If you're into your 2D beat 'em ups, you might want to keep an eye on Fallen City Brawl, a new project that's hoping to launch on Nintendo Switch next year.
The game's being made by solo indie dev Mike Wells, who's taken control of the design, development, pixel art, animation and gameplay. Composer Daniel Lindholm is on board (Street Fighter V, Yakuza: Dead Souls, Resident Evil 6), and the game is said to feature four playable characters, two-player local co-op and a "deep fighting system".
It's currently raising funds on Kickstarter to make the release a reality, with 96 backers generating more than £3,500 at the time of writing. It needs to raise a total of £14,000 to be a success and has another 23 days to do just that. If you're interested, you can learn more and pledge your support right here.
There are some interesting rewards for those who do choose to back the project, with certain tiers allowing backers to name or design enemies and others offering a physical instruction booklet.
Do you think this one has potential? Will you be pledging your support? Let us know in the comments below.
Comments 24
This looks like a shareware DOS game, I'm not impressed.
I really don't see the appeal of games like this now. They had their place back on the Mega Drive, and I understand that Streets of Rage 4 was exciting as a new entry to an existing franchise, but... it just feels like such a stale format now.
I'd rather see the same ideas brought into a more modern landscape. Crisp visuals, maybe an open world with an interconnected city.
I just don't feel like these releases add anything fresh which you couldn't get from simply replaying the originals.
Hmm...everything looks too big and messy to me.
@LeonBelmontX I can't see how turning a side ways scrolling beat em up into an open world beat em up would be any different to all the open world games already out featuring combat lol.
It's a genre that has it's fans. Just because someone looks to have made a bad one, doesn't mean you have to have wholesale change
I've seen some ugly looking games go live on kickstarter and this game just looks hideous. It looks messy. I LOVE pixel art, and I will usually support any game that uses them, but the sprites have to be crisp and clear for me to even notice it.
So many abs.
Remember Paprium (WaterMelon Games)? What ever happened to that fiasco?
Games like this make people think the Switch is underpowered. My electric meter has better resolution than this.
Not really impressed with this one.
I love pixel art but this pixel art is ugly imo lol. I can't tell was it's even trying to emulate. It also looks like maybe it slows down? I dunno. I say just get Streets of Rage 4 if you're looking for a great side scrolling brawler. Looks great and plays amazing. A total ode to the classics.
Full sized pixelated sprites? I’m in!
I hate when sites—including Nintendo Life—claim that a game is retro when the characters are the size of a pinky nail and the game resembles nothing from the past. This, to me, is retro!
@LeonBelmontX
No offense man but that sounds terrible.
Not every game needs to be open world. High quality beat em ups have their place. If you don't like them, don't play them.
@gojiguy
For sure, I'm definitely not someone who wants everything to be open world. I tend to prefer stuff with levels. I just don't really feel these games are a format with any space to grow beyond being the same brawler that all of them seem to be.
One of my favourites was Scott Pilgrim, because it offered modern ideas like character upgrades and secret boss fights, with more of a world map system.
Golden Axe were my favourites as a kid, but I don't think I'd get excited about a new Golden Axe without something new to make it feel up to date in some way.
No. That's all I have to say. No.
Doesn't look great. Looks choppier and more repetitive than beat-em-ups I already played on SNES and Genesis. It's one thing to make a game inspired by the past, it's another thing to deliberately keep your game within the confines of yesteryear's limitations for no reason.
There are ways to modernize a beat-em-up, both visually and structurally. Maybe stop with the 80's/90's era style of environment (gangs and cops on the streets and all) and base it in futuristic times or something more unique.
Looks like hiney. No way I'd pay for this when the switch already has some great games in this genre.
@Kirby_Girl
The Takeover is pretty good too, if you're looking for a beat-em-up. I love the genre so I'll pay attention to this one, but it does look a little choppy in that trailer.
SoR4, The Takeover, Fight’nRage, Ninja Saviors, River City Girls... this genre still has lots to offer IMHO. This doesn’t look like it’s on the mark, though. The small FOV combined with the large sprite size gives me a bit of a claustrophobic feel to the combat. Maybe it’s just the editing, will keep an eye out.
These "retro" graphics are a special kind of hideous that can only be achieved with modern technology.
@LeonBelmontX What about Bayonetta? Ninja Gaiden? Devil May Cry?
Those are also beat em ups that aren't open world.
It sounds like you just don't like beat em ups- they can be modernized and made great, its just most indies dont bother to stray far from the tried and true.
Like, I agree with you but I don't think its a genre issue, it's just developers need to modernize 2D ones the same way 3D ones have been modernized.
@gojiguy Those are some of my favourite games, DMC in particular.
I dunno, just feels like I'd like to see something that did something exciting with the genre. Open world was only one suggestion. Maybe more fighting game mechanics with parries, super meters or tag specials. Just feels like another Streets of Rage clone with nothing interesting to make it unique.
They're bringing guns to a fistfight?!
Echo everyone else's sentiments; ugly pixel art, stale animation, dull art design, and appealing to the lowest common denominator with naked, unimaginative violence. I'll take Streets of Rage 4 whenever the fancy festers for such a brawler.
Yeah, that is one ugly beat em up.
@LeonBelmontX I kinda agree. Does make me kinda want a spiritual successor to the Warriors tbh.
@ogo79 Such a crazy ride, . I was honestly hoping it would make it's way to the Dreamcast similar to Pier Solar. As far as I can tell it looks like Paprium and WaterMelon Games weren't meant to be.
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