The beat ’em up genre is a pretty well-trodden affair. Walk right, encounter enemies, bust out combos, eat some pizza (or other HP-recovering nourishment), and repeat. The formula has worked for decades, and it will continue to work for many more. Yet, if there’s one element I wish more developers would shake up, it’s the fixation on testosterone energy.
Rattle off a list of the most iconic brawlers ever (Streets of Rage, Double Dragon, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles), and it’s hard to shake the reality that these games center around incredibly buff, macho men. There’s nothing wrong with that — I grew up on the classic 1989 TMNT arcade game, and I’m sure many current-day 30-year-olds did as well. These titles served their audience at the time, but modern-day gaming is so much more diverse. Let’s get with the program!
Enter Ra Ra BOOM. Developed by Gylee Games, this indie title follows other trendsetters (like 2019’s River City Girls) by putting the spotlight on femme-presenting characters. In a world where humanity has taken to space, four teenage cheerleaders must skip class, return to Earth, and defend the planet from incoming robot invaders. With fully voiced cutscenes and gorgeous character art designed by former Overwatch and Marvel Rivals talent, Ra Ra BOOM could be the creative spark the genre needs.
Sugar, Spice, and Slice-and-Dice
I sampled two levels from Ra Ra BOOM at PAX East 2025. Joined by the studio’s CEO, Chris Bergman, and Senior Producer Kim Edwards, we traveled through biomes ranging from genre staples (a sewer) to more creative backdrops (an amusement park). As we hacked and slashed, I asked Bergman and Edwards about some of the inspirations behind the game.
According to Bergman (also the game’s director), Streets of Rage was the game he grew up on. A few minutes in, that DNA became quickly apparent. Gameplay-wise, Ra Ra BOOM doesn’t stray far from the industry standard: You’ve got your main attack strings, plus a super move you can unleash for some added area-of-effect damage. (In a nice visual touch, these super moves leave behind rainbow streaks of color.)
That’s not to say the game doesn’t innovate. Unlike Streets of Rage, which keeps things firmly close quarters, Ra Ra BOOM also equips each protagonist with a long-range armament — from machine guns to bazookas — to deal damage from afar. (Incidentally, I played one other beat ’em up turned shoot ’em up, Neon Inferno, at PAX East 2025, but the two differed enough mechanically not to overlap.)
Another fun tidbit: Per Bergman, the game is partly inspired by real-life environments in Cincinnati, Ohio, where he lives. The amusement park we traversed was, in fact, an actual amusement park he’s frequented.
Ra Ra Boom, or Bust?
It’s hard to say whether Ra Ra BOOM will be a must-play — at least based on my limited demo time. The combat, while snappy, doesn’t stray too far from the rest of the genre. (There are skill trees for each character, but I wasn’t able to check them out.) The art is great, and the cinematics I saw painted a compelling picture of the overarching narrative, but my time was ultimately just a glimpse.
While the game’s senior producer is a woman, it isn’t lost on me that the creative lead is a man — a lovely one, based on my conversation, but not representative of the women whose stories we as players are set to experience. Whether or not Ra Ra BOOM’s narrative does right by its all-female cast is a mystery I’m very much interested to see answered when the game releases this summer.
Ra Ra BOOM, developed and published by Gylee Games, is set to release this summer on PC, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One.
David is the founder of The Punished Backlog. He has a problem finishing games he starts. Just beat: Nine Sols, UFO 50. Working on: Metaphor: ReFantazio. Can't wait for: Hollow Knight: Silksong. Follow David on Twitter at @David_Silbert to keep up to date with all things The Punished Backlog.
