After a quarter of a century, Streets of Rage is about to get another sequel. But while Streets of Rage 4 is a reimagining of the beat-’em-up classic, developers Dotemu and Lizardcube are also promising to include throwbacks to the original Sega Genesis games. That includes 16-bit audio tracks from composer Yuzo Koshiro and original pixel character sprites.
Streets of Rage 4 hits PC, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One this year. Dotemu and Lizardcube did confirm that the leaked April 23 release date on the Nintendo eShop is not accurate. So far, Streets of Rage 4 does not have a release date beyond “2020” — although the studios say they plan to reveal that soon. And you can add the game to your Steam Wishlist now.
For Streets of Rage 4, Dotemu and Lizardcube created original, hand-drawn art for its five playable characters. The new designs are slick and modern but also familiar for anyone who played the original Streets of Rage games. But if you want a full dose of nostalgia, you can also unlock the characters from Streets of Rage, Streets of Rage 2, and Streets of Rage 3. These characters will look and play exactly like they did on the Genesis.
And while the new game has original music from Olivier Derivière, Yuzo Koshiro, and Motohiro Kawashima, players can switch to retro tracks. Dotemu and Lizardcube are including tracks from Streets of Rage and Streets of Rage 2. This is some of the most iconic music of the 16-bit generation.
You can see what the retro content looks and sounds like in the trailer at the top. And while this is definitely fan service, I will take any reason you give me to listen to Koshiro music.
