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.
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.