Streets of Rage 4 was a big highlight of 2020 for gamers of a certain age, beat 'em up fans and indeed anyone that simply jumped into the series for the first time and had a blast. Dotemu and the teams at Lizardcube / Guard Crush Games have since kept anticipation high with the Mr. X Nightmare DLC, which adds three new playable characters - Estel Aguirre, Max Thunder and Shiva - along with a 'Survivor' mode. Well, the release details have finally dropped, and it arrives on 15th July (trailer at the top of the page!) priced at $7.99USD and regional equivalents.

The Survivor mode seems intriguing - as you clear levels you can choose from special abilities to take into the next round; you can take on randomised rooms or there'll be set 'weekly' runs to try. Another fantastic addition is that progress in the mode will unlock special moves that you can then apply to other characters, customising them to use in any mode you want.

The announcement brings first details for Mr. X Nightmare’s Survival mode, an inventive, immensely replayable challenge for Streets of Rage 4’s most versatile brawlers. Fighters beat down endless waves of foes and earn perks for as long as they can stay alive across two session variations: Random, which keeps each fight unpredictable through generated runs; and Weekly, a series of static gauntlets generated each week.

Each completed level offers two randomized perks to choose from, granting stackable bonuses to power up combatants in unique and devastating ways until they’re defeated. Braving Survival’s onslaughts also permanently unlocks new moves for use across any of Streets of Rage 4’s modes, allowing players to personalize movelists for their favorite characters. Progress unlocks devastating new weapons within both Survival mode and an incoming training mode, as well as gallery content. The mode’s leaderboards keep track of the community’s well-fought runs too; who will be Wood Oak City’s finest fighter?

It's worth noting that 15th July will also bring a free update with goodies for those not keen to pay extra for the DLC. The free update will include an "in-depth training system, color palette options, a fiendish New Mania+ difficulty, plus a wealth of refinements and balancing changes".

Finally, Merge Games has confirmed that on 24th September it'll launch a physical edition on Switch (as well as PS4) that'll include the full game and all DLC on the cartridge.

Lots of Streets of Rage 4 goodness there, are you planning to pick up the Mr. X Nightmare DLC and/or the physical edition when that arrives?