At first glance, Ra Ra Boom looks like an energetic brawler with a badass cast of women unleashing fists, kicks, and bullets on waves of robot baddies, each hit punctuated with rainbow-colored explosions as metal body parts sail across the screen. It is absolutely what it looks like: vibrant, energetic, and full of character. But look a little closer, and right alongside the Lisa Frank color palette and the Saturday-morning-cartoon aesthetic, you’ll find a story about a group of young women not just battling robots, but overcoming their own grief and internal struggles in the process.
During my hands-off preview, I got a little insight into this part beat-’em-up, part run-and-gun game, and the tricky balance studio Gylee Games has had to strike in telling an intimate story of loss and personal growth within a genre that rarely leaves room for emotional resonance. “It’s a constant balancing act,” CEO and writer Chris Bergman told me. During one of the opening levels…