A new video for Streets of Rage 4 goes behind the scenes with its development. While it’s fascinating to see the steps French developer Dotemu took in designing Streets 4, I found it equally interesting to learn of its influences for the game. Streets of Rage 4 does, of course, draw a lot from its predecessors. But the developer also made some nods at classic fighting games.
The video is narrated by Jordi Asensio, game designer for Streets of Rage 4. He compares the development of the game’s combat engine to that of older fighting games, such as Street Fighter. Every swing of the fist and kick from a leg not only has to look authentic, but it also must feel great. This philosophy is what helped build the brickwork for the game.
“We start on the punch, just that, which must be really good,” Asensio said. “Whenever an element feels good, you know that you can work with it. As long as you have these strong foundations, you really can’t fail.”
The streets are my home
Naturally, Streets of Rage 4 is still an authentic Streets game. And it shows in the video. Asensio remarks how Streets of Rage 2, arguably the best in the series, laid the foundation for its second sequel. So devoted was Asensio to the 1992 classic brawler, that he plays Streets of Rage 2 and 4 side-by-side simultaneously to see if the gameplay matches.
I suppose one can view that as a testament to Asensio’s belief that the gameplay of Streets 2 still holds up to this day. As a person who still plays the game at least once a year, I’d like to think that it does. Hopefully the effort goes toward making the game feel more authentic, while still adding enough to keep it fresh.
Game designer Jordi Asensio playing Streets 4 and 2 side-by-side.
Streets of Rage 4 brings a rusty pipe to the PC next year.
