One of the brightest and briefest stars of Sega was the Dreamcast. A fantastic system that came out at the wrong time and struggled to stay relevant, it is still praised today. Many of its games have been remade and re-released, while other Dreamcast games still lack a remake, to the lament of many players.
One of those games is Jet Set Radio, a unique experience to say the least. The entire game is in a gorgeous comic book style that very few other games have matched. The stylish gameplay saw players skating around a city while tagging every surface they could find. The grafitti spreading simulator is often cited as one of the Dreamcast's best experiences, but despite a sequel, never became a series and has been considered dead for years.
Fortunately, Jet Set Radio has been released on Steam, sparing it from being trapped on the Dreamcast. It seems that a remake or new sequel is not forthcoming, but that has not stopped some from making their own. Developer Team Reptile recently released a short trailer for its next project: Bomb Rush Cyberfunk. From its look and description, it is very clear that Cyberfunk is the spiritual successor to Jet Set.
Of all the Dreamcast games that deserve a second chance, it seems obvious why Jet Set was at the top of Team Reptile's list. The team is responsible for Lethal League and its sequel, two games that share a similar aesthetic with Jet Set Radio. Much like Jet Set, Lethal League and Lethal League Blaze focus on urban competition and put an emphasis on style, both in the art and in the gameplay. The comic book inspired artstyle is right on the nose, and the multiplayer action of Lethal League is frenetic to say the least. Anyone would be hard pressed to find a better team to handle Jet Set's spiritual successor.
That doesn't mean other teams haven't tried to imitate Jet Set's style before. No Straight Roads sought to take the stylish rebellion type gameplay, give it more action, and use rock and roll instead of Jet Set's tunes. While that's fine on its own, it looks like Cyberfunk is sticking closer to the aesthetic of Jet Set. Gameplaywise is more vague, and only time will tell how close it sticks to Jet Set and what it improves on (if anything).
At this point it is almost certain Sega will not produce another Jet Set Radio game. Instead, Sega has stated it is committed to making better Sonic games, something everyone can get behind. Hopefully while Sega focuses on its star, Team Reptile can put all its focus into the spiritual successor many have wanted for years.
Bomb Rush Cyberfunk currently has no release date, but it does have a Steam page. Other console releases are currently unknown.