Streets of Rage 4 on PC Review

Streets of Rage 4 is a success story that had a lot of things going against it. For one, age. The last official Streets of Rage entry was the third one in 1994. In that time, Sega has released two consoles and become a third-party publisher. Sega also had at least one version of Streets of Rage in the works for the Sega Dreamcast. Fighting Force was originally going to be Streets of Rage 4. Disagreements over ports to non-Sega platforms killed that idea. Then factor in Sega not being behind this version.

That honor went to two other companies and a separate publisher. The odds were stacked against Streets of Rage 4 from the get-go.

The story of Streets of Rage 4

While in the real world it has been 16 years since the last entry, in the game only 10 years have passed. Streets of Rage 3 ended with Mr. X finally defeated and done for. Wood Oak City initially is peaceful and pleasant. Just under the surface though, as with most peaceful times, evil is lurking and growing. It seems that Mr. X’s children, the Y Twins, have taken up their father’s legacy.

Using music, the Y Twins plan to take over the city and improve upon what their dad did.

Blaze Fielding learns about this plan and understands she must stop the twins. She calls in a few favors with some old friends. Axel Stone and Adam Hunter answer the call immediately. Adam’s daughter, Cherry Hunter, and Floyd Iraia who was the apprentice of Dr. Zan come along as well.

Pick your favorite character and Streets of Rage 4 begins

Controls and cheap enemies

The controls for Streets of Rage 4 are solid. The feel is there as well. The feel department is something I think many brawlers miss out on. Capcom has it down pat with Final Fight and their other brawlers. Sega had it almost perfect in Streets of Rage on the Sega Genesis. Konami was able to get close enough with their Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles brawlers. Not many games are in these ranks and fewer companies understand the correct feel for a brawler.

If you have not played many brawlers, then you are either in for a treat with Streets of Rage 4 or hell. There is no real middle ground on this genre. Personally, I love brawlers. Mother Russia Bleeds is another good “newer” release in this genre worth checking out.

One thing all brawlers share is cheap enemies. Unfortunately for me, it feels like Streets of Rage 4 went all out with them. Maybe it is an effort to prolong the game time, maybe it is just me being pickier. Either way, get ready for enemies that will routinely break your combos, hit and run, and get preference by the game. What I mean is if you are going for a kick at the same time an enemy is, or just a split second before them, they will get the hit. Not you.

That sucks because there are several enemies that jump and kick. There is one character that is a direct homage to All Elite Wrestling’s Orange Cassidy.

As you progress through Streets of Rage 4 cheap enemies will continue to evolve in cheapness.

It is possible to beat the game though. I did it with Axel Stone. Currently, I am working on going through again with Floyd now just to unlock all the characters. I also want to get some of the achievements available on Steam just for fun.

Graphics, sound, and throwing controllers

I will spare you too much on throwing controllers. Streets of Rage 4 is cheap. It is just part of the package. You can either live with it or not.

Graphically things are of the cell shaded variety. Some people hate this art style, I personally like it when done right. A fighting game like Streets of Rage 4 is very suitable for this art style. Cell Damage, a vehicular combat game from the original Xbox console’s early days, used this style. Cell shading did not fit that genre at all.

The music and sound effects are all good. I personally turned down the music because while playing I was recording videos for YouTube. Musicians are quick to drop copyright claims on videos, so I played mostly with just sound effects.

Should you buy Streets of Rage 4 or not

If you love brawlers, then definitely. If you were a fan of Streets of Rage on the Sega Genesis then yes. Buy this game.

If you are a casual fan of the genre and not sure if Streets of Rage 4 is right for you, wait. If you sign up for Xbox Game Pass (about $5 a month) then you can check this game, and many others (such as Mother Russia Bleeds) for one low monthly price. Other options include eBay or Amazon for physical copies. Steam and the store for your platform for digitals.

For me, I am going back to continuing my journey using Floyd, and after him Blaze. I have waited a long time for this game and I plan on getting every bit of fun I can out of it.

This article was originally published on Retro Gaming Magazine.