RKGK: the video game made by Latinos that you should not miss

Mexico-based development studio Wabisabi Games and Gearbox Publishing have announced that RKGK (Rakugaki), an anime-inspired title that blends Japanese and Mexican culture through graffiti, will be coming to PC via Steam on May 22, 2024.

In a chat with the studio, we were able to learn more about some of the thinking behind the development of this single-player 3D action-platformer video game.

How did the RKGK become a reality?

The game, which will be the studio’s first title in 2020, was supported by Riot Games’ Underrepresented Founders Program. This fund aims to empower underrepresented communities to create games and experiences for gamers of all backgrounds. Gearbox Publishing, on the other hand, has partnered with Wabisabi Games to ensure that the studio’s vision can reach the widest possible global audience.

Something that caught our attention is that the development team consists of only 29 Mexicans and Latin Americans. They also used graffiti artists for the art and the graphics engine they worked with was Unreal Engine 4.

What is RKGK about?

The citizens of Cap City have been mind-controlled by B-Corp, an oppressive corporation run by the evil CEO, Mr. Buff. Here, intrepid graffiti artist Valah and her companions fight to restore the world to its true beauty.

How is RKGK played?

This is a platform game in which you have to use the city as a canvas in the style of Jet Set Radio, but with exploration elements that invite you to explore practically every corner of the game.

Part of the game’s charm is that you have to chain jumps, runs, slides and movements to discover the fastest routes. Using spray while moving allows you to perform a kind of dash that also allows you to eliminate enemies.

Of course, we will find bosses that will put our control skills to the test, but the best thing is that there is a game mode that is a bit more permissive, or one for the “old school” looking for a bit more of a challenge.

Among the additional features that caught our attention is that it has several graffiti options, a wide color palette and a variety of costumes inspired by cosplay.

For speed run lovers, there are special timers, hidden paths and secret treasures that, when collected, will give us the opportunity to obtain more objects in a kind of hub that we can use to buy and equip all the extras.

Undoubtedly this title will give a lot to talk about, because despite being very fun, it can be played perfectly with a Steam Deck OLED, in fact we were able to run the demo with an average of 60 FPS with AMD FSR 2.2 image scaling in quality mode, but with all the presets in epic.