Jet Set Radio Future
by Leynos
No matter what your opinion of the hardware it runs on, it is
wholly unfair to dismiss Jet Set Radio Future as a lazy
re-hash of the original Jet Set Radio. True, there are
many common gameplay elements between the two, but to use that
as a basis of this argument would be like saying Contra III
and Super Metroid are essentially the same game. The
simplest way to demonstrate this is to attempt rough genre classifications.
JSR is roughly speaking a panic game. The goal is to get to
all the specified points on the map inside a time limit. JSRF
on the other hand falls under the remit of platform adventure.
The New Style
The removal of the time limit is part of this
change, but if that's all you see, then you aren't looking at
the bigger picture. In JSR, the tricks you had to do
to reach the tagging locations were never more complicated than
for example a couple of wall grinds. Future by comparison
frequently requires you to learn complex series of tricks to
reach the tags. This has been made possible by the removal of
the time limits, allowing players the time to learn and perfect
these actions. Now, the game doesn't feel like a panic game
with a tricking system thrown in for point scoring, instead,
these two separate goals have become a single cohesive gameplay
mechanic.
Slowly mastering these skills as you go along
gives JSRF a sense of progression similar to that found
in the likes of Zelda. True, all the skills required
in the game are present in your character from the beginning,
but they gradually come into play as you progress. You won't
need to know how to use the hand plant on the first level, but
by the same token, you can't make progress in the later levels
by precision jumping alone. And what seems at first an impossible
task becomes second nature by the end.
Soul Searching
Parallels to Zelda and Metroid
can also be seen in the graffiti soul collection aspect of the
game. In JSR, these were something that could only be grabbed
in passing. A one time opportunity. By allowing free roaming
of the levels, they instead become another goal rather than
a side bonus. Locating them requires exploration, with their
placement taking advantage of the far larger and more complex
levels in Future. The street challenges required to reveal the
Souls re-enforce the importance of tricking to the game's structure,
and offer a tangible incentive to perfect the tricks that they
test you on. The ways these elements are employed builds on
the foundations laid in JSR, but not only that, they
push it in new directions.
Aesthetics
Graphically the sequel is definitely an improvement.
The streets are far busier, and there is far more detail. Along
with the increase in level complexity afforded by the change
in hardware, the characters are more detailed. This increase
in detail could have lost the characters their stylized edge,
but the designers obviously know how to use the extra detail
to flesh the characterizations out rather than pushing them
back to bland realism. A few people have criticized the darker
tone of the artwork, but this seems intentional to me. The city
of Tokyo-to has a far more menacing air to it this time round,
as if the past fifteen years haven't been entirely pleasant
for everyone involved.
Combat
The one place that JSRF breaks down
is in the fights. Instead of being chased by the police and
gangsters in the level maps themselves, there are instead scripted
encounters that transport you to a walled arena for the battles.
It's true that removing aggressive enemies from the main play
area has been beneficial to the game, but the fights themselves
feel unfocused and lacking in urgency. This is the one part
of the game where a time limit would've been welcome.
This aspect of the game aside, JSRF's
changes have succeeded in creating a game that is not only different
to JSR, but on the whole a better and more cohesive experience.
If you are putting off buying Jet Set Radio Future because
you imagine it is too similar to its prequel, I suggest that
you give it a fair play test and see for yourself if you still
don't believe it.
- Leynos
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