Streets of Rage 4 might be a glorious update of one of the best fighting game series ever, but it knows how to pay tribute to the past.
Not only does it include bonus characters from the original games and a CRT filter which makes everything look 16-bit, but it also has four hidden stages lifted from the iconic Streets of Rage 2 – and here's how to find them.
How To Access Them Streets Of Rage 4's Secret Retro Levels
The hidden levels are found inside four 'Bare Knuckle' arcade cabinets dotted throughout the game (Bare Knuckle, in case you're not aware, is the Japanese name for the series).
To access the level, you need to hit the cabinet with a taser, which can always be found nearby. Be sure not to use the taser to attack enemies as it will eventually vanish, which means you cannot access the secret level.
Be warned – you must defeat the boss with a single life to complete the stage. Losing a life will drop you back into the game proper. A Star icon and, in some cases, a food pick-up are your reward.
Streets Of Rage 4's Secret Retro Level Locations
Retro Stage 1 - Streets of Rage 2's Jack Boss Battle (SoR4 Stage 2 - Police Precinct)
This is found on level two, in the police station. Just before you come to the section with the shield-wielding cops, you'll notice a Bare Knuckle cabinet in a side room. The taser is dropped by one of the burly police officers.
Retro Stage 2 - Streets of Rage 2 Zamza Boss Battle (SoR4 Stage 4 - Old Pier)
Just before you leap off the pier, head into the arcade and zap that arcade cabinet. The taser is dropped by a police officer.
Retro Stage 3 - Streets of Rage 2 Abadede Boss Battle (SoR Stage 5)
Stage 5 is where you'll find the next secret level. It's located in the bar section, in clear view. The taser is under the table to the right, and may be picked up by an enemy. Be careful that the cabinet isn't destroyed during the battle.
Retro Stage 4 - Streets of Rage 2 Shiva / Mr. X Boss Battle (SoR Stage 8)
On level 8, just before you come to the final boss battle, you'll see another cabinet. The taser is hidden behind a piece of stage scenery just below the cabinet – it's easy to miss, but look for the flash and you'll spot it.
Comments 26
I hate this. Posting an article about a secret level is a damn spoiler on the day the game comes out. Not much secret about it now, eh?
@krvstkvlt
Agreed, there are ways of posting this kind of thing without explicitly detailing what the secrets are. Some people still enjoy finding things organically.
Loving the game but one question, why does it cost more on Switch than anywhere else?
Totally agree. The title should be "STREETS OF RAGE 4 SECRETS REVEALED" with the tag being, "Do NOT click if you want pure experience" or something like that.
This is uncalled for, people would like to discover these secrets on their own without the news article spoiling their very existence, along with a screenshot of what they would look like.
Posting spoilers before the game is available everywhere? Not cool.
Spoilers aside, this is really cool that they included this and just makes me want the game even more. Sadly, I still need to finish Persona 5 Royal before I can get into some beat-em-up goodness.
Yeah tend to agree with these comments, could have put a different title on this not eveyone will have gotten the chance to buy and play yet. Bit of a poor show.
I remember fighting Shiva back on the Sega Megadrive after school with a friend in co-op... One of the biggest headache sub-bosses ever.
Is the Kangaroo from SoR3 in this game?
@PrettyMuchEveryoneElse
It's pretty clearly marked as a guide, though. If I was worried about spoilers the article title would have been enough to stop me clicking it and, even if I hadn't realised it before, the first paragraph would have warned me off.
Question: Does this mean that unlocking the secret levels as a new character means you get to see a 16-bit pixel version of them in these levels? That would be pretty sweet.
Bit of a spoiler but the secret levels are really cool
@Drac_Mazoku
Fair enough. I don't do social media so my only exposure was this site, and it didn't seem like a big deal to avoid it if you don't want it spoiled.
@carlos82 Switch games generally will have higher prices due to the cost of making the cartridges
@KyranOfficial SoR4 is a digital game (unless you go to Limited Run) theres no reason it should cost more on Switch than other platforms
@carlos82 Because Nintendo is greedy.
Wow some people are way too sensitive about this kind of thing, personally I appreciate them telling me about this as I would have never thought to zap the arcade machines. Doesn't feel like any kind of spoiler as far as I am concerned.
@DevlinMandrake You don't have to find the secret stages to see retro-style versions of the new characters. The retro graphics modes in the game apply the same changes to the visuals. And that's different from having the retro characters on the clear, default versions of the new backgrounds. This effect is applied to everything, characters and backgrounds. I didn't even realize the option was there for that until earlier today. I wasn't really excited for this game, but having that retro option, which looks really good to me so far, does raise my interest level. But yeah, I've already seen the retro versions of Floyd and Cherry, so they're definitely in there.
Great spoilers!
Please keep this info behind a spoiler warning next time.
The price on PS4 is lower than the Switch version in the UK? I checked the local US PSN store and it's the exact same price I paid for the switch version.
Edit: doh! Meant to say PS4 was cheaper.
@KyranOfficial it doesn't have a general physical release, it just costs more on the eshop for seemingly no reason
@brianvgplayer PS4 is cheaper in UK £19.99 or £17.99 with plus, Switch is £22.49 but on sale for a couple of days at £20.24
@carlos82 Even better with Xbox Game Pass ... Downloaded it free the second it went live.
@RavingWolfy I did exactly that on PC so I can use my Retro-bit Saturn controller to play it 😃
@krvstkvlt Cheese, just saying that there are secret levels isn't a spoiler. It's a game feature that should be mentioned to help convince people to buy the game! You have to actually click on and read the article to actually find out what levels they are (well, most of them) and how to access them. You weren't complaining about the reveal of the unlockable secret characters and soundtracks, were you?
@Drac_Mazoku But how would you have discovered them on your own without knowing of their existence? The unlock requirements are obscure enough that not many people will find them purely by accident. You basically have to know they exist to go about finding them.
It doesn't matter that they weren't publically revealed alongside the secret characters. It's still the same kind of bonus feature, and Sega should've just announced their existence as well.
Whilst I agree with everyone annoyed at the editor of this article for blatantly posting spoilers in its headline (I discovered the first retro stage on my own on release day otherwise I’d be furious!) the sad fact is that we all clicked on this article though didn't we? It got the views hence it brings in the money hence it WILL happen again with future popular releases. Dont get me wrong- I’m not defending the editors actions in any way- they knew damn well what they were doing, very inconsiderate. But with any future releases that you might be heavily invested in it may be a good idea to stay away from NintendoLife at least until you have finished the game in question and discovered its secrets organically.
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