One of my favorite video game genres growing up in the 1990s was the side-scrolling beat ‘em up. I have fond memories of playing brawlers like Streets of Rage 2 and Golden Axe with my friends as we charged through hordes of goons, beating the stuffing out of them to de-stress after a long day at school.
Sadly, over the years, the 2D beat ‘em up genre started to decline in popularity during the early to late 2000’s but they have thankfully made a resurgence over the past decade and a half. We’ve had original modern hits like Castle Crashers and Guacamelee! Not to mention, the return of beloved franchises with new entries such as Streets of Rage 4, Battletoads (2020), River City Girls, and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder’s Revenge.
