Fallen City Brawl Review | TheXboxHub

The Glory Days Of Beat ‘Em Ups

It appears that side scrolling beat ‘em ups have a lot in common with buses: alright, not a lot, but at least their habit of there being none for ages then two coming along at once. Such it was with my review list this past week or two, with a couple of side scrolling beaters appearing at once. The first of these to pass under the microscope goes by the title of Fallen City Brawl. 

Coming from the masters of small cheap games, Eastasiasoft, Fallen City Brawl promises to take us back to a time when I was a much younger man and had much longer hair: the late 80s and early 90s. Yes, the era of Final Fight in the arcade and Streets of Rage on the Sega Megadrive. Let’s go back and revel in the sheer over-the-topness of it all by hitting the streets!

Retro Graphics And A Soundtrack To Match

In a game that wears not only its heart, but also its influences proudly on its sleeve, you’d be amazed if I told you that Fallen City Brawl was a stunningly rendered 3D masterpiece, wouldn’t you? Well, prepare to not be amazed, as the game is very definitely in the retro game camp, and the graphics and backdrops represent this perfectly. The design of the playable characters and the enemies we have to punch into the middle of next week are not too bad, even if the enemies do have a certain “cookie cutter” feel to them. It isn’t unusual to be fighting several clones of the same character at the same time, and this does break the immersion a touch.

However, the sprites are a good chunky size, and they all move fairly convincingly (just don’t look for missing frames of animation, as you will find them). The actual levels themselves are different enough to be interesting too, and the bosses are a mixed bunch, so it isn’t too bad. 

Sound is another highlight, with the traditional meaty thwacks and thumps as we fight our way through the levels. Nothing too fancy, mind; cries of defeated foes being about the highlight, although the music is pretty good. It is written by Daniel Lindholm and the tunes are certainly catchy enough, managing to accompany the action nicely. So, all in all, the presentation is all tickety boo.

A Simple Story Of Street Justice

Story is usually a weak point with these games, and while an effort has been made, it is pretty slight. The characters that we have to choose from all have their own reasons for wanting to clean up the streets, ranging from a cop to an ex-gang member who wants revenge.

There isn’t a huge amount of depth, but to be honest a meticulously crafted narrative would have been lost among the fisticuffs and mayhem, so the story suits the game. Basically, there are some bad guys, and the best way to beat an entire criminal gang is for one player (or two in couch co-op) to take the fight to them. What could possibly go wrong?

Simple Controls And Satisfying Combat

That moves us nicely onto the action; the meat and drink of any self respecting side scrolling beat ‘em up, and here the news is equally good. While Fallen City Brawl doesn’t have the most advanced fighting system I’ve ever used, the controls do suit the action perfectly, being simple and to the point. A throws a series of punches, B jumps, X is a grapple attack, Y uses each character’s special ability, and RB uses their super special attack. And obviously the left stick moves you around in the traditional lanes of the side scrolling fighter – making sure you are lined up with the enemies as you attack is a large part of the battle. 

We stroll from left to right, dishing out fist based justice to any one who comes near us, and we carry on doing this until a boss appears. Each boss is different, and they each have an attack pattern to learn and take advantage of. For instance, one boss seems to fancy himself a wrestler, as he will attempt to do an attack, then strike a pose: punishing this showboating with a swift punchy combo is very satisfying, and while he was one of the easier ones to figure out, there are a few curveballs thrown too. 

Fallen City Brawl Scratches That Retro Beat ‘Em Up Itch

The real fun begins when you manage to persuade a like minded friend to join in the fun, and there are far too few games these days that feature a couch co-op mode. Having a friend or relative along to share the aggro certainly makes Fallen City Brawl a tad easier. And it’s just as well as very much like its forebears from back in the day, there isn’t a difficulty setting to be found, and you will play the game the way the devs decided! It isn’t insurmountable, but there is definite challenge to Fallen City Brawl, and so this review will end with a recommendation. 

If you miss the good old days and have been hankering for a side scrolling fighter, then Fallen City Brawl could well scratch the itch. It isn’t perfect, but it has a lot of heart, and the two player mode is the icing on the cake. Give it a try, you just might like it…

Important Links

Punch, Parry And Unleash RIOT Supers In Fallen City Brawl – https://www.thexboxhub.com/punch-parry-and-unleash-riot-supers-in-fallen-city-brawl/

Buy from the Xbox Store – https://www.xbox.com/en-GB/games/store/fallen-city-brawl/9p6nz9mb5m8h