Rad Raygun – Review
Follow Developer: Tru Fun
Platform: Xbox Indie, Steam
Genre: Platformer
Release Date: 2/19/2013

Rad Raygun – Review

Site Score
9.4
Good: A charming nostalgia trip
Bad: Theme song is currently stuck in my head
User Score
10.0
(1 votes)
Click to vote
VN:F [1.9.22_1171]
Rating: 10.0/10 (1 vote cast)

Rad Raygun header

Rad Raygun is what you get when you combine the Game Boy, Mega Man, and the eternal struggle between Communism and Capitalism.

Story:

You take control of Rad Raygun a portable robot created by Dr. Yokoi to take the fight to Medved and his evil Communist robots bent on taking over the world. Unfortunately Medved isn’t one to wait for you to attack his base where his 8 Communist robots are ready to take you down in any order you choose, and attacks Washington D.C. and the President of the United States.

While the game isn’t heavy on story it more than makes up for it with its cheeky charm and great outdated references, there is nothing like fighting a Material Girl who fights for Communism.

Graphics:

The games graphics truly evoke the original Game Boy, to the point where I held up my giant behemoth of a “portable” device side by side with my tv to see how well it was recreated. Much like Mega Man 9 and 10 which tried to recreate the experience of the original Mega Man games even down to the sprite flicker, Rad Raygun attempts the same thing except using the chromatic experience of the Game Boy. Luckily they didn’t try to limit the screens size to an almost eye bleedingly small square that the Game Boy had.

Rad Raygun SS1

Sound:

If you have fond memories of playing games on the original Game Boy then you know what to expect from the music and sound effects in Rad Raygun. The sound effects are eerily authentic from the cursor sound on the main title screen to the sound of shooting your gun at the Commies. While the music for the game is done by chiptune artist Fantomenk with 9 original songs for the game. If you’re a fan of chiptune music or you just really enjoy the bips and bleeps that used to come out of your Game Boy, Rad Raygun has you covered for some of the best retro sounds and music.

Rad Raygun SS2

Gameplay:

If you have ever played Mega Man 2 or any of the Mega Man games you know what you’re getting into, from the shooting, jumping, and sliding the game feels similar to Mega Man. There is absolutely nothing wrong with emulating one of the most beloved side scrolling games and the game even comes up with a few new abilities to try your hand at. While the Mega Man games are known for their punishing difficulty especially Mega Man 9, Rad Raygun doesn’t have the same brutal malevolence to it. I am terrible when it comes to these types of games and its always been something that has put me off from the games, luckily Rad Raygun understands and won’t mercilessly kill me over and over again until I throw myself onto the couch and weep softly into cushions.

Rad Raygun SS3

Conclusion:

If you have a soft spot for the Game Boy or the Mega Man games than this is a game you’ll want to pick up. If you’ve been scared away from the Mega Man games by their difficulty but you still enjoy the gameplay then it’s a no-brainer, Rad Raygun is a game for anyone who remembers the 80’s and their giant chromatic ‘portable’ Game Boy with fondness. You can find Rad Raygun on 360 under the Xbox Live Indie channel or you can play it on your PC through Steam and Greenlight.

VN:F [1.9.22_1171]
Rating: 10.0/10 (1 vote cast)
VN:F [1.9.22_1171]
Rating: 0 (from 0 votes)
Rad Raygun - Review, 10.0 out of 10 based on 1 rating
Craig Lynn


Craig spends most of his time playing Persona games to a ridiculous degree.

1 Comment

  1. ThaMofo
    April 29, 2013, 14:21

    Looking forward to this one if it reaches the steam shop.

    VN:F [1.9.22_1171]
    0 people found this helpful
    Was this review helpful?
    Yes
    No
    VN:F [1.9.22_1171]
    0 people found this helpful
    Was this review helpful?
    Yes
    No

Leave a Reply

You must be logged in to post a comment.