Now, after sinking almost 1200 hours into the game, it's time to give it a proper review.

Streets of Rage 4 is a long-awaited sequel to an excellent series of beat-em ups from the 90-s, the golden era of the long-forgotten genre. Simple at its concept, the genre has quicky stumbled upon its limits to eventually go into a seemingly neverending hiatus. Some found comfort in the logical continuation of the genre - 3D hack and slash, but there still was a niche audience that felt that it wasn't the way to go and there was some room for improvement opting to merely replay the games that represented their beloved genre the best over and over again. One franchise that's managed to compete and at times surpass the best arcade behemoths of the time was Streets of Rage.

Its simple yet tight gameplay coupled with outstanding visuals and god-tier soundtrack written by Yuzo Koshiro transformed a mere act of punching dummies into a magical experience, gathering lots of fans all around the world. Sega released three games in the span of 4 years (1991-1994) only to abandon one of its most successful key franchises that made its brand recognizable and popular in first place for over 20 years.

Here we are, Streets of Rage 4 is a real thing. It's out there. All expectations, all hopes and dreams of ever having a proper sequel have come true. So, let me first adress some of the most essential questions a fan of the franchise might ask to then go in-depth about the content there is.

Q. Is the game any good?
A: Most definitely - yes.
Q: Is it just as good as the sequels of the past?
A: Maybe.
Q: Might this happen to be the best Streets of Rage game out there?
A: Your mileage may vary, but I believe it's on par with its predecessors overall which is an achievement in its own right.

The gameplay is tight as ever: all the punches leave just enough impact for you to feel the joy of tearing the goons to shreds, there is a huge variety of characters for you to experiments with since now you can combine various moves into non-stop chains just like in 1-on-1 fighting games and the difficulty ranges from a regular stroll in the park to ludicrously challenging battles.

The soundtrack is decent but leaves a lot to be desired. And while there are a few exceptional pieces you might put on repeat like the Art Gallery theme or the Elevator Music at the antagonists' headquarters, the rest is just there to fill the void of silence. They aren't bad, but Yuzo Koshiro raised the bar a bit too high for anyone to simply even match it, let alone surpass. However, it should be noted that the technical aspects of how OST works in this game is both subtle and exceptionally effective, emphisizing various aspects of the gameplay in a unique way. When you go from one location to the other, the seemingly non-stop tracks progress only at certain points in the stage to indicate a change in pace, difficulty or mood which is, in my opinion, an ingenious solution that not only adds to the atmosphere of the living world but also gives a player slight hints on what's about to happen next without being overly protective. Whoever made this decision needs a raise immediately. This single aspect saved the whole OST.

The graphics are phenomenal. The animations are smooth and fluid, the art style while cartoonish is far from what you'd call 'a Cartoon Network show for kids' because the attention to detail in this installment is insane. There is always something going on not only on the battlefield but in the background as well. The posters in the distance have something written on them, people behind the scenery are always busy with something even if it's a mere looped animation, even the far-away city is animated which brings life to this experience. Overall, the art style is brutal when needed without being gory yet bright and isn't afraid of being so for the sake of contrast.

What can I say in the end? It's an excellent installment in the series and while it does have its flaws an in a relatively forgettable OST and a rather unstable online connection for those who's ISPs aren't as reliable as they should be, the thought of being able to share this magical experience with all the fans of the franchise alone brings me tears of joy and relief and this franchise will never be forgotten and that there are still people who just like me find peace in enjoying this genre just as much as I do. Thank you, Dotemu, and everyone who I ever had the pleasure of playing with. This was magical.

Now, after sinking almost 1200 hours into the game, it's time to give it a proper review. Streets of Rage 4 is a long-awaited sequel to an excellent series of beat-em ups from the 90-s, the golden era of the long-forgotten genre. Simple at its concept, the genre has quicky stumbled upon its limits to eventually go into a seemingly neverending hiatus. Some found comfort in the logical continuation of the genre - 3D hack and slash, but there still was a niche audience that felt that it wasn't the way to go and there was some room for improvement opting to merely replay the games that represented their beloved genre the best over and over again. One franchise that's managed to compete and at times surpass the best arcade behemoths of the time was Streets of Rage. Its simple yet tight gameplay coupled with outstanding visuals and god-tier soundtrack written by Yuzo Koshiro transformed a mere act of punching dummies into a magical experience, gathering lots of fans all around the world. Sega released three games in the span of 4 years (1991-1994) only to abandon one of its most successful key franchises that made its brand recognizable and popular in first place for over 20 years. Here we are, Streets of Rage 4 is a real thing. It's out there. All expectations, all hopes and dreams of ever having a proper sequel have come true. So, let me first adress some of the most essential questions a fan of the franchise might ask to then go in-depth about the content there is. Q. Is the game any good? A: Most definitely - yes. Q: Is it just as good as the sequels of the past? A: Maybe. Q: Might this happen to be the best Streets of Rage game out there? A: Your mileage may vary, but I believe it's on par with its predecessors overall which is an achievement in its own right. The gameplay is tight as ever: all the punches leave just enough impact for you to feel the joy of tearing the goons to shreds, there is a huge variety of characters for you to experiments with since now you can combine various moves into non-stop chains just like in 1-on-1 fighting games and the difficulty ranges from a regular stroll in the park to ludicrously challenging battles. The soundtrack is decent but leaves a lot to be desired. And while there are a few exceptional pieces you might put on repeat like the Art Gallery theme or the Elevator Music at the antagonists' headquarters, the rest is just there to fill the void of silence. They aren't bad, but Yuzo Koshiro raised the bar a bit too high for anyone to simply even match it, let alone surpass. However, it should be noted that the technical aspects of how OST works in this game is both subtle and exceptionally effective, emphisizing various aspects of the gameplay in a unique way. When you go from one location to the other, the seemingly non-stop tracks progress only at certain points in the stage to indicate a change in pace, difficulty or mood which is, in my opinion, an ingenious solution that not only adds to the atmosphere of the living world but also gives a player slight hints on what's about to happen next without being overly protective. Whoever made this decision needs a raise immediately. This single aspect saved the whole OST. The graphics are phenomenal. The animations are smooth and fluid, the art style while cartoonish is far from what you'd call 'a Cartoon Network show for kids' because the attention to detail in this installment is insane. There is always something going on not only on the battlefield but in the background as well. The posters in the distance have something written on them, people behind the scenery are always busy with something even if it's a mere looped animation, even the far-away city is animated which brings life to this experience. Overall, the art style is brutal when needed without being gory yet bright and isn't afraid of being so for the sake of contrast. What can I say in the end? It's an excellent installment in the series and while it does have its flaws an in a relatively forgettable OST and a rather unstable online connection for those who's ISPs aren't as reliable as they should be, the thought of being able to share this magical experience with all the fans of the franchise alone brings me tears of joy and relief and this franchise will never be forgotten and that there are still people who just like me find peace in enjoying this genre just as much as I do. Thank you, Dotemu, and everyone who I ever had the pleasure of playing with. This was magical.