The New Classics #65: Streets of Rage 4

 

The Backstory: I didn’t play the second, nor did I play the third; but the very first Streets of Rage was a major highlight of my childhood and teenage gaming years — so of course I had to buy that unhoped-for Switch entry!

 

 

The Game: Back in the days, Blaze was the go-to character: she was fast, she jumped high, and she was hawt to book — all things that perfectly compensated her lack of punching power. Things are different now: not only because Blaze has been rebalanced in SoR4, making her a bit less OP, but also because my fingers are not as nimble as back then and I cannot bear to mash buttons for hours. Axel thus became my new go-to character, a powerhouse that can reduce the number of button inputs — and the strain on my fingers. Just like Blaze’s, his redesign is awesome, giving him a faux air of Chris Hemsworth’s Thor. I’ll probably try all characters in due time, once I get reacquainted to SoR’s brand of fighting.

 

 

Said brand of fighting involves two enduring points, which were already at work in the original game and are still alive and well in that fourth entry. For one, it’s easier to scour the eponymous streets of rage with a fellow player than on your own; for another, fighting is highly technical behind its apparent simplicity, and you can soon fight yourself overwhelmed if you’re not fast enough and/or if you don’t master the controls. I’ll admit it: without its (blessed) save system, SoR4 would be too frustrating for me. Young me could spend whole afternoons trying to reach Mr. X, but older me has plenty of other things to do — and is thus perfectly fine with being able to play one level of SoR4 and come back to it the next day. 

 

 

Despite the 29 years between them, SoR4 feels and plays a lot like the original SoR. It wasn’t long before all my SoR automatisms came back to the surface — grabbing foes from behind, landing on your feet while being thrown in the air, jump-kicking, you name it. The game cleverly opens on a recreation of SoR’s first level — those gritty, dirty streets, which are just as iconic to a SoR fan as Green Hill to a Sonic fan — yet quickly enriches the experience by adding nifty, atmospheric new elements such as a subway wagon.

 

 

As for the novelties, they’re mostly on the cute, cosmetic side — but not only. You can now choose what kind of food you’ll find lying around — I had to pick up croissants, obviously — as well as access brand-new special attacks and combos. And then you have the missing elements, which are no less important than the new ones. Gone is the possibility to call your fellow coppers to clear the way; and I was pretty miffed not to find multicoloured Noras strutting their stuff and cracking their whips. 

 

 

The Verdict: Sure, Streets of Rage cannot be as cultish to me as it used to be; but I’ll be damned if I don’t hold onto that fourth entry and make the most of it. I’m sure the game has plenty of nifty surprises in store for me — and hey, I need a good Beat’em up in my collection anyway!