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"Streets of Rage 4": The cult brawler returns, prettier and more fun than ever

30.4.2020

Translation: machine translated

Beat 'em ups were one of the most popular game genres in the 90s. One of the best-known examples was "Streets of Rage". A new instalment was released 26 years later. And it still rumbles just like it used to.

"Double Dragon", "Golden Axe" or even "Streets of Rage": In the days of Sega Mega Drives, Super Nintendos and full arcades, there was hardly anything better than beating up muscle-bound villains in beat 'em ups. 2D graphics, a scrolling screen, enemies running in from the sides and a co-op mode that allowed you to beat up anything that came your way. The gameplay was simple, but compared to the static beat 'em ups like "Street Fighter", the world felt bigger. You always wanted to know which villain pack or boss was waiting for you in the next scene. With "Streets of Rage 4", there is now new fodder for fight-hungry retro fans - but also for newcomers to the series.

Always hit it hard

The last official instalment of Sega's cult series, Streets of Rage 3, was released in 1996. Now the game is in the hands of developer Dotemu, who specialise in porting classics for consoles and PCs. However, with "Windjammers 2" and "Streets of Rage 4", two promising new games are also due this year.

"Streets of Rage 4" relies on the tried-and-tested gameplay, but also dares to introduce a few new features. You can perform a special attack that costs you energy, which you can recharge with successful combos. There are also stars to collect, which can be used to trigger super attacks. Together with the chic hand-drawn art style and the groovy soundtrack, the fights are as much fun as ever. Fortunately, I no longer have to insert coins, otherwise the game would still be driving me to ruin today.

Axel Stone, Blaze Fielding and Adam Hunter are joined by two new fighters. One is Adam's daughter Cherry and the other is a cybernetic muscleman named Floyd Iraia. In local multiplayer, up to four players can fight at the same time. Online you are limited to two players. Streets of Rage 4 also features unlockable characters in the original 16-bit design and a retro soundtrack.

"Streets of Rage 4" is available for PC, Switch, PS4 and Xbox One and was provided to us by Dotemu.

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Philipp Rüegg

Senior Editor

Philipp.Rueegg@digitecgalaxus.ch

As a child, I wasn't allowed to have any consoles. It was only with the arrival of the family's 486 PC that the magical world of gaming opened up to me. Today, I'm overcompensating accordingly. Only a lack of time and money prevents me from trying out every game there is and decorating my shelf with rare retro consoles.

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