Streets of Rage 4 Anniversary Edition test: a more than perfect beat'em up with the Mr.X Nightmare DLC?

Launched last year, Streets of Rage 4 has just welcomed a new DLC, Mr.X Nightmare. Something to (re)immerse yourself in the beat'em up signed LizardCube.

In April 2020, players discovered the all-new Streets of Rage 4, cooked up by LizardCube, with Guard Crush Games and DotEmu. A fourth opus which was both highly anticipated, but also very feared, with this fear of seeing the Streets of Rage saga flouted. The sequel you know, Streets of Rage 4 is an excellent beat'em up, very faithful to the spirit of the saga, and undoubtedly one of the best representatives of the genre.

Streets of Rage 4 Anniversary Edition test: a more than perfect beat'em up with the Mr.X Nightmare DLC? See PriceRead ConclusionStreets of Rage 4: Anniversary Edition

Visually always on top!
This punchy and addictive gameplay
The even more "Ultimate" roster
The “retro” side

Survival mode nice, but not essential

Three (four) new characters

In this summer of 2021, the teams behind the game have deployed a brand new DLC: Mr.X Nightmare. Additional content (paying, €7,99) which expands Streets of Rage 4, with three playable characters on the one hand, but also (and above all?) many small additions which enrich the general experience.

As for the fighters, we find here Estel Aguirre, Max Thunder and Shiva, all three playable for the first time. These can be selected in all game modes, including of course Arcade mode.

But Mr.X Nightmaire is also the appearance of new game modes, starting with Survival mode. The latter invites the player to cross various (small) areas, which are filled with enemies and traps. The goal here is to survive the successive waves, eradicating all the enemies on the screen to move on to the next area.

However, inspired by some rogue-lite, before moving on to the next level, the player is invited to opt for a random bonus, which can boost his attack, his speed or his defense, add this or that element to his special move. , grant him a double jump, call on a partner… Bonuses which of course accumulate over the levels, in order to overcome a difficulty which also climbs crescendo.

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A survival mode

As its name subtly indicates, Survival mode invites the player(s) to… survive. You have to eradicate as many enemies as possible, collect as many points as possible, all with a single life to your credit. At the end of the game, the character embodied by the player earns XP, which allows him to acquire new special moves. Thus, your favorite character will improve over the games. Excellent.

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A Survival mode that allows you to take advantage of various stages, all inspired of course by the Streets of Rage universe, with the added bonus of very well done retro levels, which call on the bosses of yesteryear. The first parts are more than pleasant, and we find with pleasure this feeling Streets of Rage 4 always so satisfying.

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However, we have to admit that the whole thing spins quite quickly in circles, with relatively long runs that are moreover, and which lack a bit of diversity. Some areas are also full of traps (and enemies), so the fun sometimes leaves room for some frustration, some boredom, and that's a bit of a shame.

And various and varied bonuses

Note that the DLC also comes with an update that allows players to enjoy… a Training mode! Indeed, a Tutorial category is now included, and allows you to learn precisely the different techniques of the many playable characters.

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Also, purists, who have already completed the game without losing the slightest life and the slightest ounce of health on maximum difficulty, will be delighted to learn of the appearance of a higher difficulty mode.

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Note, to conclude, that the Roo the kangaroo is indeed in the game. Indeed, this cult character from Streets of Rage 3 is not present on the character selection screen, but a good old "old fashioned" manipulation allows the latter to appear. To play with Roo, you must, in the main menu of the game, press the Up, Square and Start keys for a few seconds. From then on, on the character selection screen, good old Roo is available, in his retro form.

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Ultimately, this “complete” version of Streets of Rage 4 (which will be offered in stores at the start of the school year via an “Anniversary Edition” version) allows you to enjoy an even more complete game, even more successful than in April 2020. Nevertheless, this Mr.X Nightmare DLC does not upset the general experience, but allows to enlarge an already well-rounded cast and refine a game that was already close to perfection. Survival mode is not essential in itself, but fans will no doubt be delighted to dive back into this Streets of Rage 4 experience, which is still as enjoyable and punchy as ever.

Streets of Rage 4 : Anniversary Edition

In Anniversary Edition, Streets of Rage 4 further refines the winning formula of the original game. We appreciate the new fighters and other adjustments, and only the Survival mode, fun at first, turns out to be a little less thrilling than expected. Always a must in the beat'em up genre.