Six months ago, developers Guard Crush Games (Wonder Boy: The Dragon's Trap) and Lizardcube (Streets of Fury) announced the latest instalment in Sega's classic arcade beat-em-up series, Streets of Rage 4. Information about the title has been scarce since the reveal trailer, however.Though no release date has been confirmed as of yet, the developers have released a new trailer showing off some intense, visually stunning gameplay.
The trailer, which you can watch below, features some very 80s style drums and synth patterns, accompanied by hand-drawn visuals as Axel Stone and Blaze Fielding walk up and down city streets beating up whoever's in their way. The game looks smooth and distinct, with richly saturated colors and smooth animations. Throughout the trailer, both Axel and Blaze juggle opponents in the air and to each other like tennis players, showcasing just how cooperative SOR4 will be. It's short, lasting only 40-seconds long, but it's a tantalizing look at the game.
Our own Alessandro Fillari came away impressed during his hands-on time with the game back at PAX West 2018. In his write-up, he said that "the game reflects its predecessors' history and legacy." He went on to state that the gameplay feels familiar, with the developers citing Streets of Rage II and Streets of Rage 3 as being starting points.
Fillari also explained the new modified super move system, which, like SOR2, will "deplete some of your health." However, to keep the game in line with its contemporaries, SOR4 will allow you to recover the depleted health with regular attacks, something he likens to Bloodborne's health regen system.
Along with gameplay and mechanics, Fillari also touched on the new visual art style, calling it "a much more dynamic look compared to its predecessor's vivid, yet still static cityscape." Instead of the 2D sprite work found in the original titles, SOR4 features hand-drawn visuals similar to Lizardcube's 2017 title, Wonder Boy: The Dragon's Trap--a remake of the 1989 game Wonder Boy III: The Dragon's Trap. In addition to gameplay changes and a revamp in art aesthetics, SOR4 will have "its own unique score and effects to help make it stand out from the original game." Unfortunately, the developers are hush-hush about the rest of the game, including whether the series' original composer, Yuzo Koshiro, will return to score SOR4.
Street of Rage 4 is currently in development. A definitive release date is unknown and there's no word on what platforms it'll appear on.