What’s in a name? A lot in this case. During the early ‘90s, Jaleco released a trilogy of scrolling beat’em ups for the Super Nintendo. This series could have been poised as their answer to Capcom’s Final Fight or SEGA’s Streets of Rage, but pesky regional localisation meant that each entry was given a unique name in the west. Japan gained three games under the Rushing Beat banner, while Europe and the US were treated to Rival Turf, Brawl Brothers and The Peace Keepers. RUSHING BEAT X: Return of Brawl Brothers is seemingly City Connection’s attempt to unify things, smashing a couple of those names together.
Like the long-awaited Streets of Rage 4, Rushing Beat X has three previous instalments to draw heroes and villains from, along with lots of ideas to use for inspiration. It has a large roster of returning characters, storyline links to the older games – accompanied by sepia-toned screenshots – and plenty of references to Jaleco of yore, including fellow brawler Tuff E Nuff.
We’re also returning to Neo-Cisco to battle zombies, rough up low level goons, take down ninjas, and turn robots into scrap. So, this is something with a lot of fantastical elements, especially when keeping the sludge-smothered alien adversaries in mind.
The story mode takes 2-3 hours to complete, offering infinite continues that see you placed straight back into the action – along with the choice of a character swap. Commencing in a gym where you’re taught the ropes, story mode begins with a single character available – the good all-rounder Rick Norton – with more joining the team every couple of stages, including the slow but strong Douglas Bild, acrobatic ninja Kazan, and a pair of nimble female fighters. Upon completion, one more character unlocks, who carries a pair of pistols as default. Free Play mode unlocks at this point too, removing story mode’s text-based cut-scenes and adding new ‘Rushing Challenges’ that involve using certain weapons and avoiding potential hazards. Complete this, and you’ll unlock the Boss Rush mode. Aside from a choice of difficulty levels, that’s about it for content – and there’s no online play, reducing co-op to local only. The modest £19.99 price tag does make some of its shortcomings understandable, though.
While Rushing Beat X lasts, it’s highly entertaining, refusing to take itself seriously. This extends to such comical sights as grabbing enemies and vertically planting them headfirst into the ground. The fighting system takes a few minutes to learn, being quite different from similar games. A single button is used to attack and commence a combo, at which point enemies can be uppercut (or high kicked) into the air for a juggling attack, extending the combo chain further. Enemies can be grabbed, a la Streets of Rage, and thrown in different directions – including into the background to smash windows and burst open electrical panels that’ll zap anyone walking past. Another face button is reserved for weapon attacks, with a small inventory to cycle through, including ranged and thrown types. These have extremely limited use, such as a sword granting just five swipes – and a miss will count as a swipe. Then there’s the titular Rushing Beat attack that’s essentially an auto-combo. Or a special move, if you prefer.
The health system mixes things up further. Along the way, you’re able to find small health items such as tacos and noodles. These will restore minor health. Collect three matching food items – such as a burger, fries and a drink – and you’ll be treated to a full health restore. There are a few different variations, and full meals can be purchased from a roaming food truck. Weapons can be purchased here too, including more novelty types such as pineapples and footballs.
While most of the stages are set within the city, including downtown, the subway, a bridge amusingly titled City Connection, and a park, there is still a little bit of variety on show. This includes a diagonally scrolling stage with cars to avoid, and stages with bikes that whizz across the screen. Most areas have optional paths and a room or two as well. In typical scrolling brawler fashion, stages end with a boss fight. These aren’t anything too special, save for the final boss that takes a degree of thought to beat. I did however find that most bosses are fond of vanishing off-screen for a good ten seconds or so, making some battles feel quite drawn out.
While it’s difficult to imagine many people playing Rushing Beat X for weeks on end, it’s still a fun experience that burns bright. Perhaps even too bright – the colour schemes used here are dangerously veering into garish territory. It is nevertheless very eye-catching, with enemies dressed in all manner of colourful attire. Indeed, this is a game that embraces the silly side of the genre, even recalling SEGA’s Dynamite Cop franchise at times. On that note, I’d wholly trust City Connection with bringing back that sadly dormant series too.
If Streets of Rage 4 is a steak platter, then this is a premium burger loaded with extra cheese. If that’s something you have an appetite for, come and gorge yourself.
City Connection’s Rushing Beat X: Return of Brawl Brothers is out now on PS5, Xbox Series, Switch 2 and PC. Published by Clear River Games.