Bomb Rush Cyberfunk is perhaps the definition of a vibes game.
Just about everything is designed to give you the impression of a world born out of early 2000's japanese street culture/skater futurism. And in that way it is very easy to appreciate.
In another more mechanical sense however it feels very limiting. Don't get me wrong, there is satisfaction in stringing together a long combo in a way that can sometimes feel effortless. The problem though is that there simply isn't enough depth to push the game, really a high score is about all there is to reach for. I just wanted a bit more room for player expression. Each trick is a simple button press away, you can only grind on very specific parts of the map and that goes for wall rides as well. It gives the feeling of being funneled into very specific routes through levels which to me goes against the spirit of the games presentation and story which is all about pushing boundaries.
I understand that an EA Skate physics anything goes structure would be too ambitious for a team this size and that kind of granular control over moves isn't even necessary but it's still hard not to see the avenues for opening up ways to interact with the level design if even a little.
This isn't to say there aren't relatively tough challenges or ways to vary up your combos but even with boost tricks, working in slides/hitting cops and racking up multipliers you feel within range of the skill ceiling pretty quick.
Over all I still had a lot of fun, even occasionally being totally lost in the combo high to a fitting soundtrack but the greater potential not met is difficult to ignore.
Just about everything is designed to give you the impression of a world born out of early 2000's japanese street culture/skater futurism. And in that way it is very easy to appreciate.
In another more mechanical sense however it feels very limiting. Don't get me wrong, there is satisfaction in stringing together a long combo in a way that can sometimes feel effortless. The problem though is that there simply isn't enough depth to push the game, really a high score is about all there is to reach for. I just wanted a bit more room for player expression. Each trick is a simple button press away, you can only grind on very specific parts of the map and that goes for wall rides as well. It gives the feeling of being funneled into very specific routes through levels which to me goes against the spirit of the games presentation and story which is all about pushing boundaries.
I understand that an EA Skate physics anything goes structure would be too ambitious for a team this size and that kind of granular control over moves isn't even necessary but it's still hard not to see the avenues for opening up ways to interact with the level design if even a little.
This isn't to say there aren't relatively tough challenges or ways to vary up your combos but even with boost tricks, working in slides/hitting cops and racking up multipliers you feel within range of the skill ceiling pretty quick.
Over all I still had a lot of fun, even occasionally being totally lost in the combo high to a fitting soundtrack but the greater potential not met is difficult to ignore.