Jet Set Radio

About Jet Set Radio

Jet Set Radio is a stylized platformer with arcade and sport elements set in the fictional Tokyo-to. Developed by BlitWorks and published by Sega, it launched in 2012 as a remaster of the 2002 Dreamcast original. You play as the GGs, a street gang using skateboards and graffiti to reclaim districts from rival crews like the Noise Tanks and Love Shockers. The game blends chaotic skating, tag-based combat, and turf wars in a neon-drenched world. It’s a fast-paced, visually vibrant experience where form often outshines function. A remaster that’s equal parts love letter and lesson in how not to modernize old mechanics.

Gameplay

You spend most sessions skateboarding through cityscapes, spraying graffiti on walls, and brawling with enemies. Combat is simple: press a button to hit, chain moves for damage, and dodge projectiles. The real challenge is platforming, skating up walls, grinds on rails, and maintaining momentum. Missed jumps send you plummeting, and the camera often swings wildly, obscuring the path. Each mission is a 30-minute sprint to tag zones before rivals, with limited checkpoints. The stylus lets you draw graffiti mid-session, but it’s gimmicky. Roster battles add a 2v2 fighting mode. Controls feel loose by today’s standards, and level design leans on trial-and-error.

What Players Think

PlayPile users rate it 76.7/100, with 25% completing the story in an average 15 hours. Nostalgia drives 40% of positive moods, but 30% cite “frustrating controls” in reviews. Critics note the art direction remains bold, but gameplay hasn’t aged well, 70% of 52 ratings call it “a relic.” One user wrote, “The neon glow still hits, but the camera’s a disaster.” Achievement hunters track 110 trophies, 60% earned in 8 hours. Platinum takes 35 hours, requiring repeated combat and graffiti runs. The community splits: 65% recommend it for “style over substance,” while 35% call it “unplayable on modern hardware.”

PlayPile's Take

Jet Set Radio HD is a polarizing nostalgia trip. At $15, 20, it’s a risk for new players, controls and camera issues are dealbreakers for many. But for those who loved the 2002 original, the remaster adds 1080p visuals and HD audio. It works best in short bursts, focusing on graffiti missions or roster battles. Achievements are plentiful but grind-heavy. Skip if you prefer tight mechanics or modern platforming. If you’re a fan of retro stylization and don’t mind clunky systems, it’s a worthwhile curiosity. Play it for the art, not the gameplay.

Storyline

DJ Professor K broadcasts the Jet Set Radio pirate radio station to gangs of youths who roam Tokyo-to, skating and spraying graffiti. One gang, the GGs, competes for turf with the all-female Love Shockers in the shopping districts of Shibuya-Cho, the cyborg Noise Tanks in the Benten entertainment district, and the kaiju-loving Poison Jam in the Kogane dockyard. The authorities, led by Captain Onishima, pursue the gangs with riot police and military armaments. After the GGs defeat Poison Jam, Noise Tanks, and Love Shockers in turf wars, they each drop a piece of a mysterious vinyl record. Professor K says that the mysterious vinyl has the power to summon a demon. The GGs are joined by Combo and Cube, who explain that their hometown, Grind City, has been overtaken by the Rokkaku business conglomerate. They ask the GGs to help them to free their friend, Coin, who has been captured by the Rokkaku. The Rokkaku pursue the GGs and steal the vinyl record. Poison Jam explains that the Rokkaku CEO, Goji Rokkaku, plans to use the record to make a contract with the demon and take over the world. The GGs defeat Goji in the rooftop of his headquarters by destroying his turntable. Freedom is returned to the streets of Tokyo-to. Combo reveals that The Devil's Contract was an old record with no demonic powers and that wealth had driven Goji to insanity.