Disclaimer: Please note this is a review of the mobile version of the game, more specifically, the iOS version.
If you’re anything like me, you spent a good portion of your childhood playing Streets of Rage back in the 90s. My brothers and I would sit down, cross-legged in front of the television for hours on end, until we would get that frustrated with each other dying (usually me) that one of us would quit. So, of course when I heard of Streets of Rage 4 releasing, I just had to try it out.
Streets of Rage 4 is a side-scrolling beat ’em up, and is a continuation of the trilogy which was originally released in the 90s. This one implements new gameplay mechanics, stunning hand drawn graphics along with that electronic dance soundtrack we are all familiar with. Although it’s a newly made game, Streets of Rage 4 still retains all the things players adored about the original games, I felt as though I had gone back in time slightly.
The first thing you will notice when you load up Streets of Rage 4 is that it is pillarboxed, with some nice artwork running along the sides. It’s also kept with its 16:9 format, which I personally didn’t see a problem with. But I can see why people would want it to be full-screen, and resize to suit different phone sizes.
Players will be able to play as the series’ iconic trio; Axel, Blaze and Adam as well as other various characters. With 8 characters to choose from in total (3 which are are unlock-able), all with there own special moves, there is plenty of choice here. But, come one, you know you want to pick Axel… Streets of Rage 4 has also implemented brand-new moves for players to get used to.
If you have played a previous Streets of Rage game then you will know the gameplay mechanics perfectly, nothing has changed. Why would it? If it’s not broke, don’t fix it. Move through areas punching, kicking and even stabbing the enemies that come in your way. Only when you defeat the enemies in your area can you leave to go onto the next. 12 levels await you and although doesn’t necessarily sound like a lot, you do have a few different game modes to play through.
As well as the main story, players can enjoy playing through the classic Arcade mode where they only have one life in order to complete the game – which believe me, is tough. You also have the Boss Rush mode, which allows players to replay through all the boss fights in the game in quick succession. You can also choose specific levels in Stage Select and practice your moves in Training.
Streets of Rage 4 plays and runs perfectly well on my iPhone 11, with no frame rate issues whatsoever. It does have controller support via bluetooth and/or USB also which is very much needed. There’s not real problem with the touch-screen controls, but I did often find myself accidentally clicking the wrong button, or even not being able to see an item or enemy on the screen because my fingers were covering it. Both the touch-screen controls and the controller buttons can be customised too which is very handy if you’re used to a particular button configuration.
Streets of Rage 4 features fully hand-drawn graphics and animations and it looks fantastic. With vibrant colours and heaps of detail, you can see the work that has been put into this game. Not only that, but the game features a mechanic which allows players to flip between the current hand-drawn graphics to pixelated graphics, to give it that nostalgic feel.
Similarly, Streets of Rage 4 allows players to switch between using the newly made soundtrack, or from tracks released on previous games. This allowed me to feel right at home. The new soundtrack is amazing, and fits in with the style perfectly, but I couldn’t resist sticking the tracks I already had a connection with on.
Overall, Streets of Rage 4 is a brilliant, nostalgic game that is wonderful to experience on the go on my mobile device. Anyone who has experience with the previous titles need to pick this one up, it oozes nostalgia. You can’t go wrong with its price-point either, as it’s currently on the app store for £6.99. A small price to pay for such a wonderful game.
