“Hey, Octopus? What's one of your favourite genres of video games?” No one has really ever directly asked me that, but it's okay I'll answer anyway.
Beat ‘em ups, man. Beat ‘em ups. You know what I’m talking about. You have like 3 buttons maybe, you hit two of them together to do a special that drains your health or something, you jump around, have maybe a 3 or 4 hit canned combo with your attack button that knocks enemies down, then they get up and you repeat the process maybe 2-3 times per basic enemy type. I love that stuff.
Side-scrolling ass kickers, 3D assault ‘em ups, ‘average day on the streets of Saskatchewan’ simulators (sorry, Saskatchewan); whatever you want to call them, they're great. It's a genre I've always been obsessed with since some of my earliest gaming memories playing the SNES port of Final Fight, and when I discovered what MAME was on my dad's computer one day back when I was like 9 or something. It's I think a genre almost synonymous with the word ‘gaming’, particularly of the ‘retro’ subspecies, up there with platformers and fighting games, their particularly close cousin.
It's also been a genre as long-lived as those other two, as there's still retro-styled beat ‘em ups coming out nowadays; arguably you could say we're even in the middle of a resurgence and renaissance of the genre, championed by the success of Street of Rage 4 and TMNT: Shredder’s Revenge. I mean, we're even getting a new 3D Golden Axe and a 2D Shinobi at some point soon; we’re officially back, baby.
Even outside of the 2D retro side-scrolling variety, you could argue that many of the early classic 3D action games were heavily inspired if not directly following the formula and concepts laid down in stone by their 2D predecessors, only with an added dimension. If it weren't for Double Dragon, we wouldn’t have had Core Design’s Fighting Force, or the Dreamcast’s insane Dynamite Cop. And if we never had Final Fight, we never would have gotten Final Fight: Streetwise.
Hey, I never said they were all good games.
Recently I've been feeling the assault ‘em up itch again, which likely got under my skin after I played The Punisher for my ongoing Marvel game retrospective. It got me going over beat ‘em ups in my head again, and even got me brainstorming some ideas of my own as my brain can never be fully quenched with working on only a few projects at once. So, I figured why not add more into the fire of the creative side of my brain and write an article about beat ‘em ups while I'm at it?
As the title says, this is going to be a list of my favourite games in the retro 2D violent battery simulator genre. This isn’t a history article or anything like that, and I'm aiming (aiming is a key word here) to have it be a more light reading experience ultimately. I'm just going to talk about some of my favourite games, and particularly focus on why I like them so much and what they bring to the beat ‘em up genre in terms of design formula or what makes them so great. What elements do they bring into the genre? What makes them stand out? It’s amazing what you can do with such a simple genre, and so I want to talk about some cool things games have done.
You may also quickly find out that some of these games I've already talked about somewhere here on the site, and in that case: shhh, don't worry about it. I'm coming at this little rant article from a purely ‘what I like’ perspective, so I'll be discussing those games in a different way then I likely have wherever else anyways. And, I mean, oh no I have to play Shadow Over Mystara again; how terrible.
Streets of Rage 2
Developer: SegaPlatform: Genesis
Year: 1992
Let's get one of the classics out of the way first; this is an amazing game in the genre, strong opinion I know.
It’s just the perfect combination of all the base beat ‘em up elements. You have your jump button, you have your attack button, and owing to the third button on the Genesis controller, a button entirely dedicated to your mostly invincible special moves. They still drain your health to use of course, but each character also has two as opposed to the one that most others games have. I particularly like this, for reasons I’m not really able to explain. It’s a very small change that really doesn’t affect much, but having a dedicated button for specials just feels right, you know?
Something that is sorely missing from many a lesser beat ‘em up, and is a detail that’s often overlooked is the variety of stages. Too little variety and it’s going to help contribute to the player getting pretty bored. Luckily Streets of Rage 2 delivers some good looking levels. There’s the brief foray into the fleshy, mist filled space ship attraction in the middle of the city’s theme park for some reason, you storm a baseball stadium and make it to home plate, cross a few suspension bridges, walk into a wrestling match and quite a few others. There’s also some of the usual urban street levels of course, as well as a few customary elevators that every beat ‘em up has to have, but even those they make stand out visually at least with some good splashes of 16-bit light and colour.
I’ve never really been sure what Max is doing to people with this. Slapping their bicep? Giving them the ol’ purple nurple? The grappled dude’s copping a feel at the same time, I know that for certain.
With its combat, it captured the good balancing act of the player’s power level against that of your numerous enemies. Your basic enemies go down in only 2 or so full standing attack combos or two grapple attacks into a throw, and it’s mixed in with just the right amount of variations. Sometimes they throw in a few of the weaker enemies who go down in a single combo or special to mix it up, and liberal use of stronger enemies adds some spice to it. They definitely liberally sprinkle those stronger enemies as the game progresses, but the game's good speed makes it so it doesn’t feel like it takes forever to take them out. And all of this is also balanced by the fact that the four different characters are very lethal once you get into the flow of things.
Just a regular day in Wood Oaks City. I’ve always been greatly entertained that as ‘hard’ a city as it’s presented as, its name is that of a very cozy sounding retirement community.
This is one of my personal favourites just because of how perfectly tuned everything is, and how tight its basic gameplay is. It doesn't have any additional layers on top past ‘savage every enemy on the screen’ but what it does have it pulls off so perfectly and just feels great to play. This is my baseline on which I judge other beat ‘em ups; how does it feel compared to Streets of Rage 2? If it's at least comparable, then it's good. If it’s not up to the high standards of Max and his chiseled adonis physique, then get it out of my face.
Dungeons and Dragons: Shadow Over Mystara
Developer: CapcomPlatform: Arcade, Saturn
Year: 1996, ‘99 for the Saturn
I have already spoken at length about this game and its predecessor, Tower of Doom, in a very early article here on RGT. That was the first time I met the dreaded ‘please post an article of under 30,000 characters’ message, because yeah, that article was far too long originally. I originally fully covered some earlier DnD inspired Capcom games in it, being Black Tiger and Magic Sword, but had to entirely cut that stuff out, along with a decent amount of rambling on Shadow Over Mystara.
What else can be said about this masterpiece? So much more.
Well, a good amount more at least.
Spellcasters get the axe, no exceptions.
The reasons I like this game so much and keep frequently coming back to it time and time again is for a few reasons. The first one is that in the beautiful balance the gameplay has of being deep when really getting into it, but still easy enough that someone who just wants to mash their attack button could still get through it and have a fun time. There’s guarding, counter-points on attacks, quarter circles and dragon punch special move inputs, crouching, dash attacks and this isn’t even getting into the inventory system. It’s also impressive how this is all handled so well given that there’s the usual two attack buttons handling all these things, with only the crouching maybe being a little awkwardly handled. The different characters likewise all feel very unique from one another using these gameplay mechanics, given the combination of their different attack damage, health pools, unique item interactions, and the usual special moves. It’s I think one of the most technical beat ‘em ups in terms of having almost a verifiable move list for each character, and it’s well integrated as it’s mostly optional. It’s there for people who want to style on some kobolds, but you don’t need to master it to get through the game. But, for people who really want to dive in, you can do some really cool ****.
Something new I just discovered on this playthrough; if you go to the water cave oracle, it remembers the name of the last character to beat the game on this machine/ROM file. ****ing goddamn, Shadow Over Mystara.
Another reason I like it so much is that it brings plenty of additional wrinkles to the beat ‘em up cloth. There’s alternate paths, loot, hidden items, and plenty of secrets and in a way that’s never intrusive or distracting. You’ll uncover these things as you play the game, and I particularly value how almost none of the hidden loot and secrets are spelled out for you. You’ll have to experiment a little bit and really figure things out for yourself. Beat ‘em ups can really benefit from this type of experimental game elements I think, as it can add immense replay value and make them feel that much more sick. I’ll always remember when I first found the Sword of Legend, which is no small feat trying to do blind. These features really elevate the game beyond its already amazing gameplay, and is why I will with all confidence say that this is easily one of, if not the greatest, arcade beat ‘em up.
Also, again, the thief sprite. My beloved. Why do I like it so much? I can't articulate why, except for maybe one or two obvious reasons.
I would absolutely love it if a game like this came out again, a modern fantasy themed beat ‘em up with loot and alternate routes and the sweet elegance of that sick thief sprite. Come on Capcom; another Dungeons and Dragons game please?
The Punisher
Developer: CapcomPlatform: Arcade, Genesis (don’t play the Genesis version)
Year: 1993
I already talked about this game on the site here too, but shhh, don’t worry about it. I just can’t not talk about Capcom’s arcade masterpiece more. In my Marvel arcade game article, this was the first game to get a 5 out of 5 rating if I remember, who knows anymore after the amount of Marvel games I’ve played.
Frank ‘Always Aims for the Kneecaps’ Castle.
Anyway, everything I said in that article is of course true. It’s an amazing adaptation of the character (“If you’re guilty, then you’re dead” in the opening attraction video spells it out pretty succinctly, and it gets the character more than the Marvel Netflix solo seasons did), and it’s one of the nicest looking arcade games Capcom did in that era which is very high competition. Something I want to elaborate more on is just how fluidly the game controls. This time around I'm not pressed for every previous character against the limit so I can talk a little more about it.
The best thing about the game from a gameplay perspective is just how fluidly you can punish exaggerated criminals. Once enemies are knocked down, many beat ‘em ups throw up the ‘time out’ sign until they get back up again, like they’ve phased out of the physical boundary of this dimension and are incapable of being touched by mere mortals; they’re normally invincible until they get back up, is what I’m saying. The Punisher is such a game that breaks this usual trope, and Frank can just pick dudes up from the ground and start using them as an improvised club if the mood strikes you. You can move around while grappling enemies, you can do very long reaching dash jumps to kick ruffians in the chest; the game is a really great evolution of typical beat ‘em up controls.
It just feels great in play, and there’s even more than that. The dash is so finely tuned that it comes out buttery smooth, and it's so easy to weave in your heavy feeling dashing side kick between fighting other enemies that it feels like it should be fattening. The usual ‘both buttons at once’ special moves are context sensitive even. Hitting it when in a neutral state will have Frank show off his wicked spinning splits, or while you're in the air will have you drop an insanely high explosive grenade, with a few variations of either of those as well. Deliver your basic attack combo to a few guys, dash behind you to kick another guy in the chest before grabbing him and throwing him at some guys. The first dudes are up, so you toss a grenade at them. Just then you hit a predetermined section where you get to pull out your .45 and mercilessly gun down some mooks; it’s beautiful, man. These elements create a really great ‘player expression’ side of the game honestly, really making you feel like Frank goshdarn Castle and really letting you style on some goons.
Frank ‘Never Skips Glute Day’ Castle.
That’s why I gave The Punisher the highly coveted Octopus ‘5 Uzis out of 5’ rating. The game isn’t adding in many new elements or getting a little ‘experimental’ like Shadow Over Mystara, but the new layers it does add create a really great feeling experience that really makes you feel like the character despite its basic beat ‘em up gameplay. It’s I think the greatest example of a ‘refined’ basic beat ‘em up, staying true to the established formula and improving it’s base elements rather than getting all weird and having different routes or hidden items to find.
Seriously, go play The Punisher.
River City Ransom
Developer: Technōs JapanPlatform: Famicom/NES
Year: 1990
This is an entry that’s more about the experimental side of it rather than the actual gameplay, because the actual gameplay is just okay for an NES game. It’s the fifth game in the very long Kunio-kun series by Technōs, all based around the titular character Kunio. The games did see localization and release here in the West, but with entirely changed names and as singular releases rather than sequels. So it goes.
Love the little ‘P.S’ there in this intimidating note, it’s cute.
River City Ransom was the first to add in elements of a sort of ‘open world’ concept, in the form of a non-linear map with side areas you can go to by walking into streets or open doorways you see in the levels. There’s a shopping area with numerous restaurants you can visit and eat at to restore your health and bolster your stats (more on that in a second), and you can learn new combat techniques through visiting and buying books at the bookstore. How do you get money for all of this? Why, you simply beat your opponents until they explode in a coin, of course. It’s hilarious.
The actual gameplay of River City isn’t bad, but just isn’t the standout feature. You can punch and kick, and that’s really about it. There are weapons to grab that you can either throw or smack dudes with, but again; nothing really to talk about. This isn’t the game's fault or anything of course, as it’s an NES game.
"Trash Pick-Up" is right; time to pick up the trash, being my defeated enemies of course.
The game is also a bit of an RPG in that you have stats that determine things about your character, and it’s honestly a little more than you were likely expecting. You got some obvious stats like ‘Punch’ and ‘Kick’, which are aptly named but then there’s also ‘Willpower’ and ‘Strength’ and ‘Agility’, and I mean that’s essentially three stats from Dungeons and Dragons (I’ll always find a way to bring it up somehow).
The enemies calling out for their mother’s is a hilarious added bonus.
The game is fantastic, more for its humour and experimentation than the actual gameplay. It’s good considering its time, but the progressive layers of shops and money collections and the kinda ‘open world’ thing that the game added into the burgeoning formula are what it's remembered for. It’s a fantastic idea to spice up some beat ‘em up gameplay, and was pulled off very well here, if in a simplistic way, given the hardware restrictions.
It’s an incredibly influential game in the genre, and has gone on to inspire many others. You could argue that the Yakuza games have taken a lot of its elements, such as the sense of humour, the open world concept of running around between street fights, and the very light RPG elements influencing the game. The cult favourite modern beat ‘em up Scott Pilgrim Versus The World is heavily inspired by this game, down to enemies exploding into loose change when defeated.
It’s even gotten some modern day sequels in both of the River City Girls games, with those being an inverse where you play as the main character’s girlfriends trying to save them for once (also, those are still on my ‘to-play’ list).
Armoured Warriors
Developer: CapcomPlatform: Arcade
Year: 1994
Mother****in’ Armored Warriors, dude. I love mecha as much as the next guy, and I also love beat ‘em ups; so of course I have to talk about this game, and of course it’s in my loose top 5 list. It just makes sense, you know?
Armored Warriors is a great Capcom cult classic, and one that sees you pilot one of 4 different mechs to destroy other mechs. It follows the typical beat ‘em up formula control wise, but adds in some additional layers to make it feel unique. You got your usual attack and jump button, but then also have a dedicated weapon to shoot your ranged guns (picked up the usual way of course, off of scrapped enemy mechs) which you can freely mix into your normal attack animations. It’s a chef’s kiss, a really simple idea that both gives some gameplay spice and strategy but also one that sells the premise.
The guns aren’t the only mecha flavour the game carries. You can also pick up different arms and even leg types that all change how your murder machine plays. There’s drill arms, spider legs, jump jets, grabby hands, electric grabby hands, shield-missile arms, and probably a few more; it all gets lost in the crunching metal once you get going, you know?
The game is just pure classic fun, with the added twists of essentially ‘equipment’ pieces. I was particularly fond of the flame spewing hover jet legs and the drill arm, and if that sentence doesn’t get you excited then you’re weird, and don’t talk to me.
Capcom really knew what to deliver for mecha action, clearly. If you’re playing with at least two players, you can even find radios that let you potentially call in ‘enhancement armour’ for the next stage that sees every player combine into one super robot for a bit of time. Combining robots into one ‘mega’ form? No idea where they got that idea from.
Laser gun go ‘pzzzzt’.
Drill arm go ‘brrrrr’. What else do you need?
The game is also unique in that it focuses less on special moves for the character/robots. There’s still the usual ‘invincible but drains your health’ attack you get by hitting both buttons, but there’s no quarter circles or dragon punch motions or anything like that. It makes up for this by focusing in on making each of the arm and leg types feel different, and damage in this game is high for both you and opponents; it’s really not terribly uncommon to crush most of the basic enemy mechs in even a single good drill spearing. Something that’s always made me laugh; there’s regular, un-mecha’d out enemy soldiers who, entirely dedicated to protecting their evil planet or whatever the hell the story is, still desperately attempt to shoot you down. Spoilers: they do no damage to you, and you can literally just walk over them to kill them. Have to admire their loyalty, and the games small touch there of conveying that you're a murder machine and above normal soldiers.
It’s really the uniqueness of Armored Warriors that makes me put it in my coveted loose top 5. It’s an interesting experience that I really recommend people try out, even if they’re not a big fan of beat ‘em ups.
And there we go, my top 5 beat ‘em ups and why I like them so much, and what they bring gameplay wise to the table. There’s some serious gold out there even outside of these 5, of course, and I could probably even do another top 5 list. Maybe even a ‘worst 5’ list? There’s also plenty of bad ones I could easily think of for my personal ‘terrible’ list, maybe even a few that would surprise some people. Maybe some time…
So yeah, until nex- eh, got you. I actually have another list already being put together that’s being posted hopefully today with this first part; “Octopus’s Honourable Beat ‘Em Up Mentions’. Originally I had this article covering my top 5 followed by two extra games that are just nostalgic for me but aren’t top 5 material, but I ended up adding in three more extra games then my carefully laid out plans of ‘short article’ were once again destroyed by my own hubris. So, part two; check it out soon. Those would be games that aren't in my top 5 but I still want to talk about, with some of them being my childhood stomping grounds.
I’d link it, but you know; it hasn’t been posted yet.
Until next time, which just may be also today.
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