When it comes to classic arcade action in its purest form, Capcom is the way to go. From the mean streets of the Final Fight series to the medieval mayhem of Knights of the Round, they all have one thing in common — mash the buttons and watch the bad guys fall.
Though they might be reskinned versions of the same basic gameplay to some players, to us they are an escape into our own action movie. The beat-em-up genre is an element of gaming that needs a return or remastering. But we've not forgotten our roots — here are ten of our favorite Capcom beat-em-ups, ranked.
10 King of Dragons
If you've never played a beat-em-up title before, King of Dragons is an excellent place to start. It's got your typical gameplay for the genre, but with a sprinkling of classic RPG and fantasy elements thrown in for good measure. Players can choose from a roster of fantasy-inspired characters to take on a legion of monsters for gold and adventure.
It's a typical fantasy hack-and-slash, but we have to say it's one of our favorites. There's just something pleasantly vintage about this game, that we can't put it down. Easily a favorite in our book, and a perfect way to start our list.
9 Knights of the Round
Keeping up with the fantasy theme we've got going here, let's move on to Camelot with Knights of the Round. Knights of the Round is basically Dragon Quest but with a bigger focus on action and swordplay. Players take up the armor of Arthur, Lancelot, and Percival against an army of evil knights, warriors, and wizards. Steel your blade to take on King Garibaldi and save the kingdom.
The plot's a little cliche but the game does introduce mounted combat in later levels, so we will give them points for an interesting twist. It is fun to slice up enemy soldiers on the back of a stallion when you're feeling outnumbered.
8 Warriors of Fate
We take you now from the West to the East with the Asian-inspired Warriors of Fate. It's similar to Knights of the Round with its use of bladed weapons and mounts, but gives the familiar hack-and-slash motif an Ancient Chinese flavor. We can certainly enjoy a more historical take on the beat-em-up games any day of the week.
There's definitely some kung fu action going on here, and we love it. Charging into the heat of battle with spears, bows, and blades really scratches an itch for us. But if swords and sandals aren't your cup of tea, stay tuned for our next pick.
7 Captain Commando
It's about as basic of a beat-em-up as you can get, but has some impressive visuals, weapons, rideable mechs, and characters to keep you coming back for more. Who wouldn't want to play as a mummy, ninja, or a baby in a giant robot suit? Sounds like a good time to us.
Like King of Dragons, this is a perfect way to get introduced to the genre. Its comic-book-inspired designs and characters really mesh well with the beat-em-up style. It might be a weird little game, but it's certainly one we continue to enjoy.
6 Final Fight
Now we come to the granddaddy of the beat-em-up genre, Final Fight. If you took the visuals of Street Fighter and paired them with some awesome 16-bit action, you'd get this incredible arcade gem. Choose your fighter and take on the Mad Gears gang and bring back the lovely Jessica to your arms.
For the longest time, Final Fight was the gold standard of the arcade beat-em-up. Before Streets of Rage from Sega stole the crown, Guy, Haggar, and Cody took to the streets and kicked some major butt back in the day. We highly recommend giving this brawler a run.
5 Cadillacs and Dinosaurs
Though this game definitely has its fans and is certainly a little more than your standard beat-em-up affair, we can't help but ask a simple question: Who the heck came up with this thing? Based on the comic series Xenozoic Tales, Cadillacs and Dinosaurs incorporates vehicle combat, shooting elements, and of course a few prehistoric creatures to make things interesting.
Pick your character and pit them against a hoard of enemies including human/dinosaur hybrids that will absolutely ruin your day. If you can find this weird and wonderful game, it's definitely worth a round or two.
4 Armored Warriors
What could be better than playing as a fantasy character, a knight of the realm, a Chinese warlord, a ninja, or a dinosaur hunter? Playing in a giant robot mech suit, of course. In Armored Warriors, you choose a pilot and mech to fight off against evil robots in true beat-em-up fashion, but with one major addition — you can steal parts from other mechs to upgrade your own.
Armored Warriors is one of the more unique games on our list. With its legion of mechanical monsters to bash, various weapons and different mech suits to choose from, you're going to have a good time, trust us.
3 X-Men: Mutant Apocalypse
Though perhaps not as popular as the arcade game X-Men, Capcom's take on our favorite group of mutants was certainly a nice substitute. Players can fight off enemies as Wolverine, Beast, Gambit, Cyclops, or Psylocke in this comic-book-inspired battle. There's still plenty of action-packed fun in or out of the Danger Room.
Not only does the game allow you to play as one of five X-Men, but there are branching paths and different levels depending on who you select. The designs and setting definitely harken back to days of the classic X-Men comics that fans of the series will recognize, plus we simply had to include at least one Marvel title on our list.
2 Alien Vs. Predator
For years, modern gamers have been begging for and dreaming of a great Aliens Vs. Predator title. So why hasn't the arcade game gotten a home console release? It's almost ridiculous how incredible this arcade game is. With the ability to play as either a Predator or a commando, including Dutch from the first movie, there's no way copies wouldn't sell.
Though playing as one of the commandos is fun, there are few greater joys than playing as a Predator with all their blades and spears, on the hunt for Xenomorph trophies. It's a good-old-fashioned sci-fi romp — just mash the buttons to maul the monsters for some heavy arcade action.
1 Dungeons and Dragons: Chronicles of Mystara
Not one, but two great games make the top of our list today. Tower of Doom and Shadow Over Mystara take the beat-em-up formula, mix it with a fantasy setting, classic RPG elements, and an impressive magic system to create one incredible arcade experience. Capcom definitely went the extra mile on this one.
Tower of Doom is your classic fantasy brawler with swords, daggers, dragons, and dwarves to sate your inner D&D geek — but it's the second game where the magic happens. With more spells, characters, and bosses to bring the hammer down on, you'll be playing this game for a good while.