One of the reasons that I love beat ‘em ups is because of their over-the-top action packaged in a comic book type story. They are short but highly replayable, and despite their linear progression, they offer a surprising amount of depth in terms of movesets, character positioning, and destructible environments that players can experiment with while reaching for high scores.
Streets of Rage 4 gave me everything that I expected and continued to surprise me even after I had beaten it as I learned more tricks. The story in the game is reminiscent of 80s and 90s action movies where a group of vigilantes have to take down an evil syndicate.
This is basically the plot of 90% of beat ‘em ups, but what really separates them are character, enemy, and stage designs. SoR4 is set in an urban environment, so most of the time you're fighting in the city, but occasionally the game puts you in special thematic zones like in Chinatown where you have to take down baddies expert in martial arts. There is a section designed around a music concert, another one takes place in an art gallery, and yet another in a police station.
So not only do you get to visit all these different locales, but you get to test your skill against opponents that are specific to that environment. One of my favorite areas was the airplane section where you have to defeat the main villain as the plane comes crashing down. It is one of the most exhilarating levels I’ve played in a side-scroller.
SoR is a very technical game. You need to learn how to position yourself to avoid enemy attacks while timing your own moves perfectly. The game rewards perfection, allowing you to chain together combos to insanely high numbers, multiplying the points you get which gives you additional lives and a ranking at the end of the level.
Initially, I struggled with the fighting mechanic because the last beat ‘em up I played, TMNT: Shredder's Revenge, was very swift. This one was slower. But as I learned to use my specials effectively, the gameplay became smoother.
The trick is that while your special drains your health, it offers you temporary invincibility and throws all surrounding enemies to the ground where they remain helpless. It takes a while to get the timing right, but once you do, the game makes you feel really powerful.
The bosses are all great but more difficult to build combos on because they get those invincible moves too where you can't stagger them at all.
I beat the game once as Blaze then again as Cherry. Blaze’s movesets were of a typical heavy fighter while Cherry moved swiftly across the screen and could even run. Better yet, she smashed the villains with her guitar. So, of course, I liked Cherry better. But there are 4 main characters to choose from, then 3 more from the DLC, plus all the retro characters you unlock as you accumulate points.
The game definitely expects you to beat the levels multiple times. Some players have posted videos online where they have demonstrated exceptional skill on the hardest difficulty. But even on normal difficulty, the game is quite challenging. Be prepared to retry stages a couple of times until you memorize spawn points and animations of your opponents.
How much enjoyment you get out of it depends upon whether or not you are into this kind of side-scrolling action. These games were all the rage in the 90s as they drew inspiration from iconic action movies of that time. If you liked that era of entertainment, you are absolutely going to love the setting of SoR 4.
Environmental storytelling is rare because that era of action is gone. Occasionally you get good movies like John Wick that stay true to that spirit, but not much else. It's the same for beat ‘em ups. There have been a few classics like Muramasa, Dragon's Crown, and of course Shredder's Revenge, but they are not as popular as they used to be.
Personally, I find them very entertaining and I like how interactive they are. You can destroy background objects or visually take in the ambience of a level, whether it's a kitchen, a bar, or a building corridor. There is not much story here, but you definitely feel as if you are moving through a living, breathing world. It's funny how these retro games absolutely nailed this aspect using an art style that is highly exaggerated.
If you liked to play these arcade beat ‘em ups back when they were popular, you'll love SoR 4.
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