As a callback to classic 2D side-scrolling beat-em-up titles from the gaming days of yore, Streets of Rage 4 is a release that arguably has something for older gen and newer gen gamers. Earlier this year, it was announced as one of Metacritic's top ten games for the Nintendo Switch for 2020. With news a couple of months ago that the game would be getting some DLC, a release date for said content has now been revealed.
Named Mr X Nightmare, the Streets of Rage 4 add-on will be arriving on July 15, which developer and publisher Dotemu announced in the latter parts of last week. The DLC will add a host of new playable characters, such as Estel Aguirre, Max Thunder, and Shiva, all of whom are currently bosses players fight against in the base game.
The Mr X Nightmare DLC was actually announced back in April, with reports saying that as well as the aforementioned new characters, there will also be new moves, new challenges, as well as some new music. On top of this, there will also be a Survival Mode added to the game in which players will be pitted against waves of enemies, racking up high scores and combos. Dotemu added that this mode will have two variations: Random, which generates unpredictable runs, and Weekly, which, as the name implies, will be a series of new challenges added each week.
In many ways, SoR4 is considered both a glorious return to the beat-em-up genre and also a relic to a long-gone era. It likely has stronger appeal for those who fondly remember playing the original games on the Sega Genesis, while newer gamers perhaps see it as something that is lacking some modern features that have become staples of gaming, such as a levelling up system or the game being too short.
As a return to form, but with a more modern look and feel, Streets of Rage 4 was considered one of the best co-op games of last year, stacking up alongside other fan favorites, such as Animal Crossing: New Horizons and Wasteland 3. Since being released in 2020, the game has received favorable reviews, particularly with it bringing back the main characters from the original classic titles, such as Blaze Fielding, Axel Stone, and Adam Hunter, with new characters added in to keep things fresh. Some fans may lament the lack of Streets of Rage 2 and 3's Skate, but maybe there is a chance for the developer to add him in future updates.
Streets of Rage 4 is available on PC, PlayStation 4, Switch, and Xbox One, with a Stadia version and the Mr X Nightmare DLC due out on July 15.
Source: Polygon