Beat ’Em Up Video Games: 8 Notable Beat ’Em Up Video Games

Beat ’em up video games—also called brawlers, belt scroll, and beat ’em all games—are a genre that features hand-to-hand or melee combat between your character and a number of opponents. Gameplay for this classic, side-scrolling video game genre is fairly simple: Enemies come in waves, and you must destroy them before they destroy you. The fast-paced brawl style of these games sets them apart from one-on-one arcade fighter games that are more along the lines of Street Fighter.

Like many two-dimensional (2D) fighting games, beat ’em up games can trace their origins back to arcades.

• Start with scrolling: In 1984, video game developer Irem released Kung-Fu Master (also called Spartan X in Japan), which featured simple gameplay and multiple enemies and laid the groundwork for future side-scrolling beat ’em ups. Also influential was the 1986 release of game developer Technos Japan’s Nekketsu Koha Kunio-kun, which introduced the belt scroll format—called Renegade when the company Taito released it in the West that same year.
• Introduction of the Z-axis: Nekketsu Koha Kunio-kun is credited for changing the depth of the playing field by adding the Z-axis. While many retro arcade fighting games like Street Fighter utilize only the Y-axis (vertical) for jumping and the X-axis (horizontal) to move left or right, the Z-axis added a new way to dodge enemies by allowing the player to move either closer to the foreground or further into the background.
• Addition of co-op and RPG elements: Taito went on to release other key games in the genre: Double Dragon (1987), which introduced two-player co-operation (also called co-op mode) alongside single-player mode; and Downtown Nekketsu Monogatari (River City Ransom) (1989), which added RPG elements, including the ability to pick up and use weapons. These gave way to a golden age of the genre, including games such as The Ninja Warriors (1987), Altered Beast (1988), Golden Axe (1989), Final Fight (1989), and Streets of Rage (1991).
• Fade in popularity: After Street Fighter II: The World Warrior came out in 1991, the genre saw a downturn as gamers were drawn to one-on-one fighting games. The late 1990s also saw the emergence of 3D polygon technology (a new way of rendering in-game surfaces), which changed aesthetic tastes.
• Sharing space with character-action games: By the 2000s, character-action games emerged, applying the beat ’em up formula to larger 3D environments in games like God of War (2005) and Bayonetta (2009). Character-action games are a subgenre of 3D hack and slash games (also called hack and slay games or slash ’em up games to emphasize the use of melee weapons). Since 2010, 2D games in the beat ’em up genre have become popular again, thanks to games like Dragon’s Crown (2013), Dungeon Fighter Online (released worldwide in 2015), and Streets of Rage 4 (2020) paving the way for what are now considered to be traditional beat ’em ups.

While traditional beat ’em up games in the genre are 2D side-scrollers, some newer games have also opted to move to a 3D environment that involves space for even more enemies. An important aspect of these games is that you will always be outnumbered and facing overwhelming odds. These games are similar to arcade beat ’em ups in that they’re usually pretty simple to learn the basics, making them accessible to a wide audience, but more developed combat systems make them difficult to master.

Beat ’em up game storylines typically take place in urban settings focused on fighting crime, or they involve characters out for revenge. These games can feature a two-player co-op mode or a mode with multiple player characters. The genre is also known for its variety of available weaponry and in-game, health-restoring food items.

When it comes to combat, beat ’em up games feature significant variety because of the weapons and the complex combos taken from the fighting genre. Common features also include being able to throw enemies and 360-degree attacks that can knock down nearby enemies but also cost you some health points.

While this genre may have its roots in arcade games, beat ’em up fans can still play many classics these days in addition to modern takes on the beat ’em up genre. Here are eight of the best beat ’em up games to familiarize yourself with the genre:

1. 1. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Turtles in Time (1991): Originally an arcade game, this multiplayer game was based on the TMNT animated series and was a sequel to Konami’s Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles game.
2. 2. Guardian Heroes (1996): This 2D game developed by Treasure gives you the chance to alter the storyline through your actions, with branching paths resulting in multiple different endings. There’s also a Karma meter that fluctuates based on your decisions to kill enemies or civilians. A sequel, Advance Guardian Heroes, was released in 2004.
3. 3. Dragon Ball Advance Adventure (2004): Another installment for the Game Boy Advance, this game features 30 playable characters and five modes of play. While most of the game is set up like a typical 2D side-scroller, boss fights are one on one. Just like in the anime the game is named after, protagonist Goku gains strength and more diverse moves as the game progresses.
4. 4. Castle Crashers (2008): This indie game from developer The Behemoth is a side-scrolling hack and slash video game originally released in 2008. You have your choice of four knights, each with different attributes and magical abilities. Throughout the game, you will unlock new characters. A 2021 HD remake was released on Newgrounds, a website that allows user-produced games and hosts a series of flash games and animation.
5. 5. Dragon’s Crown (2013): Featuring a distinct, hand-drawn art style, this game developed by Vanillaware takes four players and RPG elements through a variety of levels in search of the titular Dragon’s Crown.
6. 6. Capcom Beat ’Em Up Bundle (2018): This game offers a little bit of everything for you to try, with classic beat ’em up titles like Armored Warriors, Final Fight, The King of Dragons, Warriors of Fate, Knights of the Round, Captain Commando, and Battle Circuit.
7. 7. River City Girls (2019): This Japanese franchise features high school students running the streets set to a soundtrack of synthpop music. The game also allows you to purchase new moves, accessories, and power-ups.
8. 8. Streets of Rage 4 (2020): Developed by Dotemu, Lizardcube, and Guard Crush Games, this game comes nearly three decades after SEGA released Streets of Rage (1991), Streets of Rage 2 (1992), and Streets of Rage 3 (1994). You’ll work to stop a criminal syndicate and clean up the city’s streets in the orbit of new and returning characters for the series.

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