Streets of Rage 4

Carrying on the style of gameplay from previous entries in the Streets of Rage series from the early 1990s, Streets of Rage 4 is a side-scrolling beat 'em up in which up to four players locally or two players online fight against waves of enemies, aided by disposable weapons and item pickups. Alongside standard attacks, throws, and Blitz Moves, each playable character has a set of special attacks that can be performed at the cost of some health. In this game, however, players can restore health spent on a special attack by performing successive follow-up attacks without getting hit. Each playable character also has a unique "Star Move", which can be performed by collecting Stars in each level. A new combo system is introduced, along with the ability to juggle opponents against walls and other players, allowing players to earn extra points by stringing together long combos without getting hit.[1]

The main gameplay mode, Story Mode, sees players going through each level as the story is told, with a stage select unlocked after clearing Story Mode. Players have a limited number of lives depending on the difficulty setting, but can earn more by earning a certain number of points. If all players lose all of their lives, they will have to retry the level from the beginning, with the option to use assists that add extra lives and Star Moves at the cost of a reduced score. Upon clearing a level, players receive a rank based on how many points they scored. Points earned goes towards a lifetime score, which goes towards unlocking bonus playable characters from past games, presented in pseudo 16-bit style. The game also features Arcade Mode, which tasks players with clearing the entire game with limited lives, a Boss Rush Mode and a competitive Battle Mode, which lets two players fight against each other. The game also features a retro audio option, featuring music tracks from both the Mega Drive/Genesis and Master System/Game Gear versions of the first two games.[2][3][4]

Ten years after the events of Streets of Rage 3, in which the criminal mastermind Mr. X was defeated, Wood Oak City falls under the control of a new crime syndicate led by Mr. X's children, the Y Twins, who plan to brainwash its citizens with hypnotic music. Blaze Fielding calls in some old favors to take the twins down. Joining Blaze are her old friends Axel Stone and Adam Hunter, Adam's daughter Cherry Hunter, and Floyd Iraia, a cybernetically enhanced apprentice of Dr. Zan.[5][6]

Following the success of Wonder Boy: The Dragon's Trap, a 2017 remake of 1989's Wonder Boy III: The Dragon's Trap, publisher Dotemu and developer Lizardcube approached Sega about creating a sequel in the Streets of Rage series. Sega agreed, licensed the franchise to Dotemu and production on the game began at the beginning of 2018, with the game publicly announced that August. The game was co-developed by Guard Crush Games, using a modified engine from their Streets of Fury game, with a core development team of five members across the three companies. Each playable Streets of Rage 4 character has approximately 1,000 frames of animation, with enemies having between 300 and 400 frames each.[7] Seaven Studio ported the game for PlayStation 4 and Nintendo Switch[8] while BlitWorks ported it for Xbox One and Windows 10.[9]

The game was released for Microsoft Windows, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One on April 30, 2020.[15] A limited physical release for the PlayStation 4 and Nintendo Switch versions by Limited Run Games was made available as both a standard edition with reversible box art and a classic edition with a steelbook case and a Genesis-style clam-shell case.[19] A limited edition version including a CD soundtrack, a 7-inch statue, a chicken stress ball, and an artbook has also been offered.[20] Another physical release for PS4, Switch, and Xbox One is being planned by Signature Edition, releasing the game in both a standard version include keyrings and an art booklet and a signature edition with a CD soundtrack, enamel pins, and a bandana.[21] Following the announcement of other physical editions, Dotemu and Limited Run Games announced that all orders of their physical editions would include a complimentary CD with an exclusive remix by Tee Lopes, as well as free Steam keys for those who ordered the limited edition.[22]

Streets of Rage 4 received generally positive reviews, according to review aggregator Metacritic.[24][25][23]

Leo Faierman of The Sydney Morning Herald wrote that "the visuals, sounds and mechanics aren't as envelope-pushing in 2020 as the originals were in the early '90s, but the balance between embracing nostalgia and reformulating the brawler for the current decade is struck wonderfully."[39] Heidi Kemps of GameSpot opined the game "looks great, sounds great, and plays very well" and that even "if the experience is relatively short, it's the sort of game you and your buddies can easily enjoy playing and re-playing."[32]

Michael Huber of Easy Allies stated that Streets of Rage 4 masterfully revitalized the series, describing the combat and soundtrack as high points, but criticized the online components at launch.[28] Dale Driver of IGN wrote that "it’s still a very conservative update to the quarter-century-old format that feels like a slave to the past."[33] Joe Juba of Game Informer agrees that it "feels like an homage to the ‘90s, but it’s also stuck in that era."[31]

• Official website