Fat, fire-spewing enemies can roll around, nimble kickboxers can block frontal attacks, and geeky alchemists can throw exploding flasks of poison, fire, or electricity. The streets are filled with a wide variety of enemies, including many returning foes. The main campaign features 12 levels that go beyond the streets and into police stations, art galleries, cruise ships, and airplanes to battle knife-wielding punks, dojo ninjas, and corrupt cops. Enemies are auto-grabbed when close, making it easy to throw them down, or get in a few extra hits. Characters move from one side of a level to the other as enemies jump in, ready to be pummeled.Ĭontrols couldn’t be easier: one button attacks, another jumps, the third picks up weapons and healing food, and the fourth unleashes character-specific super-moves that drain a bit of health. Series stars Axel and Blaze return, alongside newcomers Cherry, the pint-size guitarist, and the muscular, metal-armed Floyd.
We start by picking one of four characters. The genre never died it’s been waiting just off screen for the developers at Dotemu and Lizardcube to create an amazing modernized sequel. Streets of Rage 4 suddenly crashes into a smokey alley in a Delorian, as punks and ninjas run in from both sides. Video games have advanced at an incredible rate, and the once popular genre has been regulated to old-school nostalgia. But as the attitude era of arcade machines and street punks in leather jackets and colorful mohawks faded, so too did the side-scrolling genre.įast-forward over 25 years since Streets of Rage 3. Sega’s Streets of Rage series was one of the best, with smooth gameplay, varied levels and enemies, and killer soundtracks. The simple, fun co-op action games fit well in arcade machines, then on home consoles.
Available On: PC (Steam), PlayStation 4, Switch, Xbox Oneīeat ‘Em Ups were all the rage in the 90s.