Streets Of Red Dares To Reinvent The Old Brawler Formula And Succeeds

A Shovel Knight, Link, Tron Bonne, and a Teenage Ninja cosplayer walk into a gaming convention ... It's the perfect segue for Secret Base Games' comical beat'em up, and the review thereof. At least I think so. This side scrolling nod to all things geek, and gaming culture known as "Streets of Red ~ Devil Dare Deluxe" goes full on 4th wall breaking with it's inclusive arcade mode story about an unlikely set of four poorly dressed cosplayers who are each tasked with battling hordes of the undead to supposedly save the world. While the story or plot behind this tongue-in-cheek action adventure into nighttime horrors of the unforgiving kind has it's own interesting setup all you really need to know is that some soul munching fairy offers the four protagonists the chance to save the world by killing off the infestation of zombies. By playing as one of four video game character themed cosplayers of the previously mentioned sort you will collect the souls for the fairy behind the scenes as well as loot the dead for all they're worth while you try to survive several sadistic nights of carnage, and bloodletting. A multiple stage engagement which begins with a Sonic the Hedgehog inspired stage intro screen along with Guilty Gear's starting catchphrase atop it, and ends with a series of final boss battles.

As you play through the game's many stages fighting off the various baddies therein you will find that nothing in the way of video game, or film lore is out of bounds for the developer of this pixel packed punching parade, and that as cliche as it might get, it breathes life into a dying genre with a unique gameplay system which plays out surprisingly well. Ultimately how you choose to use the given combo mechanics, fatalities, and special attacks at your disposal will determine what kind of loot is dropped. Loot which you can buy upgrades, continues, and even ... er, sorry. Almost spoiled something! The point being how you utilize the character specific abilities, and how well you manage your money throughout your playthrough will determine whether or not you survive the night ... nights. Supposing you don't survive you'll be faced with a dreaded perma death via the deletion of your save file. Meaning you'll have to start over from scratch. Thus a lot weighs on your ability to play the game properly. Skill is required.

Past the start screen options which include online leaderboard listings, control explanations, and usual sound/graphics presentation tweaks you'll find two modes of play. One mode being 'Arcade', and the other 'Survival'. Arcade mode, which is the the games core offering, features three difficulty options including 'Casual', 'Classic', and 'Expert'. With the casual option the trophies that can be earned, and the leaderboard scores that can be uploaded will be disabled. No doubt a punishment for those who want the easy way out. Classic, which is a step up from casual is your normal playthrough, and allows you to earn trophies, and upload your score to the game's global leaderboard rankings. Lastly, the 'Expert' mode has an additional betting system along with classic's perks which ups the ante with four different devil may dare options including 'Chicken Out' (which changes nothing), and three other gradually more challenging playthroughs that effect the elite status of the enemies as well as how much a revive costs. When it comes to 'Survival' the side scrolling is cut to a still stationary level where you fight off waves of zombies eventually earning perks to help you along. It's a score centered mode of play with it's own separate leaderboards in place for bragging rights. Maximizing loot, and surviving for as long as possible amid the introduction of increasingly more difficult enemies means gaining that highest top score!

Back to Arcade ...

Whichever difficulty you choose in 'Arcade' mode you will be playing through side scrolling stages filled with mobs of zombies and other horror inspired monstrosities that come in the guise of end stage bosses. As one of four initially optional characters (and two unlocked through gameplay) you will use the refilling/refillable 4 bar SP meter to perform a handful of special attacks. These special attacks, if used as finishers, will perform fatalities that drop better loot. If used as a prompted parry via the "Xtrajoy" move (when being attacked) while surrounded by at least three nearly finished zombies it will result in a massacre combo that not only performs multiple fatalities, but also drops a health item based on how many zombies are killed. Along with the special attacks comes the basic combo or melee attacks. Each character, whether it be Kingston, Queenie, Jackson, or Axel has their own unique set of basic, and special attacks all assigned to similar button inputs. The special attacks, functions, and look of the characters play heavily on which characters they are cosplaying. Axel, for example, is a play on the Nintendo character Link. With his sword he can do a spin attack, and a charge attack. Other characters have other ways of dealing with enemies outside of basic melee attacks. Things such as Queenie's HP drain, Jackson's ninja teleport, and and Kingston's electricity summon will give you different ways to disperse and dispatch the damned. Ultimately changing how the game is played.

Playing through any of the stages is fairly straightforward outside of learning how to more efficiently utilize your chosen character, and their special attacks. You basically kill off the wave focused zombies, and creatures while maximizing, and collecting as much loot as possible. All while minding your SP, and health meters. Eventually you'll get to a stage ending sub-boss or boss, and will be required to deplete that boss's health meter to be able to end the current stage playthrough. Once completed you'll earn a score based upon a handful of decisive factors including the highest combo obtained, massacre chains, fatalities performed, and whether or not you performed a fatality finisher on the boss. Once the score is tallied up you will be prompted to select, and pay for one of four randomized upgrades. The upgrades include things such as kill modifiers, HP boosts, extra chances upon continue, and several other item themed baubles. Of course you can choose the free treasure as well once per stage if you want to save your loot for revives or future end stage upgrades. Speaking of revives there is a set cost to revive your character within the stage if they die during a stage playthrough. You can use the loot you picked up to pay this cost. Revives get more costly as you progress in any difficulty, but are further increased in price in 'Expert' where your bets, and the high revive costs lead to higher scoring/looting opportunities.

The Verdict ...

Street of Red's presentation is well constructed with a oldschool pixel theme featuring nicely built character, and creature designs that give a nod to some of gaming and film's most iconic creations. The game's soundtrack, which also adds something of worth to the experience, is a modernized take on retro chiptunes further adding to the classical appeal. Above all else the unique gameplay elements offered make for one hell of an entertaining time, and along with the breaking of the 4th wall through the developer's odd sense of humor it all comes together quite impressively. I enjoyed my playthrough of the game, and while I kind of feel survival mode was a bit tacked on it too had it's place as another worthwhile scoring opportunity. Those of you looking for trophies will only find them in a 'Classic' or 'Expert' difficulty playthrough, so do remember that. Also remember that there are two unlockable characters, and different endings to shoot for. Good, bad, and some things between. Even Jim Sterling makes it in the game with some of his voice acted catchphrases intact.

Streets of Red gets the Inferno's "Hell Yeah!!!" seal of approval. Do not miss out on this attempted revival of the beat'em up genre!!!