Update: As it turns out, the release date that was on the eShop is actually false, but everything else that was on the eShop listing was true, including the inclusion of old music and retro versions of its characters. You can check all of that out in the newest trailer:
Original story follows:
While there’s not been any official announcement yet, it looks like Streets of Rage 4 might have a solid release date if the European and Australian eShops are anything to go by.
According to these listings, the cooperative beat-em-up is coming out on April 23 on the Nintendo Switch. Presumably this is also when it will come to other platforms, but unless other digital storefronts put the date down early it’s better to be safe than sorry. Other details on the eShop listing [via Resetera] reveal that along with all the new characters available in Streets of Rage 4, as well as the newly-designed returning ones, a dozen classic characters from the first three games will be “playable in their original pixel versions.” This probably means these other characters won’t be updated with the game’s hand-drawn aesthetic, but will still be making appearances in the game regardless. Another throwback to previous Streets of Rage games is the inclusion of songs from the old games’ soundtracks, which you use in place of the new score, if that’s your jam.
In other news:
- The DualShock 4 Is Dead, Long Live the PlayStation 5 ‘DualSense’
- Disco Elysium is Coming to Switch and We Have to Live in a World Where That’s Not Out Yet
- The Last of Us: Part II and Iron Man VR Delisted and Refunded After Delay
While the leak may be coming from Nintendo’s store, Streets of Rage 4 is coming everywhere else, with a PC, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One version also in the works. The game is a revival of the long-dormant series, which hasn’t seen a new entry in 26 years, as Streets of Rage 3 launched in 1994 on the Sega Genesis. While the game will feature playable mainstays like Axel Stone and Blaze Fielding, it’s also introducing some new characters as well, including Floyd Iraia, who was revealed back in February and kind of looks ike Doomfist from Overwatch but with two powerful, mechanical arms instead of one.
Along with Floyd’s reveal, it was also announced in February that the game will feature a pretty hefty suite of multiplayer options, including two-player online cooperative play, as well as four player co-op, but specifically for local play. This is a first for the series, as it has typically only supported two players, but given that it’s only supported locally, we ask that you please practice safe social distancing when playing in close proximity to your friends, family, and loved ones should this April 23 release date turn out to be correct and things are still the same in two weeks.
We here at Fanbyte have had the chance to play Streets of Rage 4 several times since it was announced, and for more on that you can check out our thoughts on it from PAX West and PAX South. We also talked with some of the folks working on the game about the daunting task of making a game in a series that’s been gone for as long as Streets of Rage, and you can out that interview right here.
