Ah, the 2d beat-’em-up.
It used to be a mainstay of the gaming landscape during the late 80’s to mid-90’s. Classics like Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Final Fight, and one of my favorites, Ninja Baseball Batman used to be a staple of our gaming diet.
Yet as time wore on, a lack of innovation within the genre began to take its toll, and once Street Fighter II and the versus fighting game craze took hold, the once mighty brawler faded into our memories.
Even with the rise of independent development over the past decade, the brawler hasn’t seen much of a resurgence. After all, how much more innovation can really be squeezed out of the genre?
One company is looking to show the old 2d brawler a little love later this year with a new twist on our firmly established expectations.
Speed Brawl, developed by Double Stallion Games might be the new twist on the beat-em-up that fans have been hoping for.
Described as a “2D combat racer”, Speed Brawl adds in a healthy dose of speed and platforming action in order to create something truly unique among its peers. Instead of the traditional route of just wandering through a city and beating up the local ruffians, Speed Brawl actually has you competing in over 50 championship races. Combat and boss battles are still essential to the game, so you will need really to smack around the bad guys in order to gain speed boosts, which of course, will help you win the race.
Think of it as Sonic the Hedgehog meets Final Fight – for a race!
Speed Brawl continues its intriguing blending of genres with a bit of RPG elements. Players will be be able to win or purchase equipment for any one of the six characters available throughout the game. Skill points can also be earned, which will help boost a number of upgradable stats for those characters.
There’s plenty more about Speed Brawl that has our hype meter buzzing, such as the excellent artwork and character design and the Victorian-era setting, but we’ll let the announcement trailer speak for itself.
Speed Brawl will be available later this year for PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, and PC.
We read your article and we approve. 😉
Interesting to note I (creative director) used exactly that Sonic vs. Final FIght to pitch the game, our younger art director used Sonic Vs. Streets of Rage, and our producer used Sonic Vs. Street Fighter (which we all disagreed with… hehehe).
Thanks so much! Glad we got the approval 🙂
Seriously, this game looks really awesome and I can’t wait to see how it turns out. We’d love to have you on our podcast sometime to talk about the game and get people hyped!
Thanks, we’re nose down finishing off the game for release… soon 😉
New trailer soon too, showcasing more gameplay and more of the story. No mayors, no kidnapped girlfriends… but maybe some ex-wrestlers.
Wait, what?! There is a pro wrestling element to Speed Brawl as well!!?
We’re HUGE pro wrestling fans!!
Now you HAVE to come on the show to talk about the game!!
No directly, one of the Speed Brawlers is from a wrestling family. But it’s not a major part of the game. But I’m a pro wrestling fan myself and I’ll always carry a torch for late 90s early 2000s WWF, WCW and ECW.
Btw this totally has a 2D side scrolling shooter feel too, with all the wild projectiles and power ups!
Omg yes! I’ve been clamoring for a new beat em up!!!