It was a great run for Ra Ra Boom, but you can only go so far copying grandpa’s homework. I love Streets of Rage and many other games of the genre, but without a significant difference or a story worth investing in, I fear this one is just my cup of tea.
Developed and published by Gylee Games, Ra Ra Boom is a colourful, 4-player local co-op Brawler/beat ‘em up with hand-drawn art and voice acting.
There are many games in the genre of beat ‘em ups, but very few are available for purchase. That is what you call a paradox. Let me clear it up… Ra Ra Boom, in my time going through it, felt like nothing more than a beat ’em up. I fear that in a world filled with so many options, it is just another name, I won’t be going back to.
Police Mom Boom
The story of Ra Ra Boom follows a group of badly dressed young Female Robo Cops, who are training to take the streets and abuse their power… or try to be good cops.
This happens in the form of some side-scrolling roughhousing, frequently interrupted by hand-drawn and beautifully voiced cutscenes that add charm, personality, and a fleeting sense of depth.
The game quite literally opens with the protagonists being drilled on how to combat both robots and lowlife criminals. A stern senior officer storms into class, yanks them from their desks, and throws them straight into the chaos of live training.
After a brisk tutorial that doubles as a crash course in survival, you’re pushed headfirst into the streets and scrapyards of Ra Ra Boom, ready to dish out stylish, side-scrolling beat ’em up action.
The way of the Boom
The team punches with impact, chaining together quick jabs, heavy finishers, and the kind of screen-clearing specials that feel like setting off fireworks in a junkyard. There’s speed in the movement, a sense of weight in the blows, and plenty of colour bursting off every punch.
Each stage plays like a parade of punching bags dressed as robots and criminals, feeding into that familiar loop of clear-the-room, move forward, repeat.
Ra Ra Boom swings hard with that old-school, side-scrolling rhythm, straight-line mayhem, fists flying, enemies tumbling across the screen…
The game looks like it wants to reinvent the fight. With modern effects, smooth animation, and a Saturday morning cartoon energy. Sadly, beneath the flash, it’s the same dance step we’ve all rehearsed since Streets of Rage.
Final Thoughts
Ra Ra Boom is a polished package, no question about it. The visuals are slick, the hand-drawn cutscenes show care, and the voice work adds a spark of personality you don’t always see in this corner of the genre.
On presentation alone, the game wears its best uniform and marches confidently onto the field. But the trouble is that, once the talking stops and the fists start flying, it doesn’t manage to break formation.
There’s comfort in the old rhythm. Walk forward, clear the screen, repeat, but comfort alone doesn’t carry a game in 2025.
We’ve had decades of beat ’em ups, revivals, and reinventions, and the bar is higher than ever. Ra Ra Boom doesn’t stumble so much as it stands still, happy to echo classics without carving its own identity.
That said, if this is your only option, it is a decent game with functioning systems. You can play with up to four friends, and it supports Steam Remote Play. As for me… Well, the Steam page says casual pick and play. Frankly, I’d rather pick and play something else.
