RKGK / Rakugaki

My first instinct after an hour with RKGK was to replay the opening zone immediately, not because I missed collectibles, but because the movement felt like something I wanted to get better at. That is a rare thing. Wabisabi Games is a small Latin American studio whose debut carries the unmistakable warmth of people who genuinely loved the PS2-era games they grew up with, and chose to build something in that spirit rather than just reference it. The core of the game is Valah, a graffiti rebel working against the corporate dystopia of Cap City. Her moveset unlocks naturally from the start: double jumps, wall runs, airdashes, rail grinds, and the standout paint-surf mechanic that lets her ride a wave of spray paint at escalating speeds. That last ability is the soul of RKGK. Once you understand how to chain it with jumps and dashes, slower traversal starts to feel like wasted potential, and the time-trial S-rank system exists precisely to reward the players who want to master every corner of a stage. The six-chapter structure asks you to cover mind-controlling screens in graffiti to unlock each boss arena, but the levels quietly double as speedrunning playgrounds once you know them well. There is also a Defacer mode, which activates when Valah moves fast and avoids damage, letting her slide move destroy enemies outright while she picks up momentum. The moment it clicks is genuinely thrilling. The Defacer loop and the paint-surf mechanic make for a game that wants to be played at pace, which makes RKGK's weaker moments sting a little more. Combat against robots is functional but thin, more a speed bump than a satisfying system, and the boss fights sit in a frustrating middle zone: puzzle-combat encounters that demand positioning precision the controls do not always honor reliably. Rail segments in particular drew consistent criticism, and having played through them, the inconsistency in ledge-grabbing and rail-to-rail transitions is real. Late-chapter levels also grow longer and introduce stretches where a single mistake restarts a multi-minute sequence. The story itself is warm in concept but largely forgettable in execution, with dialogue that ranges from charming to flat. None of it kills the experience, but players who need tight platforming logic across every second will notice the seams. Visually, this game is a small triumph. The graffiti Valah paints is not generic spray-tag smears. It is actual art, distinctive and joyful, and the world shifts into color around it in a way that genuinely moves. The neo-brutalist city aesthetic and the synth soundtrack that pulses underneath everything give Cap City a soundscape that feels intentional, like someone chose each track specifically for the speed of the environment it scores. Costume unlocks let you dress Valah in outfits inspired by Dragon Ball, Hunter x Hunter, and Akira, which sounds like fan service but lands as genuine affection rather than cheap nods. The hideout base fills up with crew members as you progress, each one offering cosmetics, new graffiti patterns, or even the ability to swap out the background music, and that small detail says everything about how much care went into the feel of the thing. RKGK is not a long game. The main run sits around six to eight hours, and you will want to spend more time in the levels you love. The players it is made for, the ones who want to parse movement tech and shave seconds off completion times, will easily find much more. Anyone expecting narrative depth or combat with real texture will leave a little hungry. But for a debut from a studio whose love for the craft is baked into every corner of Cap City, this one earns its place on the shelf without apology.

Kai · Scout Team

Indie & narrative

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