satisfying and cohesive. *Ra Ra BOOM* is a reminder that even the most vibrant ideas need a solid foundation to truly sing, or else they’ll keep tripping over their own shoelaces. Hopefully, with a bit more tinkering and perhaps a proper pep talk for those hitboxes, these sci-fi cheerleaders can find their rhythm and stick that landing.
This analysis draws heavily from Claire Lewis's insightful review of Ra Ra BOOM on Polygon. You can find the original article at
Tags: indie games, beat-em-up, co-op, game review, game design
Original article: Polygon