RKGK/Rakugaki review: Graffiti saves the world

RKGK/Rakugaki is a platform game that sells itself as a high speed action game, but most players who are new to the game are likely to be attracted by its stark stylistic tone.

It has funky pop elements, dynamic game music, and hip-hop symbols sprinkled with details. Clearly, the game is dedicated to maintaining the developer's unique personal aesthetic, trying to disaggregate what's in his mind into a tangible sensory experience that the player can relate to.

This highly recognizable aesthetic concept will be praised by anyone who sees it, which has also become the face of the game, so that players will not be persuaded by the old-school platform game category.

After all, the platformer label is not easy. The more hardcore a game is, the more it needs to have some outstanding qualities. For example, the "Treasure Dream" series as the most hardcore RPG battle game, it carries the cute attributes and foster gameplay, but it can attract a lot of players who do not care about fighting into the pit.

The same goes for RKGK/Rakugaki, which lets the cool hip hop elements take over the game, and is responsible for attracting the current market players. Maybe you don't like jumping music very much, but look here, it has a strong HIP HOP atmosphere, and customized content rich details, even if it is regarded as "warm warm" is not not OK.

If the art style appeals to you, then that's half the battle, because RKGK/Rakugaki also has extremely user-friendly difficulty choices. While difficulty adjustment may be a common design in other categories, it's not so common in platformers.

It can be said that RKGK/Rakugaki is the most suitable platform game for all kinds of players. It has a variety of game elements, a great visual experience, and a thoughtful difficulty choice.

But then again, even if RKGK/Rakugaki looks good enough, what about Riko?

According to the developer's words, RKGK/Rakugaki is a game that wants to concretise its childhood memories, a memoir of the 80s and 90s generation that wants to show for this generation of players.

The dynamic electronic music represents the old radio station, the HIP HOP atmosphere symbolizes the street culture, and the 3D stage is the ultimate dream of the gang.

In the golden age of "Mario" and "Sonic" popularity, the challenge of 3D graphics by 2D technology is the most difficult subject in the video game industry, "Mario 64" opened the chapter of 3D platform games, "RKGK/Rakugaki" is going to take over this baton.

It is worth mentioning that the gameplay of RKGK/Rakugaki is actually more "Sonic" series - collecting items under high-speed movement, using special movement states to defeat enemies, finding the shortest path in the game, and refreshing records in repeated play.

If you're a fan of the Sonic series, RKGK/Rakugaki may be very close to your heart. Because the special moving state of using graffiti spray to open the road is very similar to the "variable ball" and "tail propeller".

For example, flying close to the ground like skating, or traveling with the wind like a glider, and in special movement states, the character will maintain the attack frame throughout.

Although RKGK/Rakugaki itself has A set of combat mods, rather than leveling A combo, the game encourages the player to run all the way through, preferably not stopping for a moment.

Occasionally, the player will see an LCD screen on the side of the road, and this is the graffiti element that runs through the core of the game -- using gas tanks collected in the map, spray it with a custom design, and the game's level flow will show a climax of the atmosphere.

At this point, the character will be given a variety of buffs, so that the player can continue to break through in subsequent levels.

Slightly different from the common "map markers" in similar games, the graffiti of RKGK/Rakugaki not only has three-dimensional 3D effects, but also has a lot of types and tricks.

Players can use special resources collected in the map to purchase a variety of graffiti patterns in the stronghold, along with the character's clothing change.

I enjoyed the thrill of moving through the levels of RKGK/Rakugaki, it brought back the joy of playing the Sonic series for the first time, and the 3D stage gave the level a different texture from the 2D Sonic.

However, it must be pointed out that RKGK/Rakugaki is not very well optimized in the operation logic - in order to maintain a special movement in the game, you must hold down the RT key of the controller, and the game has a large number of rope organs, which need to use the RB key.

If you're a player who only uses your index finger to control the shoulder keys, you'll be forced to get used to the input logic of adding your middle finger to the action. In addition, players in the game also need to use the thumb to use the sprint function, but "RKGK/Rakugaki" as a 3D platform game, the thumb is also responsible for the main perspective control of the right rocker, which is easy to make the player's fingers in the shoulder key, sprint key, rocker several areas of chaos.

Compared to the liberation of the right joystick in 2D platformer games, the proficiency of RKGK/Rakugaki requires a certain time cost, not including its own advanced skills.

In addition, the level design of the game lacks some consistency.

For example, two doors are exactly the same, and the game will remind you to use the trigger when you pass the first door. When the player comes to the second door and looks for the organ, he finds that there is no organ in the map scene, and after defeating all the enemies in the scene, the door automatically opens...

As a platform game featuring high-speed action, the same "lock" uses different "keys", which can't help but confuse players.

While RKGK/Rakugaki stands out as a trendsetting element, the nature of platformer games can limit the game's audience.

Also, the core framework of RKGK/Rakugaki is very classical -- the characters barely grow at all, and the player can't expect new gameplay to be introduced in subsequent levels. The difference between different levels is only shown in the placement of different organs and the arrangement of different areas.

This is deadly for casual players, because it means that the game's repeated play power is all about racing.

After a few episodes in a row, the player quickly realizes -- are they doing the same thing over and over again?

This is RKGK/Rakugaki's current dilemma. The difficulty of the game is reflected in the complexity of the terrain arrangement, and the fun of the game is also reflected in the complexity of the terrain arrangement, rather than the richness of the functional gameplay.

If you are not a hardcore player, not a player who is obsessed with speed, or a player who is willing to repeatedly challenge for leaderboards, a game flow that is not broad enough will quickly dissuade you.

The graffiti patterns, the way the characters are dressed, the colors of the gas tanks, the shapes of the sprays, almost all of the customization in RKGK/Rakugaki is about the visual experience, and it hardly adds anything to the gameplay. It can even be said that once the player has passed the first level of the game, he can already predict how all the subsequent levels of the game will unfold.

This is a common problem with platformers that focus on high speed action, and is the exact opposite of platformers that introduce puzzle elements. In other words, a game like Blue will constantly introduce new mechanics and new organs, so that the player will spend a lot of time in solving the problem; In games like RKGK/Rakugaki, the first level is very easy, but the 3D stage gives the player more paths to choose, and thus better performance at the racing end. The latter is not the pursuit of customs clearance, but the challenge of self after customs clearance.

It's just Most players' platformer experiences are only for one week, which leads to games like RKGK/Rakugaki being too easy, not rich enough, and bland. Players who try different routes and then pursue better results are always in the minority.

"RKGK/Rakugaki" is a game that needs to be invested in the race to experience some fun, its essence is a classical platform game. Obviously, this kind of game will be a little less creative, and the player will not be able to experience the imaginative pioneering design.

This makes "RKGK/Rakugaki" and the face like the tide, formed a small sense of gap. If you're going for the cool gimmick, you'll end up playing a game that's pretty much the same as the stereotypical platformer.

Yeah, it's the most stereotypical one.