Looks like the Jet Set Radio reboot will be an open-world game full of rollerblading and graffiti tagging
See that mountain? You can rollerblade up it
The reboot of noughties gem Jet Set Radioteased with ruthless efficiency during The Game Awards has had a smidge of new information revealed. For being such a small detail, though, it’s a very intriguing - if perhaps a tad predictable - one indeed.
As a reminder, Sega confirmed a proper reboot for the cel-shaded Dreamcast-era classic, marking its first real showing in the more-than-a-decade since the original saw a HD re-release in 2012. That’s if you don’t count the clear tribute of modern successors like this year’s Bombrush Cyberfunk, of course.
For those out of the loop in the decade(s) since either JSR game came out (the Dreamcast original was followed by an Xbox-only sequel in 2002’s Jet Set Radio Future), Jet Set Radio blends the trick-pulling of something like Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater - except here on rollerblades instead of a skateboard - with the colourful, rebellious attitude of something like Sunset Overdrive as the player skates around to tag spots with graffiti while dodging pesky cops.
While Sega’s TGA tease showed off a scant few split-seconds of gameplay for the new Jet Set Radio, the studio’s parent company Sega Sammy dropped an extra morsel of info in a recent slide deck from an internal meeting.
Under the extremely Business Presentation title of “Utilization of Legacy IPs”, showingcasing Sega’s “Lore & Innovation”, an image of the Jet Set Radio reboot can be seen alongside the other Sega reboots announced. Over the image, description text reads: “‘Counter-Culture’. Tokyo Street Open World.”
The implication that the reboot will give the series its first fully open world is supported by the next bit of text, which says that players will “Experience the ‘rebellion’ movement that feels free in a suffocating society. Make friends, increase your fans, and create a movement!”
It’s not much to go on, but it definitely gestures at an open world to explore at your leisure - and the mention of “creating a movement” has me suddenly hoping for an Assassin’s Creed Brotherhood-style management aspect where I can send out skaters and taggers to take control of Tokyo.
Hopefully we’ll find out more soon, as Jet Set Radio’s developers - who include a number of the original team - work to give the hugely influential series its first original game in over two decades.