Streets of Rage 4 – Review

TO late 1980s and early 1990s, the genre beat ’em up It was an international sensation thanks to the games that could be enjoyed in the Arcade or slot machines. Games like Final Fight, Vendetta and Double dragon They dominated the genre and expanded into home systems.

Sega, wanting to defend his territory with a clean fist, launched his answer with Streets of Rage, a street fighting game that pushed the technical capabilities of Sega Genesis to the limit, thanks to its impressive gameplay and magnificent soundtrack.

26 years later, DotemuWith the blessing and collaboration of Sega, the legacy continues with a modern and artistically conceptualized version, thanks to the studios Lizardcube and Guard Crush Games. Streets of Rage 4 He returns to revitalize a genre that was almost forgotten.

The story of Streets of Rage 4 It takes place ten years after the fall of the relentless criminal union led by the relentless Mr X. Now the city of Wood Oak faces a new threat with its descendants, the Y twins, who plan to dominate the city through a hypnotic apparatus that uses sound waves.

Axel Stone and Blaze Fielding are retired from the police, now corrupted by the power of the twins, and enlist the help of new blood. First is Cherry Hunter, rocker and daughter of award-winning agent Adam Hunter; and Floyd Iraia, a construction worker who has a pair of bionic arms built by Dr. Zan.

In its pure essence, Streets of Rage 4 it is a ‘beat’ em up ’game done and right. Buttons for hitting and jumping and one for special movements. These moves waste the character’s health, but offer a window of opportunity to regain it by hitting the enemy. Star motions regain strength with particular animation and an amplified area effect. Lives are obtained by reaching a certain scoring goal and by losing all of them, the level will restart with the option of additional aids.

At the end of each scenario, the game will rate the player for his performance in time, accumulated lives and unused star movements. This will be added to a historical score that will be accumulated to be shown in a global leaderboard. The score will also unlock extras like previous game versions of the characters, with their gameplay style and pixelated appearance preserved. All this for a total of 17 characters available to the player.

At the end of the story, new game modes open to boost replayability. For the most seasoned, there is the Arcade mode, which consists of spending the entire game using only one credit, as well as difficulties that will make the player rethink their approach to opponents.

Of course, the experience couldn’t be complete without multiplayer. Locally, up to four people can play, while only one partner is accepted online. There is also a versus mode for friendships to be tested in combat.

Streets of Rage 4 it is quite a visual delight. Each of the game’s elements – including characters, settings, sequences, and items – have been fluidly drawn and animated for an experience rarely seen in titles. beat ’em up. The game offers a gallery mode where you can view illustrations, concept art, and unused resources. All with sharp, detailed resolution.

But what has always made unforgettable to Streets of Rage It has been his music and here he returns to take an invincible form. Yuzo Koshiro and Motohiro Kawashima, the original composers of the first games, have returned with a team of elite musicians such as Yoko Shinomura and Harumi Fujita, under the supervision of French composer Olivier Deriviere. In addition to the new tunes inspired by the electronic music of the nineties, you can also access the soundtrack of previous games for a bit of nostalgia.

For people who have never touched a street fighting game in their life, Streets of Rage 4 It will make them fall in love and make them go through the best titles in the genre, if they still want more.

Review made with a digital copy of Streets of Rage 4 for Xbox Game Pass Ultimate (PC) provided by Microsoft.