Arguably one of the most polished games I’ve ever seen, period. Nearly every issue I could think of is a subjective disagreement. Objectively speaking, it’s all but flawless.
Graphics are probably the weakest point, and they’re still excellent. If you're spoiled by the high-res sprite work of Streets of Rage 4, then you might not be impressed with what you see here. On the other hand, if you enjoyed Streets of Rage 2’s look, you’ll be right at home. The creator leverages some of OpenBOR’s graphic suite to go beyond the capabilities of 4th gen hardware, yet not so much it strays from the original design aesthetic.
One of the standout features is a customization menu. Don’t like a particular game mechanic? Turn it off, problem solved. There are so many options it’s almost overwhelming. As the project lead for OpenBOR, I can tell you the engine’s main weakness is that all native menus are hard coded. If you want to add menu options, you must script an entire menu system yourself from the ground up. The creator took up this challenge, blew it clear out of the water, and in doing so mitigated almost any in game issue players might have.
Gameplay is sublime. By design it’s not the Streets of Rage you remember, but the same feel is there and it's just as refined, if not more so. The action is more frenetic, more difficult, and introduces a lot of new features to the Streets of Rage mix. Among the additions are widescreen ratio, four player co-op support, armor, juggling, air combos, and catch throws. No doubt some purists will scoff and move on. They’re missing out. Taken on its own merits this game stands up to (and smacks down) just about any beat em’ up ever made on any platform. It’s Streets of Rage as it would be had the franchise not withered for twenty years.
The only real problem I could find is the rage system. Most boss rage attacks execute far too fast for human reaction time and none of them have any telegraph or warning. The only viable counter strategy is to make sure you have enough spare health during the fight to withstand an inevitable rage hit. This is where the play your way menu shines again – just turn them off.
As If all that wasn’t enough, the game currently contains a full remake of Streets of Rage 1 or 2, with 3 currently in the works. Each iteration has its own selection menu and aesthetics, making them fully realized games rather than a path. Additionally, there are numerous in game branch points to mix and match routes or locate new secrets. No worries about accidentally taking a branch you didn’t mean to – you get a quick preview and an option to stay on course.
Want even more? Rebellion Mode opens the entire cast of enemies for you for play. Try out a cheap boss like Jet or challenge yourself to finish the game with a lowly grunt.
Finally, you can call computer-controlled partners to fight with you, and like everything else you can customize the AI to suit your needs. You can even issue real time commands like calling the partner back to you, adding yet another layer of strategy.
Nothing is perfect, but I’m not sure what else you could ask for in a Streets of Rage game. The truly amazing part is that good as it is now, this one is still slated for 2-3 more years of development. I can only imagine what that will bring. Hats off and thumbs up!
