Screenshot by Destructoid
Bomb Rush Cyberfunk does exploration proper.
Bomb Rush Cyberfunk is a tremendous and fewer sanitized model of SEGA’s Jet Set Radio. Developed by Workforce Reptile, Bomb Rush Cyberfunk places you on a quest to find the previous of the principle character whereas competing with rival gangs and combating militarized police to overcome the town of New Amsterdam with skating, graffiti, and vandalism.
I’ve simply completed the principle story of BRC, however I can’t drop the sport simply but. I’m hooked by the way it’s persuading me to discover each space, even after I’ve chosen to disregard its collectibles within the post-game.
I may spend hours speaking about how BRC, an indie sport that’s not restrained by SEGA’s ethical compass like Jet Set Radio was, is a number of enjoyable. However the sport was the primary one shortly that made me wish to discover the levels greater than every other open-world sport I’ve ever performed.

Exploration in open-world video games or in video games with massive areas is often restricted ultimately. Take Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom. When the participant appears on the horizon, they see towers and spots they may wish to discover. Not solely are they distant, although, the participant can’t go there too early as a result of they’re not directly locked by development. The mountain could be too chilly and require the participant to have cold-resistant gear or meals, or perhaps they want a selected unlockable merchandise to achieve that space. These video games present the participant the place they will go however say “Hey, be aware of this, since you’ll want to come back again right here later.”
Bomb Rush Cyberfunk doesn’t block your path. It exhibits you a wall you’ll be able to tag within the tallest constructing within the space and makes it look not possible to achieve. However no mechanic on this sport locks development. So long as you’ll be able to management your character correctly and discover the world intimately, you’ll be able to attain any level with a shiny taggable wall on it.
I understood early that I may attain each shiny wall, so I felt like the sport was difficult me. I may hear BRC saying, “I doubt you’ll be able to attain this wall” at any time when I entered a brand new space and noticed that yellow marking on the prime of the tallest constructing.

The apparently unreachable partitions are a promise of reward you’re going to get from ability and additional exploration. Since no mechanics or objects block you from reaching these hidden or practically inaccessible locations, all it’s a must to do is discover the encircling space to search out the place to begin to the trail to the world. Normally, they contain a bunch of leaping and sliding puzzles, like billboard hopping, sliding on cables between buildings, or secret passages to slip beneath. It provides a ability issue to exploration that nearly looks like fixing a puzzle.
These difficult-to-reach BRC areas are nothing particular, although. At most, they’ve an extra-large wall that will provide you with slightly extra REP once you tag it, although comparable partitions exist in additional accessible areas.
Reaching these robust spots was sufficient of a reward for me, and I made it a private objective to take action in all areas. BRC made me get pleasure from exploration sufficient to create aims for myself, despite the fact that the sport has its personal aspect objectives with numerous collectibles. And if a sport makes me snug sufficient to create my very own challenges they usually nonetheless make sense within the sport, that’s after I know I’m taking part in a masterpiece.
Printed: Sep 25, 2025 10:49 am