The Indie Game Magazine August 2015 | Issue 52 | Page 16

COVER STORY

Get Set, Radio Future by Vinny Parisi

T

he Sega Dreamcast exemplifies the Golden
Age of gaming. Innovation was everywhere,
graphics were mind-boggling, soundtracks
were stellar, and new IPs flourished. It was an age
where going to a video game shop was like going to
Disneyland; there was a magic in the air that the gaming industry has been unable to replicate since. One of
the many, many great titles to come out of the Dreamcast era was a little gem known as Jet Set Radio (otherwise known as Jet Grind Radio stateside), which further
spawned the original Xbox sequel, Jet Set Radio Future.
There are a number of reasons folks may remember Jet Set
Radio. For many, it was the incredible soundtrack scored by
composer Hideki Naganuma. For others, it was the cel-shaded
graphics, an art style that was near unheard of at the time
(for which JSR is credited as bringing to the forefront of mainstream popularity). For others still, the unique gameplay which
required players to skate around as part of a rebellious gang in
a modern-day approximation of central Tokyo, spraying commissioned graffiti – that was drawn by real-life graffiti artists – while
avoiding the police and butting heads with rival gangs, was the
most memorable part. The bottom line is, Jet Set Radio graffitied
its mark on the world in a big way, and there’s yet to be another
title that could capture the essence of what made the game so fun.
Enter Hover: Revolt of Gamers, the successfully-Kickstarted project
in development at Fusty Game. Hover takes inspiration from both
Jet Set Radio and Mirror’s Edge in an attempt to create the ultimate
parkour adventure. It’s infused with the heart and soul of JSR in more
ways than one, as the team aims to both pay homage to a classic while
simultaneously reinventing the wheel to accommodate today’s modern
amenities. If all goes according to plan, the end result will be something
truly breathtaking.
Hover describes itself as an “Open world, futuristic freerun/parkour
game.” Over the course of this feature, we’ll discover just how fitting that
description actually is. The general synopsis is that the game takes place on
an alien planet in a city where video games, along with some other forms of
interactive entertainment, have been banned by the Mayor. This leads to the
formation of an underground resistance, spearheaded by gamers, who intend
to end the tyranny and dethrone the Mayor. Beyond this, however, Fusty Game ((