Over the last 20 years, couch co-op games have slowly disappeared. Some companies like Ghost Town Games, Hazelight Studios, SMG Studio, and Behemoth Studios are just a few that are looking to keep couch co-op alive.
Seeing that there is such an absence in the market, some indie developers are looking to fill that void and create great games that many can love. So, what do you get when you mix cheerleaders with side-scrolling shooting action?
You get an upcoming cheerleader couch co-op beat ’em up side-scroller by Gylee Games called . At PAX East 2025, we met with Gylee Games to preview Ra Ra BOOM and do an interview.
At the meeting, we paired off with a member of the team to check out the game. Around the booth, there were two arcade-style cabinets with the game’s artwork welcoming guests.
These cabinets had the traditional arcade fight stick set up in order to play. Instead of playing on these two cabinets, we were ushered over to a private demo station that used Xbox 360 controllers to play.
For the demo, we were allowed to pick between 1 of 4 characters: Aris, Vee, Saida, and Ren.
Like other old-school side-scrollers, you can only have one of each character within the level. To start, we were taken through the prologue and introduced to the characters, getting to experience each of their personalities. We soon meet Nezz, who shows us the basics of combat.
After the basics of the tutorial, we are shown the main plot of the game. A group of evil robots is attacking, and we need to fight them to protect the city. This call to action almost gives a Mighty Morphin Power Rangers vibe.
We then left the gym and ran to the city to help them in their time of need. Upon arriving, the back of the city already looks like a warzone, straight out of the dystopian future of the Trunks Saga line from Dragon Ball Z.
Once training is done, the group looks to disband and enjoy their weekend. This plan is quickly ruined by robots attacking; this is where we are first introduced to a Ra Ra BOOM Boss Fight. During this boss fight, we encounter our first bug; at the bottom of the screen, you can see our progress.
We die during the boss fight, and when we restart, it allows us to fight, but upon taking one life’s worth of damage, it prevents us from respawning. Now, with any demo you play at an event like PAX, you can always expect that there can be some kind of bug or hiccup.
Despite the bug ending our run, we still had a fun time with Ra Ra BOOM. The game reminded us of what we loved about side-scrolling shooters. Just within the first few minutes of playing the game, we could see how much time and effort Gylee Games put into making the game and creating a colorful and fun interactive booth.
The graphics within the game are colorful but give a retro but modern feel to it. When looking at the trailer and other gameplay aspects, it looks like Ra Ra BOOM will have a lot of fun, creative Easter Eggs within the game that reference popular shows, movies, and games from the 80s to the 2000s.
The game’s combat felt reactive; however, due to the block we encountered, we did not get to truly experience all that the game has to offer. If the game plays like it did at PAX East, then fans of games like TMNT: Shredder’s Revenge, The Simpsons, and even Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: Rita’s Rewind will love Ra Ra Boom when it releases.
Ra Ra BOOM is set to launch sometime this summer for Windows PC (via Steam and the Epic Games Store) and now consoles on Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, PS4, and PS5.
