Streets of Rage 4 Review
Release date: April 30th, 2020
Developer: DOTEMU
Platforms: Steam (Reviewed), PSN, Eshop, XBL Live
Price: $24.99
Streets of Rage 4 is an old school, Genesis fanboys dream come true. The sequel to one of the greatest brawler series of all times. The Gamers Lounge has spent several hours with the game and there is something for newcomers and veterans of the series.
The Streets of Rage series has always held a great place in my heart. Streets of Rage 3 was one of my favorite games to play on Genesis. 1 and 2 are also fun, the music, the combat, the gameplay, everything is fantastic and I still own these games today. These games were just some of the titles that made the Genesis great in the 1990s. Gamers had pinned for a sequel for years and had to suffer through Fighting Force 1 and 2 as compromise
Streets of Rage 4 has the typical brawler story, Mr. X’s offspring are planning on brainwashing the city. Blaze calls in some favors and some old friends lend a hand. The game has a story mode, arcade mode, boss rush, online play, and so much more. There are unlockable characters and fun extras. The co-op and boss fights are crazy.
Initially, players can choose from a few old favorites Blaze and Axel, who have been updated with new looks. Axel looks like a grizzled street veteran ready for a brawl. Newcomers are Cherry Hunter, Adam’s daughter who is rocking a guitar. There is also another newcomer Floyd Iraia, the former apprentice of Dr. Zahn.
All of the characters have different play styles. Each character has an attack with different variations that lead to combos, different specials and my favorite a star attack. The specials had different variations and included defensive options, they do take part of your life bar away, which can be replenished within a short window by attacking enemies.
I initially enjoyed playing as Axel and Blaze, due balance with speed and damage. Once I unlocked Adam I switched to him, I thought he was faster than Axel. Cherry is quick, but has lower damage output. Floyd is a slow moving heavy which really wasn't for my play style.
The gameplay is fantastic and feels great with a gamepad. I was throwing enemies, grabbing weapons and unleashing combos. The levels are varied from sewers, to art galleries and the streets. There is an incredible amount of detail in the backgrounds and themes to each level.
There are secrets and Easter eggs to be found. One of the ones I enjoyed was accessing the old school arcade levels. Games can turn on the retro soundtrack and jam away. When you finish the game, why not try arcade mode which forces gamers to play on one credit. Boss mode pits gamers against bosses one after another with only 1 life. As a bonus the sweet soundtrack is in Amazon Music.
Streets of Rage 4 is a fantastic well polished game and we thank the publisher for letting us review it.
Final Score
Pros:
It’s fun and has co-op
:Lots of unlockables
Cons:
Nothing
Wish I could unlock Streets of Rage 2 or 3!