STREETS OF RAGE 4 ART PLUS

You wouldn’t think that after so many years of rumors and waiting that Streets of Rage 4 would not only actually come out, but far exceed anything in the genre, but here we are. The return of couch co-op and the introduction of online multiplayer also ensures that you’ll have plenty to play after the main scenario, so a short campaign isn’t so much of a bad thing. This is eased a bit by the multiple game modes you unlock after and the game’s inherent replay value. It took me about two hours to complete the game’s 12 stages and that was on normal difficulty. One of the only issues with Streets of Rage 4 is its length. They’ll only affect your score, and they’re a great tool for getting newcomers used to how the game plays. In this title though, you’ve also got some assists in case you need them, such as extra lives and stars. I played through on Normal and found it to be a really satisfying challenge, with a great difficulty curve. The original Streets of Rage games were no cake-walk and that’s thankfully transferred over to the latest title. It’s a great risk-reward system and makes them feel genuinely essential. Now, not only do you have multiple special moves but they also only temporarily take away health that can be earned back from attacking enemies afterward. Simply put, they weren’t worth it, and as a kid, I never really understood why I kept losing health whenever I tried them out. In the old games, you had a mildly more powerful move that would take away your health when used. One of my favorite features is the retooled special moves.

After all, you can always punch them right out a window too! There are the occasional moments of old-school annoyance like enemies that seem to only want to punch you out of bounds, but that’s definitely a purposeful move and doesn’t ruin the fun in any way. Every attack crunches with weight, weapons have a sharp sting to them, and keeping enemies in the air for as long as possible is incredibly satisfying. It’s hard to overstate just how good Streets of Rage 4 feels to play. It’s hard to imagine the game without them, which should say how well they fit in with the Streets of Rage gameplay. Juggling is also a big part of the gameplay now, and it is oh-so-satisfying to keep a group of enemies in the air and see the combo meter go up. You can now pick up stars that allow for a devastating special move, and they can genuinely turn the tide of battle when things get a little tough. However, Streets of Rage 4 does plenty of things to set itself apart from the originals. You’ll have to watch out for weapons that you can catch in mid-air, environmental hazards, and the occasional bottomless hole, but the general gameplay loop is the same as it’s ever been, only now it’s been a long time since it’s been quite so good. You walk to the right of the screen and pummel absolutely everything that moves. If you’ve played a Streets of Rage game, you’ll have a general idea of what to expect from the gameplay. Cherry is particularly fun to play thanks to her increased movement capabilities. Speaking of the roster, each character feels genuinely unique to play and playing through the campaign as each of them is great fun. The new characters are great additions to the roster though.

STREETS OF RAGE 4 ART PLUS

You’ll get little cutscenes outside of missions, but besides looking great it’s not interesting to the point of being a plus or negative. Although this lets the game have a bunch of unlockable classics, I’d be lying if I didn’t wish some of them were in the game’s main roster.Īlthough it’s obviously not the main focus, Streets of Rage 4 does have a story that takes place ten years after the last game. Being able to play as the original characters and listen to the old music is sure to be a big draw to fans of the series. For the ’90s purists, there are even some retro options for you to play around with, and they don’t feel like a minimum effort deal either. The music is fantastic, sound effects are just as crunchy as before and the game just has a general style to it that’s really easy to get behind.

It’s not just the art that’s fantastically done though, as all elements of the presentation are done to an extremely high caliber.

Streets of rage 4 art