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For many people, their first foray into the beat-’em-up didn’t come from ‘Street Fighter II’ or ‘Mortal Kombat’, but from Sega Mega-Drive’s ‘Streets of Rage’ series.
While ‘Mortal Kombat’ was lighthearted and violent comedian, almost to the point of being postmodern about it, ‘Streets of Rage’ was much more about the vibe and atmosphere. The first level of the first game saw you drop onto a neon-soaked street with nothing but your fists and feet, ready to deliver street justice to punks and skinheads around you.
Twenty-six years later, ‘Streets of Rage 4’ encompasses both the nostalgia of the original by changing very little about it. After all, why do you need to do it? When we look at ‘Streets of Rage 2’ and ‘Streets of Rage 3’, the only real difference between them was improved graphics, better music, and bigger stages.
‘Streets of Rage 4’ swaps pixels for smooth, beautiful, animated avatars that cross a screen and hit people. The music is as uplifting as the original, and the controls feel solid and familiar. At the end of the first stage, you get back into action and launch enemies across the screen with ease.
Side-scrolling beat-’em-ups enjoyed a heyday in the 1990s, but more recent efforts like ‘Scott Pilgrim vs. The world ‘does everything possible to evoke that era. ‘Streets of Rage 4’ runs on both sides of the line somewhere in between. Essentially, it’s the same basic mechanics as the previous three games with some improvements and add-ons.
There is now a combo system that fills your health, but if you take a hit during a combo, you lose your health permanently. Also, each selectable fighter has a ‘Star Power’, which is essentially a finisher that cleans the screen from bullies. It also has improvements to the weapon system, including a neat catch-and-launch system for some weapons, which takes time to master, but greatly increases your chances of going through a stage.
However, when it comes to difficulties, there is no denying that ‘Streets of Rage 4’ has the same level of frustration as previous posts did. You may find yourself trapped and unable to exit a stage due to lack of artificial intelligence or lack of planning, which often forces you to restart the entire stage.
Likewise, of the four characters you start with, it can often be the case that the characters vary so much that some stages can be almost impossible if you have chosen the wrong character. With that said, the game is rewarding and when you finally manage to catch that boss or scenario, it’s just as satisfying as the original.
Like other long-nosted recent games like ‘Final Fantasy VII Remake’, ‘Streets of Rage 4’ recognizes that it’s not enough to just swap names for people to play. It has to make subtle and thoughtful improvements, otherwise people will just stick with the original instead of trying the next game. ‘Streets of Rage 4’ has enough of these to justify picking it up, but it’s the way it honors the original that makes you play it for much longer.
‘Streets of Rage 4’ is now available on Nintendo Switch, Xbox One, and PS4.
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