![]() On the surface the gameplay feels simplistic, as older beat-em-ups did, but the game soon shows you there’s much more below the surface. The end result of all this is the game feels very different depending on which character you choose. Adam and Cherry can dash while Axel, Blaze, and Floyd cannot. ![]() He has the most stamina and power, but he isn’t particularly agile. Floyd, the other newcomer, is a cyborg powerhouse. Cherry, Adam’s daughter, is very quick, yet she isn’t very strong. Adam, who hasn’t been playable in the series since the first game, feels very nimble and versatile. Axel and Blaze are the most similar to their previous incarnations, sporting mostly the same moves. Streets of Rage 4 features characters both new and old, providing players with a different feel to each of their combat types.Įach of the characters play differently. Unlike in other games in the series, picking up items has its own button, this eliminates accidentally picking up items you didn’t intend to, or swapping a weapon you didn’t mean to. New to this game, though, is a stronger attack, performed by holding down the Attack button, as well as the Star Move, an invincible special attack that can do a lot of damage or get you out of tight spots. Quick regular attacks, special attacks, grabs, vaulting, weapons, and item pickups are all present and accounted for. It’s good to see that this continued with Streets of Rage 4.įrom a mechanics standpoint, much of what you expect is there. Each installment in the series had this element right, even if the speed of each game was never the same, and none of them ever felt too off-balance. Streets of Rage 4 manages to hit the sweet spot it’s fast enough to feel intense, but slow enough to not feel too overwhelming. Either they are too slow, making them feel plodding and ponderous, or they are too fast which makes them feel spastic and out of control. Many modern beat-em-ups have a real problem with pacing. It won’t take long to acclimate to the mechanics and realize that there is quite a bit more going on than you might first think. ![]() Why Should I Care?įrom the very start, it’s clear that this game was put together by a team that loved the prior installments of the franchise. There are even retro versions of the characters and stages to unlock, as well. The game can be played either solo or with a friend, both offline on the same couch, or online. These include an Arcade Mode and a Boss Rush mode. Initially you only have access to a handful of modes, but after completing the Story, the rest of the game’s modes become available. What people really come for is the gameplay, and Streets of Rage 4 certainly has that in spades. ![]() While beat-em-ups aren’t known for their stories, but it’s a simple and finely written one. The narrative in a beat-em-up isn’t generally what people pay for, but it is competently written even if it is a simple enough story, which is more than can be said of some of the past games’ localization. Set 10 years after Streets of Rage 3, this game has you going back to Wood Oak City where a new crime organization has taken hold, and it has designs on bigger and better things. The benefit of the doubt was given to the game, though, as this team had already shown themselves more than capable of modernizing a classic franchise. Developed by DotEmu, Lizardcube ( Wonder Boy: The Dragon’s Trap), and Guard Crush Games ( Streets of Fury), Streets of Rage 4‘s reveal showed off a bold new art style that had folks skeptical. In 2018, it was announced that a new installment in the series was coming. 26 years of pent up demand tends to set the bar high. Streets of Rage is a franchise well-regarded by many and is one that has not seen a new installment since 1994. Can the final product live up to what you imagine? This is particularly true when the subject of those emotions is the return of a fondly remembered franchise. Anticipation and expectations can lead to disappointment.
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