Streets of Rage 4 (PC) - Part 2

Previously: Axel Stone and Co rage on streets again the new crime syndicate: Y syndicate. There's information tells about a master of Dojo in Chinatown that can provide them with more information about the Y syndicate. It's revealed that the syndicate use mind-controlling sound wave to hypnotize people as what the Dojo master said. The vigilantes go to the base of the Y syndicate which is skyscraper with Y letter embedded on it.     

Our heroes decide to board on top of the train instead get inside of it, legal way. Naturally, polices who come after them go to the roof too. But there's pole that can sweep anyone on the train's roof. That will teach them to buy the ticket and board the train legally like sensible person.

 

Estel comes after me again even on top of the train. She can't summons the bazooka support but she summons commissioner Rugal Bernstein instead! Also she throws hand grenade a lot like Rolento from Final Fight. Demoman_negativevocalization04.wav

 

After defeating Estel again, Mr. Y comes in with police's chopper and shoot his bazooka at us along with the train car although Estel asks him not to because there's civilians on the train. Thus we're thrown to an art gallery...

 

...where they display a bronze fake roasted chicken and i need the real ones really bad as i'm low on health. Knowing that it's fake and inedible, i throw it to nearest thug. By the way, the security won't fight the thugs because they're not legit law enforcer.

 

This level introduces us with these street artists that throw toxic flask at me. Don't worry, dear roasted chicken! I shall protect you from those poison thrower and later i will eat you, of course! :p

 

Nice painting there! A brass knuckle with "punch" word on it. Next they will display painting of a handgun with "shoot" word on it, surely. Not everyone on playfield is hostile. For example, that lady behind the desk. She is terrified with our brawl. Not everyone is up for violence action in this world. Poor lady.

 

Oh, great! The one thing that i want in the game: to fight the uninspiring 1st boss battle and make it stereo. [Extreme Sarcasm]

At least one of the snake can spit fire. That's quite interesting. Judging by how many box of these fake roasted chicken in this place, these snake ladies are responsible for these annoying "art" and i should take them down. Wait! Their name are Beyo and Riha. Could they refer to Beyoncé and Rihanna?       

 

We can get into the Y building by breaking the wall of that gallery's storage room, so we're not off track afterall. But we're end up in Sauna room of the Y building and it's not good place to fight because it's filled with hot steams and sweats of half-naked men that take sauna bath here.  At least, they don't mind me borrow this mop to beat enemies around here.

 

Wow! I recognize that inscription on the wall. It's based on Streets of Rage 2 narration where Mr. X takes over the city and there's the star pickup which is ammunition for the Star Move.

 

And here we are in the obligatory elevator section of this Beat em Up game. It's filled with this gentlemen with the gun that i believe also appear in Streets of Rage 3. But there's no side roll like in that game. However, Cherry's agility can make up with that.  You can destroy glass wall on either side to solve the problem of air circulation here. Also to throw your enemies away from this lift.

 

Oh, no! I have to defeat Max the wrestler guy from Streets of Rage 2. He has some uninterruptible move: shoulder charge and spinning knuckle. But you can dodge them fairly easily. Once in a while, he attempt to grab me but i can break from his grabbing by mashing button or maybe pressing attack + jump button. I believe the one in the center background are Mr. and Ms Y. But how about that muscular guy with hat on right corner? He looks like Crazy Jack from Street Fighter EX series.  

 

With Max defeated, the Y siblings resort to hypnotize us by using the sound wave. Heavy_negativevocalization02.wav

 

Fortunately, Estel breaks the sound system before we become hypnotized. The Y siblings retreats to a concert that will spread the hypnotizing sound wave. Estel take care of this place so we can chase after them. Hey! I didn't know that this city has name.

 

Who's the best at interrupting concert other than young rocker with electric guitar? No one else! Thus Cherry is up for the task. On the way to concert building, i find this wrecking ball that i can use to hit enemies. Once it receives my jump kick, it will swing to the sides and hurt anyone that happen to make contact with it. Engineer_specialcompleted08.wav

 

Here's the DJ K Washi himself and he can fly around for some reason. He is the only boss that has regenerating shield (its energy bar is above his health bar). Once you break it, the DJ will be stunned momentarily thus open to your combo.

 

Once his health drops to 50%, he's getting more intense on shooting projectiles. Moreover he has ability to summon circle that move on the ground and can emits energy beam when stepped. Again, Cherry's agility proves its worth here.

 

The concert stage descends like diagonal elevator in SoR 2. Enemies come from above and i can throw them away to the right side into their demise. Speaking of it, the fall damage is different between players and enemies. Enemies will suffer instant death if thrown to pit while players only suffer some damage and they're relocated to safe spot.

 

I'm about to face combined force of anti-riot polices and rioters! They're surprisingly formidable. The shield bearers act as tank while the electric-flask throwers act as mage. Medic_positivevocalization01.wav

 

I'm just in time to board this airplane before the cargo door falls apart. Anyone can get to the ground earlier than me so i send them through the fallen cargo door. I still have business here, though.

 

This time i have to fight these 3 dominatrix. One of them (i think it's the one with black cloth) has interruptible state but the sub-boss fight isn't that difficult. Onward to the cockpit!

 

The boss is Mr. Y, already? But whatever. Mr. X favors Tommy gun while Mr. Y here favors Uzi. It's within their blood to have strong obsession toward submachine gun, huh? When i fight Mr. X, i instinctively move to the same plane as him to avoid his gun barrage but i can't do that here. Instead i have to stay away from Mr. Y while he fires his gun. Then i can stand safely between his strafing.

 

Once his health falls to 50% he begins to throw grenades more than Estel and more resembling Rolento. Also He start firing his bazooka. You think he's sensible enough to refrain using explosive weapon in cockpit room to prevent damaged flight control for all of our sake but no. He's evil madman, for sure.

 

But the flight control is fine during the fight until the bastard himself destroy it while makes his escape. We're going to crash again, aren't we? Great! [airbus-sized sarcasm]

 

We end up crash into Y island almost like what happens in SoR 2 but we travel used boat that time. I have to say that's the most majestic gate fence that i have ever see. I hope you don't get bored of me play as Adam Hunter because i last longer if i become him or his daughter. The live/continue system in this game is different than the previous SoR. You get 2 lives on each level and you can gain 1up if your score reach certain number. You can't accumulate live you get to next level but you have unlimited retry also there's auto-save after finishing a stage and you can continue where you left off without start from the level 1 again. There's hit counter everytime you hit enemies without getting hit within a duration. Higher hit count will yields extra score which is useful to gain 1up. Adam seems able to juggle enemies pretty easy thanks to his uppercut while Cherry's agile maneuver  can hit enemies without risk of getting trapped by the enemies thus minimizing she get hits. In other word, they're the best at the job of boosting those hit counter in my opinion.

 

After some travelling and beating mooks, i enter this castle which reminds me of Latverian castle of Dr. Doom in Spiderman arcade game. But all they can offer here is the same thugs. No mutant or robots. Speaking of robots, we have the stained glass of the robot enemies from previous SoR. And also Mr X's ones. I never seen stained glass in Beat em Up game (probably because they're fragile to anyone's violent action) besides in Legend.

 

Oh, sorry. I almost forget about you cyber mutant. This one is improved version of the urban version where he can pull out and control morning star (spiked mace) which looks meaner than iron pipe for sure. Because nothing will makes you seeing stars after waking up in the morning other than morning star application in your head.

There's also dark version of riot cops with name 'shadow'. Fighting shadow warrior isn't supposed to be within Golden Axe domain? But they're not mere shadow warrior as they throw shuriken at me. Maybe they're ninja cop.    

 

Like father like daughter, eh? Sitting on the throne nonchalantly while the hero enter her throne room. But her resemblance with her daughter stops there as she fight with fencing sword instead of Tommy gun. To be honest, she's easier than his brother. Hey! Where are you going?

 

Oh, of course. I have to fight them both at the same time for the final battle. I should know.

 

When both of their health bar become 50%, Mr. Y jumps to the background and later ride on this mecha thing-y while leaving his sister on foot. I think the battle becomes easier as there's no one unleash bazooka round at me or throws grenade around in this phase. You will get beaten more often from mecha's leg if you stand in center for too long. So my suggestion is to stand in either corner while dealing with Ms. Y. Also in that position you can beat the legs relatively safe.

 

With the strange robot destroyed, the game ends with good ending along with credit roll. In SoR 1 and SoR 2, the game ends with Mr. X lies on the floor. But in this case, we see Mr. Y and Ms. being held in custody instead. I like the smug face of Adam there. Hey there's Yūzō Koshiro name there! He's the music composer of the original SoR also i heard that he composed music in ActRaiser and Beyond Oasis. I'm glad he's involved in this game. I recognize the theme of Mr. Y and Ms. Y is remixed from Mr. X theme and it's official remix from Yuzo Koshiro himself. Engineer_cheers05.wav

 

Wait, there's more! There's all-time scoring that you can accumulate from each finished stage and by completing whole stages in story mode in normal difficulty, i have enough points to unlock Axel from first SoR! This looks weird as his pixel sprite isn't blend well with the rest but it works for some reason especially if he fights in front of this Pine Pot restaurant because it's based on SoR 1. He doesn't have the special moves but he can swings iron pipe better than newer Axel. Funny that. Also he can call the bazooka police support!

 

I test SoR 1 Axel at hard mode and i finish the stage with better score. I know i need more conditioning to do that, also i discover that i can stop the uninterruptible Diva by grabbing her. Because the grabbing is automatic a la Final Fight, i don't think i can rely that method or maybe i'm too pessimistic. Anyway, i accumulate enough score to unlock SoR 1 Adam! I need to play more so i can unlock Skate and Max. The game knows how to make me very content with it!

 

Streets of Rage 4 (2020) is superb game for me especially in this era where Beat 'em Up genre isn't popular anymore but it become trends for Indie game. Although not developed directly by SEGA, the game is endorsed well by them, hinted by lots of previous SoR touches in this game such as: the enemy design (especially Big Ben's "Huehehe!" laughter), some stage's elements, and Yūzō Koshiro's involvement. I hate that uninterruptible nonsense but at least it's well telegraphed. There's also case where enemies flash red which means they're about to grab you. I'm annoyed with anyone in previous SoR that suddenly throws me so i really appreciate that new feature. I also love the scoring system for unlocking character. It's brilliant way to pad the gameplay. Speaking of the character, they're distinctive enough even the trio original SoR and also fun to play. Yeah, even Floyd thanks to his ability to grab 2 enemies at once and grab from distance. The move star is welcome addition to the moveset. There's a way to regain your health lost from using the special life-draining move: by hitting enemies without getting hit yourself. By doing so you will regain health lost that's marked by green color. This mechanism probably adapted from Bloodborne. The continue system is friendly for new player yet acceptable to seasoned player. The music is good whether Yūzō Koshiro made or not. The graphic is nice and suitable for Beat em Up game. The game is generous with its content: 11 levels, various game mode (including boss rush), dozens of artwork, and unlockable character.

Streets of Rage 4 (2020) is certainly more than previous SoR and in my opinion it's far better than Double Dragon Neon where you must feel content with only same character player. If you're Streets of Rage/Bare Knuckle game lover, you certainly must own this game. And if you're Beat em Up gamer (like me), this game is very worthy to play. Anyway, you better play this game than raging in the streets in real life.

Here's the last part of character's stats analysis:

 

Cherry is your usual energetic teen that favor rock music yet she has strong sense of justice like her father. She has the highest movement speed among the five and she can jump really high or long. Thus her primary stats is Agility (4/5). She shows some strength feats like her grabbing technique where she slams her opponent along with her guitar. So her secondary stats is Strength (3/5). For a beat em up game character, she's pretty iconic and also great to play as.

 

Ah, yes. Floyd Iraia the powerhouse character among the five and also the most cumbersome to play as in my opinion. He's pretty much Major Jax Briggs of Streets of Rage. It takes really serious muscle to carry those large robotic hand. So his primary stats is Strength (4.5/5). Because he's the apprentice of Dr. Zan, he should have some good quality on his brain but not exceed his teacher's, mind you. So his secondary stats is intelligence (3.5/5). Although he can inflict big damage but he moves really sluggish (almost like that P.O.W) thus it's pretty difficult to make him hit his enemies. Maybe some experienced players can use him well but they're certainly not me.

 

And the last is Adam Hunter, my favorite. He's the strong guy yet not the strongest among the five (but he's considered the powerhouse among the classic trio). However, he has the appropriate speed to get over to enemies quick enough unlike Floyd. He can dishes serious damage with his powerful-looking attack (e.g. his uppercut). Surely, that means his main stats is Strength (4/5). He's on the special force which means he has slight intelligence above normal so his intelligence is 2.5/5. If Axel is Ryu then Adam is Ken Master, the one who's more energetic and powerful than the main protagonist. Maybe that comparison is quite far. Given this is Beat em Up, let's compare Axel and Adam with those duo cop from Riot City or Axel and Miles from Mug Smasher. Due to questionable fashion of the swarthy guy (Miles wears suspender dungarees while Adam wears yellow banana-colored shirt), maybe the last comparison is the closest one.

Streets of Rage 4 (PC) - Part 1

I love Beat 'em Up game, so naturally i like to test: Streets of Rage 4 (2020) which come out 2 months ago. Sniper_cheers08.wav

Yes, Axel Stone and Co are back from 26-years hiatus after Streets of Rage 3. If you disregard Streets of Rage remake (which is fanmade game) that is. Although this game isn't developed by SEGA but at least they endorse it. On the first time i run this game, i have some technical issue that almost makes me give up on reviewing this game. The game doesn't respond with any keyboard input. Turns out, i need to press left mouse button and then the game recognizes my keyboard input. That's rather unusual. Oh, boy! The title screen is surely jam-packed with everyone, isn't? Arcade mode sounds true old-school but i can't get into it because the game tells me i have to finish the Story mode first so i do that.

 

But before that, i check the control setting like what i usually do when facing new game (except FPS games because most of them have the usual standard configuration). Initially, the configuration deploys lots of extra button to pick up item or back attack. If you turn on the 'Legacy mode' setting, the configuration requires 3 button only and there's some function that requires two buttons press at the same time. This Legacy mode is definitely the classic control and i'm going with that because i'm old school beat em up brawler fans.

 

On to story mode, we have a narration where Mr. X is really gone for good but his children: the Y twins are now in reign along with their syndicate. They should name X's children W because they're double, you see. Therefore Axel and Blaze are out to beat them as usual. Also Cherry and Floyd join them. Blaze looks spirited to beat the crime empire but Axel looks exhausted there. Or maybe he has bad feeling about Floyd who's apparently Dr. Zan's apprentice and i know too well that Dr. Zan is bad to play as in Streets of Rage 3.  

 

Oh shut up, game! I know to pick item by pressing attack button. I'm seasoned beat 'em up player. Besides i'm having fun by kicking this Galsia. Ok. I shouldn't be harsh on game for friendly quick hint that's more intended to beginner rather than die hard beat 'em up game fan such as myself. The basics are here. Pressing attack button consecutively on same enemy will produce solid combo. Pressing attack button while jump to jump kick. Pressing special button to unleash life-draining blast attack to free yourself from enemies around you. Pressing attack button + jump button to do quick attack behind you.   

 

Good thing that Axel can still do the burning uppercut from/since Street of Rage 2 by pressing forward twice + attack button. The Donovan(s) who have ability to uppercut as anti air measure, become gangsta who wear saggy trouser. What a joke! Can't you tighten those belt, lads? By the way, i played Street of Rage 2 the day before this for practice and i feel good with that.

 

Here's Axel in Streets of Rage 2 which -let's be honest- similar to Cody from Final Fight minus his headband. The moveset here is pretty much the same with Streets of Rage 4. Well, there's few difference. Like his side thrust kick on combo finisher, hits once while the heavy attack (executed by holding attack button for awhile) is same kick move but with he adds another one that hit higher. Meanhwhile in Streets of Rage 4, the combo finisher is double side thrust kick now while the heavy attack is only single but with a bit dashing. Also Axel looks wider there and with more facial hair, while here he looks thinner and his abs is more chiseled.

 

What's new in this game is: the ability/chance for you to juggle your enemies. Especially if they're thrown to walls like here i can bash Donovan mid-air numerous time with iron pipe. Mayor Mike Haggar will be proud!

Then suddenly a car crash to the wall while damaging foes. This is like the opposite what happens in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles beat em up game. If i remember correctly that car is similar to the one garaged in SoR 2. In case you wonder, yes that's roasted chicken on a plate on the left corner. You can change the looks of the food items in the option setting but i choose the default which is the same with any SoR. Apple for small food. Roasted chicken for big food. 

 

What's also new is this super special move (called 'star move') activated by pressing attack button and special button together at the cost of 1 star (that you can collect like food or score items). Axel engulf himself in big flame and later unleash a big uppercut. That neon sign behind Axel is like in SoR 2.  

 

Then i meet a sub-boss who's mutant with cyborg leg that has ability to make iron pipes float and fly at me. I suspect there's Mike Haggar's DNA on his blood.   

 

Then i met a lazy git who keep his hand on his pocket. Shows some fighting spirit or get the hell out of my way! Also beware of those electricity leaks.

The boss is some lady with snake that can electrocutes me. You know what irritates me with this boss fight? Not her ability to summon the lazy gits or she can show me a quick X-Ray looks of myself. No. It's some of her attack can't be interrupted! When she flashes white, i can't cancel her move with my beating although she still takes damage. I don't know what to do with that except try to beat her half-heartedly and prepare to get out of her way. It's enigma in my beat 'em up gaming history and totally not fun. To be fair, i also meet this kind of problem in Double Dragon Neon but i can dodge roll there but there's no such evasion move here. Eventually i defeat her with perfect-looking jump kick. That should lightens my mood a bit.    

 

Rank C, huh? I take it even though i'm experienced beat 'em up player. That 'uninterruptible' status of the boss that really ruins my score and also my mood. Hey! I can change my character after finishing a stage like in Mighty Morphin Power Ranger The Movie.   

 

The defeated Diva told us about the new crime syndicate is too powerful and a master of Dojo in Chinatown who's used to be its member, can help us about it. But suddenly police jump on us. Scout_negativevocalization05.wav

 

I decide to play as Blaze this time and also beat the prisoners here because i defend myself.  

 

It's unhealthy for Blaze to share space with the thugs so she has to get out of here also i don't trust the toilet there. Surprisingly, Blaze can break the bars relatively easy. Makes me wonder why don't they imprison her in stronger jail or something. Naturally, i have to fight the cops which i assume they're corrupted as hinted by the narration. Also they have similar proportion with chief Iron from Resident Evil 2.

 

I didn't expect this although it comes to no one surprise (except me because i never see this one before). The police beats the thugs. That's cool. I'm going to stand besides this wall calmly until whoever win the fight. Of course, i will reward the victor with my own beating.

Then i encounter riot police with plasma shield. What's with the need of needless futuristic equipment, huh? There's the good-old riot shields lie behind you, for God's sake. But the shield does something for the bearer. It makes him invincible and his action uninterruptible until it breaks that is. It can withstand 1 combo so you have to imply "hit and run" tactic to chip the shield safely. But keep in mind that, it can recharged to full durability if you leave it unharmed for too long.

 

Or you can use Taichi power or whatever that Blaze currently unleash here. I see the classic "Go!" sign. Soldier_cheers05.wav

 

The boss of this level is a commissioner. Not commissioner Gordon, though. Because he can grab Blaze and later slam her to wall, Rugal Bernstein style. This commissioner must be evil because no good guy ever use that kind of grapple, you see. He can also unleash rapid punch that can't be interrupted. The game really like this "uninterruptible" feature on the bosses, huh? 

 

After defeating the commissioner, Mr. Y. along with his bodyguards appear and he offers us a briefcase full of gold bar and bank notes with condition that we stop our vigilant action. Suddenly, Axel burns the briefcase. Then they open fire at us as response. We jump out of building into the water and manage to board a cargo ship.

 

This time, i play as Cherry Hunter who's apparently quite iconic due to her electrical guitar as her justice instrument. Unlike others, Cherry can run by tapping twice and later holding left/right direction. That reminds me of Skate from Streets of Rage 2 what's with her ability to run and her long-range running attack, which gives me edge against that uninterruptible states of the bosses. I think.

 

She also able to climb on her opponents and later punch them furiously, just like Skate again. Cherry is speedy character like Skate with less agility on ground but has more flexibility on air. For example: she can jump within long distance, and has corner jump ability (like Guy from Final Fight). In this screenshot, Cherry is in the middle of beating Big Ben the obese guy that can breathes fire and not oversized Mario Bros cosplayer. 

 

If everything fails, Cherry can slide along the floor while playing her guitar and crashes into foes with radical electrocution and awesomeness.  

 

The boss in this ship is that dominatrix from Streets of Rage 1! I think i prefer the one in Streets of Rage 2 because she wears more elegant cloth. While here, she wears militaristic getup which gives impression of naughty cosplayer and i dislike it. She doesn't have uninterruptible specialty on herself but she can make her underlings so by whipping them(!). Think it like what Soldier's Disciplinary Action can do and you get quite an idea about it. She's quite easier than previous boss despite of that. After defeated, she rams the ship into nearby pier. What a sore loser.

 

On next level, i decided to be Floyd. He has cybernetic that he can use to unleash this double punch move. Wait a minute...

 

Lt. Linn Kurosawa from Alien Vs Predator can also do the same move. How original, Floyd. [Extra Large Sarcasm]. The difference is: Floyd activates it by tapping left/right button twice and then pressing attack button while Linn activates it by holding the attack button for seconds and releasing it. Also Linn's move covers greater distance that can pierces 2-3 aliens at once. Now you know why i don't like Floyd.

 

Back when i first time play Streets of Rage 1, i was cursed with tendency to get bottle weapon (although when i think about it, it wasn't that bad) and today the curse returns to me. But i will gladly use the curse to this boss that apparently want to re-send us back to jail but no thanks! I like the brawl on background there that build the fighting mood for all of us. The boss doesn't have power of being uninterruptible. This could be fun.

 

Wait...wait! You call the bazooka support from Streets of Rage 1, lady? Medic_autodejectedtie01.wav

It seems Floyd isn't good for this fight because of his slow movement but he can avoid those bombardment somehow, luckily. 

 

But i have this super beam cannon! SUPER COMBO FINISH!!! Come on! Don't tell me that this scene doesn't remind you with Marvel Vs Capcom!

 

The vigilantes surrounded by the polices but suddenly Adam Hunter arrives with big explosion allow them to escape. I'm getting more hyped! >:)   

 

I unlock Adam but let's play as Axel again for now. In this sewer there's toxic pool that can anyone foolish enough to stand on it. Like that Donovan there. No, the iron pipe won't save you from that!

 

There's also toxic geyser in this sewer's floor or wall. Maybe, just maybe. This sewer is the equivalent of mandatory factory level in any Beat 'em up only minus conveyor belts. You see that roasted chicken with green unhealthy smoke on it? Can't you believe it's safe to eat? Because it is.

 

Phew! This is more like it. I happen to get inside of biker bar from manhole inside the toilets. I know this bikers from Streets of Rage 2 but they're not what they used to be, a muscular man with name like tempest or gale. In here, they're medium fat ladies with name honey or caramel. But at least they get distinctive move from other thugs: they can charge at you with their helmet first. That's sensible move. Battletoads charge at their enemies while their head become either rugby helmet or ram's head.

 

I forget the name of kangaroo in Streets of Rage 3 and he's certainly here doing bartender job. Are we going to fight or not? No, apparently. He's content with doing his bartender business. I will take my leave, then.

 

Hey, i know you! You're Bourbon the 1st boss in Streets of Rage 2 and he's also a bartender. He has 1 uninterruptible move: he spins around with one leg extended that i believe he learnt from Kung Fu and Ballet lesson. I feel like he's fairer than that snake lady or even himself from SoR 2.

 

Oh, yeah! It's Adam Hunter's turn. He didn't show up in both SoR 2 and SoR 3 as playable character and now it's his time to shine. Before i test his martial art capability, i found an unusual weapon in SoR: a steel boomerang. Adam throws it and it's indeed return to him but he refuses to grab it in mid-air. He's eager to beat the thugs with bare knuckles so give him a break.

 

Oh no! The Muay Thai kickboxer is here with name of Vulture, Condor, etc. I remember him in SoR 2 for being annoying because he has ability to both block and high kick as anti-air countermeasure . Also the kitchen is ran by criminals. That certainly makes health inspector frowns really bad.

 

The entrance of the Dojo is guarded by this fellow, Goro Daimon. He will negate any attack and swiftly deliver powerful counter blow. My solution is: grab and throw him but don't try to vault over him after grabbing him because he will free from your grab immediately. Maybe he's equivalent of Axl or Slash from Final Fight. I supposed i will talk about the grabbing system. Axel, Adam, and Blaze (the trio SoR 1) use the standard SoR 2 grabbing system. Approaching enemies will automatically grab them after that: 1) pressing attack button will unleash a powerful blow that will make them fly a bit that allow you to juggle them or in Blaze's case she will do Osoto-gari instead); 2) pressing attack button + forward allow you to do light grabbed attack for up to 2 times and the 3rd times will be stronger attack that releases your enemies; 3) pressing attack button + backward will throw your enemies backward that useful to use them as projectile toward their peers ; 4) pressing jump button will make you vault over your enemies and later pressing attack button will unleash powerful slam which is the strongest grapple technique at your disposal. Or you can press jump button while vaulting to jump long distance. Useful for emergency escape. Cherry's grabbing system is quite the same with Skate from SoR 2. Pressing attack button (without holding forward button) while grabbing will execute grabbed attack and she doesn't have the neutral direction throw. Pressing jump button will make her climb on her enemies instead vault over them. You can continue it with either furious punches that end with hurricanrana or you can jump away in the middle and follow up with diving punch. Floyd adapts Capcom's beat 'em up game. Pressing either left or right direction while grabbing, will makes him toss his enemies pretty far to corresponded direction. Pressing jump button will make him jump with his enemies and pressing attack while doing so will unleash jumping slam like what Max does in SoR 2. In addition, he can walk while grabbing his enemies which allow him to grab another enemies. With 2 enemies grabbed, he will collides their head together and toss them away like in Double Dragon Neon.   

 

Inside of the Dojo, Adam unleash his star move: it's not so Terry Bogard's power geyser. He unleashes crystal of flame, you see.

 

The boss is the master of the Dojo that Diva talked about. It's the familiar kung fu guy: Shiva. He can unleashes his one or two duplicates. That may sounds unfair but Shiva doesn't have that uninterruptible non-sense because he's honored fighter afterall.

After that enjoyable boss fight, Shiva reveals that the Y syndicate uses mind-controlling music to hypnotize people thus explaining why there's huge speakers in the sewer (that i don't show you). Shiva quits the syndicate because he despises the mind control method. Next he points out to where the syndicate hides which is that skyscraper with huge Y letter on it. That's definitely huge hint, guys. How come you miss it?

Anyway, to be continued on next part but i will analyze the characters for a while here.

 

Much like Cody from Final Fight, Axel is the average guy: not powerful but also not fast. So his main stats is Dexterity (3.5/5) but he shows some extra power hinted by his strong grapple/throw technique and overall damage output thus his strength (3.5/5) also his main stats. For that he deserves 2 vibranium-colored stars on Strength and Dexterity stats. As usual, his jump as bad as Max's or Floyd's but at least he has good style on his jumping kick. As you can tell by his fiery power, he's the main protagonist like Terry Bogard  or Ken Master. But isn't Ryu the main protagonist instead of Ken? Let's say Ken also has priority of protagonist role! Don't you agree? Note to mention that his appearance resembles Chuck Norris now.

 

Blaze used to be the fastest in Streets of Rage 1 and now she's fast but not the fastest. Therefore her secondary stats is Agility (3/5). He shows some finesse with her grappling/throw technique and star move, making her primary stats is Dexterity (3.5/5). Her fashion is much better than in Streets of Rage 2 where she doesn't wear stylish leather jacket and handwraps. I notice that her combo finisher in Streets of Rage 2 : high kick becomes axe kick with little dash that will ensures her enemy will get the last hit of the kick. Her heavy attack from (the same) high kick become long range back hand that definitely has more range. Her back attack is remain the same: a quick sweep kick, which is probably the best looking back attack and also reaches better distance than others. I like her because she applies some Judo technique.