Today Dotemu's revival of SEGA's beloved beat-em'-up franchise Streets of Rage, Streets of Rage 4, finally released almost 30 years after the release of Streets of Rage 3 in 1994 for SEGA Genesis.
Streets of Rage 4 is currently sitting at a 85 on review score aggregator site OpenCritic, with the lowest review sitting at a 7/10 and the highest being a 10/10, which is incredibly impressive. Most reviews put the game at an 8/10, making it one of the highest rated 2D beat-em'-ups of the past decade. The game has been mostly praised for doing the series justice and featuring tons of content, even in spite of its rather short story length.
Streets of Rage 4 marks the return of the nearly 30 year old SEGA Genesis beat-em'-up franchise, with developer SEGA handing the gloves over to developers Dotemu, Lizardcube, and Guard Crush Games to deliver a gloriously stylish 2D action game in the spirit of the originals. The game features returning characters such as Axel Stone, Blaze Fielding and Adam Hunter, as well as newcomers such as Cherry Hunter and Floyd Iraia. The game features both offline and offline co-op, a battle mode, and tons of unlockables.
Here's what some of the reviews are saying:
IGN (Dale Driver)
Streets of Rage 4 delivers the greatest hits of the classic series and is at its best when played with at least one friend. If the primary focus was delivering a traditional Streets of Rage experience with a modern coat of paint, it absolutely succeeds. But while it layers on a few new and interesting mechanics, it’s still a very conservative update to the quarter-century-old format that feels like a slave to the past.
Score: 7/10
Easy Allies (Michael Huber)
Streets of Rage 4 masterfully revitalizes the series. The nostalgic feeling of mashing thugs into the pavement solo or with friends has been expertly recreated with loving faithfulness. The soundtrack and atmosphere pay tribute to the original trilogy while forging their own identity. The future looks bright on the streets of rage.
Score: 8.5/10
PlayStation Universe (John-Paul Jones)
Streets of Rage 4 is an absolute masterclass in maintaining the essence of a classic but also in reimagining certain aspects of its design DNA for a contemporary audience. Streets of Rage 4 is without doubt the best side scrolling brawler you can get on any system.
Score: 9.5/10
ScreenRant (Leo Faierman)
Streets of Rage 4 delivers on most every promise in the genre, sticking to its standards but excelling . If anything, it might just leave players wanting more—an endless dojo mode, multiple endings a la Streets of Rage 3, even more updated characters to choose from—but what’s available in the package as it stands represents a near-perfect representation of the genre. Here's hoping that this sequel is just the tip of the iceberg.
Score: 5/5
Streets of Rage 4 launches today on PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch, PC and Xbox One.
Source: OpenCritic
