Nothing more and nothing less than twenty-six have been the years that have passed since the last installment of Street of Rage Went on sale. Twenty-six years in which the video game industry has transformed a lot and the genre beat’em up, to which the saga in question belongs, no longer has a place, at least as it was known during the eighties and nineties.
Despite this, as usually happens with these types of games, which appeal to nostalgia, Street of Rage 4 has landed wrapped in a feeling of enthusiasm on the part of the entire gaming community, both those who are fans of this series of games since its inception in the early nineties, like those who are fans of the genre in general. A feeling that is not for less, because the new installment of this beloved saga maintains the essence of what made it great at the time while managing to provide a certain freshness adapted to the times.
The story continues
First of all, we have to start at the beginning, explaining that Street of Rage 4 continues the story of the first games. It is explained that ten years have passed since the fall of Mr.X, main enemy of this series of games that was defeated in Street of Rage 3, and his Syndicate, although the peace that had reigned until now has been interrupted by a new empire.
It seems that this empire is under the command of the twins AND, children of Mr. X, and can only be fought by those already ex-agents Axel Stone and Blaze Fielding, as well as Cherry Hunter, daughter of Adam Hunter, and Floyd Iraia, apprentice to Dr. Zan. With this simple argument, we get fully into the action from minute one in the Streets of Rage area, consisting of a total of twelve levels and in which we move continuously moving laterally.
Like the other installments, to start playing any of the levels we have to select a character from among those that are available. Initially, we can choose from the characters we've mentioned above, though as we go further we unlock more. In order not to crush any surprise, we are not going to mention what they are, but we promise that they will delight fans of the saga.
It's time for cake!
So, choosing one or the other depends on our style of play, because although everyone can perform basic movements, they have different special actions. In addition, each character stands out in certain characteristics, so you have to try them all to play with the most comfortable we feel. At this point, it should also be noted that Street of Rage 4 mostly reproduces the controls of the original games, although it also contributes its own as the possibility of recovering life that is previously sacrificed to perform more powerful attacks.
As in the first installments, they can be used weapons of all kinds that are either directly on the ground or dropped by some enemies. You just have to collect them to start using them at short or long distance. The downside of these weapons is that they disappear with very few uses, but they are undoubtedly an element to be taken into account at times when breaking through with a clean punch is not possible.
We talk about that not everything is just throwing punches without further ado, although it may not seem like the first, Street of Rage 4 requires strategy to finish off certain enemies. We give an example of one of the first enemies we meet in the game. It is a policeman who is covered with a shield. This shield has a kind of durability that must be exhausted in order to finish off the police. If we just punch each other, it attacks us, causing us to back off and the shield regain its life. For this reason, it is necessary, for example, to alternate attacks and recoil jumps to destroy the shield without the enemy reaching us so that, once the shield is destroyed, we can destroy it.
The same thing happens with other enemies, especially the bosses of each level, so the game causes us to learn and adapt our strategy all the time. It should be noted here that, although the enemies become repetitive, as there is very little variety throughout the game, it is not a particularly negative point, because, during the action, it really does not matter that we have fought against that enemy in previous levels.
A game for all types of players
The greatest success of the developers of Street of Rage 4, the studios Lizardcube and Guard Crush Games, is to have added a cooperative mode to enjoy the title. Whether between four players, thanks to the local mode, or between two, which allows online mode, the game is much more fun than if we play it alone. We especially highlight the online possibility because, although it only allows two people to play together at a distance, it is an excellent option for those players who do not have as much skill playing and want to advance, because, thanks to this mode, they will be able to find others to do .
Because Street of Rage 4 is a game that, despite requiring a certain strategy, allows any player regardless of his ability at the controls can start playing and learning, all thanks to the existence of simple movements such as attacking, jumping or picking up and throwing objects that, once mastered, can be alternated with more complex attacks such as grabs in the air.
Graphically, the care developers have taken in adapting the different characters and settings to the present day is evident, starting with the change in what artistic design refers, far from the pixels of those years. A cartoon style that has also been transferred to the few cinematics that the game has and that feels really good. The same could be said of the soundtrack, which masterfully mixes known melodies from the saga with new ones and that perfectly accompany the action of the screen at all times.
To finish, we have to mention the benefits that it has Switch for being the platform we have used for analysis, although it should be noted that the game is also available for PS4, Xbox One and PC. The portable console from Nintendo shows practically no difference between portable mode and TV mode, so you can enjoy the game both ways. We have only experienced a few jerks playing online with another player, but perhaps it was due to a problem with the internet connection.
All in all, Street of Rage 4 has everything necessary to become over time one of the most outstanding examples of 2020 when it comes to games that bring great sagas from the past to the present. It is clear that it does not have the same amount of equipment or resources as the remakes of Final Fantasy VII and Resident Evil 3, but, in their own way, Lizardcube and Guard Crush Games have managed to create a piece that fits perfectly with the rest of the sagaTherefore, we insist, not only does it maintain its characteristic spirit of the game, it distributes cakes in the suburbs of a city, but it also manages to offer enough novelties to differentiate itself from other deliveries. A game made for veterans of the saga for the amount of winks it offers, including retro filters, but also for new players who want to experience the magic of Street of Rage. Also not to be missed for all those who like to complete the games, as it contains a series of extras and unlockable modes.
