Streets Of Rage 4

» System: PS4, Xbox One, Switch (tested), PC » Buy it from: Online, Retail (July 2020) » Buy it for: £22.49

It’s been a long time since we’ve seen Axel Stone and Blaze Fielding cleaning the streets of thugs, but only ten storyline years have passed. In that time, the protagonists of old have left the police force, and the Y twins – son and daughter of Mr X – have taken control of the city. Now it’s up to Axel and Blaze to return to action, but they’ve got new allies. Adam Hunter’s daughter Cherry is an agile fighter with some cool leaping moves, while Floyd Iraia has super strength thanks to the robotic arms developed for him by his mentor, Dr Zan.

Rather than trying to reinvent the wheel, the developers have taken the gameplay of Streets Of Rage 2 and added plenty of new elements to it. A new combo system allows you to juggle enemies in mid-air, with bonus points awarded based on damage rather than the number of hits, so bonuses are balanced between combo-crazy characters like Cherry and powerhouses like Axel. Special moves still reduce your health, but you now have the opportunity to recover it by hitting enemies until you take your next hit. New environmental hazards include wrecking balls and poisonous goop, and enemy in-fighting is now a factor, as the criminals and cops will target each other as well as you.

The comic-book visuals are perfect for this type of game, and the excellent electronic soundtrack pays homage to the past while incorporating modern influences. The game is sufficiently challenging, but if you’re having trouble, optional continue services allow you to bring the difficulty down in targeted ways. The story, though simple, is effectively told, and there are plenty of great callbacks for veteran fans, from graphical details and unlockable extras to some of the behaviour of enemies and bosses.

Dotemu, Lizardcube and Guard Crush Games have together created a worthy new entry in a fantastic series, further adding to the evidence that Sega’s recent policy of outsourcing to passionate fans is working. >> Score 90%

»[Switch] The new graphical style works very well in motion, with great attention paid to lively character animations.

»[Switch] Effective use of special moves is a good way to max out your combo damage.