Gearbox Publishing announced today that RKGK (pronounced “Rakugaki”), the colorful platformer from Wabisabi Games, is coming to PC via Steam on May 22. The publisher also dropped the first gameplay trailer for the title, showing what the game looks like in action.
RKGK follows the adventures of Valah, a graffiti artist fighting against the corporate control of Cap City by painting the world and fighting off minions. Stylistically, it looks very reminiscent of Jet Set Radio or Hi-Fi Rush. According to Wabisabi, the game offers several speedrunning and exploration features in addition to the primary combat and platforming abilities. Players can also customize Valah’s graffiti with a number of color options.
Wabisabi began development of RKGK in 2020 after securing funding from Riot Games’ Underrepresented Founders Program. The game later appeared at the Triple-I Initiative indie games showcase. Steve Gibson, Gearbox Publishing president, said of its partnership with Wabisabi: “We are very grateful to have been trusted by them to be their partner in bringing RKGK to players around the world when it launches very soon.”
Anwar Noriega, Wabisabi Games CEO, said in a statement, “We’re thrilled to give players a look at RKGK’s vibrant, platforming gameplay. As creators and artists ourselves, we’re incredibly inspired by the things we loved growing up – Japanese anime and manga, Mexican street art, and early platforming games. RKGK pays respects to our deepest childhood joys while also being the fast, colorful, wild platformer we always wanted to play. We can’t wait to finally share RKGK with players around the world when it launches on Steam later this month.”