Say what you wish about retro games – that they’re obsolete, that the graphics look awful, and more – but nobody can deny their highly influential role in the development of gaming as a whole. Furthermore, the nostalgia factor will always be there, and let’s face it: a lot of those retro games were actually more immersive than a lot of modern titles in gaming nowadays.
Beat ’em up retro games are especially exciting through their nature: the simple idea of fighting by yourself against entire hordes of enemies at once cannot possibly bring the competitiveness out of you. Such games will never grow old, and we have to admit that a lot of gamers nowadays who are into their ’30s or ’40s have grown up playing retro beat ’em up games such as Double Dragon, Battle Toads, and a lot more.
Let’s try to relive those old moments of retro gaming and remind of some of the best beam ’em up games that were the bee’s knees decades ago:
Double Dragon (1987)
Technos Japan developed Double Dragon and released it back in 1987, which was one of the pioneering beat ’em up games. This game follows the adventures of two guys, Billy and Jimmy Lee, as they fight their way through the streets that are teeming with thugs. Their goal is to rescue Marian, the girlfriend of Billy.
The co-op gameplay is also available in Double Dragon, meaning that you always have the chance to bring a friend over and join forces for even better chances of finishing the game.
Final Fight (1989):
Capcop developed Final Fight back in 1989, a game set in the fictional Metro City. The players have the chance to take charge of one of three characters: Cody, Haggar, and Guy. Each of these characters has their own unique fighting style, and their goal is to fight through hordes of enemies as they try to rescue the daughter of Haggar.
It’s interesting to know that originally, Final Fight was intended to be another Street Fighter sequel, but instead evolved into its own franchise because of having a distinct gameplay.
Streets of Rage (1991):
Sega is the company responsible for developing Streets of Rage, which was also known as Bare Knuckle in Japan. This was a side-scrolling beat ’em-up series of games. The players had the chance to get in the shoes of three ex-police officers: Blaze Fielding, Axel Stone, and Adam Hunter. The goal was to fight against crime that was trying to take over the city.
Streets of Rage also offers cooperative multiplayer, which means that, similarly to many other beat ’em up games, you had the possibility to run it along with a friend.
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Turtles in Time (1991)
Konami developed Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Turtles in Time, a classic beat ’em up game that came out over three decades ago, in 1991. This game features the four turtle protagonists that many of us know: Leonardo, Michelangelo, Donatello, and Raphael. The goal is to guide them to battle through various time periods to take down Shredder, the main villain.
The game became popular pretty fast due to its smooth and immersive gameplay, colorful graphics, and the addition of popular characters from the TMNT universe.
Golden Axe (1989):
Sega developed Golden Axe, a game that came out in 1989. This was a fantasy-themed beat ’em up game in which players can choose from three available characters. Thus, they could choose Ax Battler, a barbarian, Gilius Thunderhead, a dwarf, or Tyris Flare, an Amazon warrior.
Players of Golden Axe were even able to unleash magic spells to defeat their opponents, a feature that added an extra layer of strategy to the gameplay mechanism.
Which one of the games mentioned here has been your favorite and why? Feel free to tell us in the comments!
Tim M. Hill helped bring Digital-Overload from a weekly newsletter to a full-fledged news site by creating a new website and branding. He continues to assist in keeping the site responsive and well organized for the readers. As a writer to Digital-Overload, Tim mainly covers mobile news and gadgets.
