I just finished Rushing Beat X (PS5). It's a fun game, and the best in the whole franchise, but it still has some growing pains and issues like its predecessors. It has that Rushing Beat jank. The characters are all fun, and have a wide variety of moves, but certain characters are either more fun or better than the others. My main issue with the game is that the bosses are just okay or frustrating. Bosses tend to have way too much health at times, and the same goes for some enemies. Hit detection mostly work, but there are moments where I swear I am close to the enemy and my punches or attacks will sometimes miss. It didn't too often, but it happens way more than something you would rarely see in games like The TakeOver, Streets of Rage 4, or Double Dragon Gaiden. Certain enemy types can be cheap too. Mainly the wrestler and robot enemy types. They will sometimes grab you out of now where, and you can't break out of it. Why do certain brawlers still do this, when games like SOR4 and Shredder's Revenge solved this issue?
If you're into Rushing Beat lore, then this game's story is a fun doozy. You're not supposed to take it too seriously, but it's a game made by fans, and clearly for the fans. It has references tying back mainly to the first two games, but it's not just memberberries. Keep in mind, RBX is a prequel. It takes place after the first two games, but before the final entry in the franchise, Shura. I did enjoy it, but I probably be sticking with Free Mode to just play the game. There are some nice details as each character has their own unique dialogue when encountering bosses or story events.
The game has 9 stages total. The last two tend to drag little, but more the final stage. Thankfully, it's not that long. I will say the look of the game has been improved, and getting used to the art style and heavy ink shading. Almost reminds me of Viewtiful Joe a little.
As far as ranking this game goes, it might be a little too early for me to decide, but the game sits around between a 6-7/10. It's a decent time, and you'll have fun, but expect certain issues to grind your gears and frustrate you. The good thing is the game seems to give you unlimited continues on Normal at least. I don't know about Hard or Shura Mode, but I honestly don't want to play this on the harder difficulties. Not worth it, and there's no extra/secret ending for doing as far as I know. It's almost as if this was done to counterbalance the cheap difficulty.
Whoever you play as gets their own epilogue after beating the game. As far as 2.5D brawlers go, RBX is not better than Double Dragon Neon nor even Double Dragon Revive, but better than Demolish Fist. Not the biggest milestone to accomplish as there are other brawlers that already do that, but whatever.
