Posted on: May 22, 2023

MachTackle

Games: 464 Reviews: 2

This is how you modernize a genre

Fight'N Rage is a modern beat 'em up that tries to stay true to the classic games of the genre whilst instilling modern design sensibilities to the game. The way it does this is by taking facets of the fighting game genre and applying them to a beat 'em up. Streets of Rage 4 had a similar approach. The game uses a 3-button layout (attack, jump, special). There aren't any complex motions to perform on the controller to perform moves but that does not equate to easy to pull off combos. There is an excellent training mode that can be unlocked where you can learn combos and moves. There are also more characters that you can unlock in the in-game shop that can be played in a versus mode. Characters have various skins that are not all simple palette-swaps. Some will skins will have characters with or without a mask for example. It's rare that you will see a dev go that extra mile in a pixel art game like this with actual skins. There are different paths that can be taken in arcade mode and there are multiple possible endings in the arcade mode depending on your performance and the path taken etc. The astounding thing is that the game was made by only two people and yet is the modern standard by which beat 'em ups should aspire to going forward. The game was graphics and programming was done by a single dev and the music by another. Absolutely startling that the game is so feature-rich and polished. The music compliments the action excellently. Some tracks sound like they could have come from an early Guilty Gear game. Now the game is challenging and you won't be able to beat it by just spamming the attack button (note: maybe on easy) so I wouldn't recommend it to casual fans of the genre as it is aimed at the hardcore. The difficulty may frustrate some. I wish the game had online play and the chibi art-style and oversaturated colours won't be for everyone. Fight'N Rage truly is a modern classic and belongs in the beat 'em up hall of fame.

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Posted on: July 15, 2023

4thDown

Verified owner

Games: 265 Reviews: 2

A perfect tribute.

Lots of replayability with alternate paths, multiple endings, a good number of characters, unlockable content like skins, goodies and in game options, and so on. Not to mention the speedy controls, simple mechanics easy to learn and tricky enough to master the combos, fair difficulty, multiple local players, vibrant music riffs, art visuals. A classic.

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Posted on: February 4, 2024

kiujazi

Verified owner

Games: 530 Reviews: 2

Wow

Do you remember the first time you play Streets of Rage or Final Fight? This game invokes that same sense. A fantastic soundtrack, tight controls, enough of a variety of characters to pick from. Combine that with a crisp, clean art style and a ton of unlockables and you've got yourself a game that you'll be playing for quite a while. It's a love letter to the beat em up genre as a whole and an absolute must own for any fan of the genre.

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Posted on: October 6, 2019

zKanoe

Verified owner

Games: 163 Reviews: 2

The best 2D side-scrolling beat em up

This is a love letter to 2D beat em up games so I have to spread the love over here too. I own this game on Steam, GOG, and Nintendo Switch, and it just does not get old for me (PC version for costume mods and 144hz support in game, and Switch so I can play on the toilet). The combat is simple yet deep, as in it may consist of just a jump, attack, and special button, but the flexibility of the combo system, parry mechanic, physics, movement, and cancellations of move animations coupled with the wonderful scripts for the AI patterns makes the gameplay very deep because every decision/action has meaning behind it. Overall, there is not a single beat em that comes close to feeling as good to control to me personally. Fans of the genre will notice some inspiration from classics (flashback to the 90s and you'll see). The game has a heaping load of content for its MSRP and no other official 2D beat em up to date comes close. From the branching paths and all of the endings, CPU helpers to play with you, the enemy characters, costumes, and modes to unlock, you can easily put in 50-100+ hours. That said I do have to address some potential negatives for some folks: - The game can be pretty challenging . Not trying to be full of myself or scare people away, but even on normal difficulty, it'll probably keep you on your toes and you'll feel accomplished. Most players will never see the last 2 difficulties of this game. The difficulties in the game are easy (you have to unlock this), normal, hard, hardest, insane and unfair. It's taken me over 200 hours to reach unfair, but maybe I just suck. - Training mode (doubles as a combo challenge), easy mode, and stage practice modes are also locked from the start, though you can get enough coins to unlock easy and training mode after one game over. That said, this game has become one of my faves of all time. You can enjoy this as a casual or hardcore fan of the genre. I highly recommend it.

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Posted on: December 19, 2024

Merlynn

Verified owner

Games: 183 Reviews: 2

A fun brawler with a lot to offer.

Fight'N'Rage is that rare brawler that doesn't simply ape other brawlers, it learns from them and uses what it's learned to make a better game. While not up to more recent releases like Streets of Rage 4, FNR is still a must play for any brawler fan who enjoys a good beat down.

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