Blaze of Glory
Let me tell you, I am on tenterhooks forStreets of Rage 4.The variousteases,videosandcharacter revealssince its announcement have been incredibly promising, with developers DotEmu and Guard Crush Games expertly capturing the weight, and “feel” of the Sega Mega Drive classics, all wrapped up in Lizardcube’s beautiful art and animation, the same visuals that madeWonder Boy: The Dragon’s Trapsuch a masterpiece.
Unfortunately, it doesn’t appear that we’ll be seeing the return of Axel, Blaze and co. this side of 2020. It’s getting a little late in the day for that. But at least the studios have dropped a new, eight-minute video giving us a look at how development is going on the new sequel, coming some 25 years since the launch ofStreets of Rage 3.
In the video, we see the painstaking process taken to emulate the animation and style of the original games, while keeping the action bang-up-to-date for a modern audience. I particularly like the moment whereSoRandSoR 4are being played split-screen, so the developers can see exactly how tight their animations sync up between the two titles.
Crucially, DotEmu developer Jordi Asensio notes that they don’t want to “over-modernise”Streets of Rage 4.That is, the teams aren’t chasing the desire to cram in current trends specifically to give the game false depth, choosing instead to focus on the core of what makesStreets of Ragegreat. I can attest that this approach worked inThe Dragon’s Trapand I’ve no doubt it will work here.
I couldn’t be more excited forStreets of Rage 4. It’s definitely my most anticipated video game right now. As a side-note, be sure to look for a Good Doge at 02:05 in the video.
Streets of Rage 4is currently in development for PS4, PC, Xbox One and Nintendo Switch.
