Brawlers, or beat ‘em ups, used to be one of the biggest genres in video games. It was seemingly easy to make one to put in arcades. They are simple enough to understand for any hardcore or casual gaming enthusiast. Walk around, punch dudes, eat chicken out of a garbage can, and repeat.
The genre has been making a comeback thanks to indie games and the idea of games getting digitally distributed as a whole. These eight are some fine modern examples that anyone should be able to play. A few even break the genre a bit with some unique and accessible gameplay ideas.
8 Castle Crashers
Castle Crashers is a classic that revived the genre right when digital games were becoming a huge thing on Xbox 360. The game gave players four knights to choose from and more playable characters unlocked after that.
These heroes leveled up and they all had special attacks as well. The red knight, for example, had the power of fire while the blue knight could control ice. It was a tough brawler, but getting three friends on the couch to join made things easier.
7 Dragon’s Crown
Dragon’s Crown had a similar four-player setup to Castle Crashers. There were multiple heroes to choose from in this game as well but they all adhered to more traditional RPG classes. There was a knight, witch, archer, and so on.
Gamers could play with their friends on the couch or go on missions with them online. With an adjustable difficulty menu, Dragon’s Crown was inviting to any RPG fan out there. It is one of Vanillaware’s best and most underrated titles.
6 Scott Pilgrim Vs The World: The Game
Scott Pilgrim vs. the World: The Game was an exception to the rule that movie tie-in games were bad. In many ways, it was like an homage to many games from the past. The biggest inspiration seemingly came from River City Ransom from the NES era.
That game had a semi-open-world environment wherein players could level up their characters by eating food. That mechanic was present in Scott Pilgrim vs. the World: The Game too and that’s just the tip of the nostalgia iceberg. This game can be played on virtually any modern system out there and has four-player co-op.
5 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder's Revenge
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder's Revenge is the latest brawler starring these totally radical reptile ninjas. The game is a throwback to the 90s arcade games and is almost a direct sequel to Turtles in Time. It’s from the same team as Scott Pilgrim vs The World: The Game aka Tribute Games and they did a fantastic job.
There are more characters to choose from than just the turtles too including Splinter, April O'Neil, and Casey Jones. There is a leveling-up system, a world map, assist features, six-player co-op, and so much more to make this the ultimate game starring this gang of green goofballs.
4 Full Metal Furies
Full Metal Furies was made by the same team that did Rogue Legacy aka Cellar Door Games. What they did for roguelikes with Rogue Legacy they tried to do for brawlers with Full Metal Furies. Even though it got critical praise and was by the same developers as the mega-hit that was Rogue Legacy, it didn’t blow up in the same way, unfortunately.
One of the best features of the game is the assist menu, making it easy for anyone to get a hang of the chaos. It’s never too late for a good game and now is as good a time as any to jump into this brawler/shooter with four-player co-op.
3 Young Souls
Young Souls is one of the newest recommendations on here as it was released earlier in 2022. It stars two siblings who get roped into an underground conspiracy involving goblins and other monsters. Players can choose to play as either Tristan or Jennifer for a solo session or they can team up with a partner for two-player co-op.
Players can level up their characters in several ways from gaining traditional experience points to gearing up each teen with unique gear. There are difficulty options to make the game more streamlined too.
2 Marvel: Ultimate Alliance 3
Marvel: Ultimate Alliance 3 was a sequel fans had been waiting over a decade for. It was an exclusive which came out of nowhere as none of the previous iterations were exclusive to a single platform.
As wildly popular as the Switch is, the exclusivity might be one of the reasons why the game didn’t reach the heights of its predecessors. It’s still a good action game whether players are gaming with friends on the couch or grooving with randoms online. It’s not the easiest brawler to jump into alone but there are some god-tier characters that can make things simpler.
1 Capcom Beat 'Em Up Bundle
Putting the Capcom Beat 'Em Up Bundle on here is a bit of a cheat. There are seven games featured in this bundle including Armored Warriors, Battle Circuit, Captain Commando, Final Fight, The King of Dragons, Knights of the Round, and Warriors of Fate.
All seven of these games offer players unique brawler experiences from the 90s arcade scene. Knights of the Round is a good fantasy-based brawler whereas Armored Warriors allows players to pilot mechs and fight robots. Since these games no longer require coins to continue, they can all be beaten in an afternoon.