X
- Nuchallenger
- Nuchallenger
- Nuchallenger
- Nuchallenger
Treachery in Beatdown City
Released On: Mar 30, 2020
64
User Score
Available after 4 ratings
tbd
All Platforms
Metascore
Mixed or Average
Based on 7 Critic Reviews
64
14% Positive
1 Review
1 Review
57% Mixed
4 Reviews
4 Reviews
29% Negative
2 Reviews
2 Reviews
Metascore
Mixed or Average
Based on 7 Critic Reviews
64
14% Positive
1 Review
1 Review
57% Mixed
4 Reviews
4 Reviews
29% Negative
2 Reviews
2 Reviews
It deepens the more you play, as more attacks appear, and more
complicated enemies join forces to buff each other. And it’s all
rather fun! It’s not too hard, which is a pleasant relief, but it’ll
get trickier if you don’t properly try to engage with the tactics of
it all.
It’s got fun characters, great presentation, and a system that has some stumbles but is ultimately a neat idea. And let’s face it, if you’ve ever been in a city, bodyslamming people who won’t stop taking up the whole damn sidewalk feels like an appropriate response.
I may not have personally enjoyed the writing much, but it’s not inherently bad--it’s just not my sense of humor. There may be sticking points and frustrations in terms of the gameplay, but the core of the battle system is solid. Perhaps being episodic will work to Nuchallenger’s advantages, so they can take what they’ve learned from this first episode and make a truly great second one.
Treachery in Beatdown City does an admirable job of injecting originality into the beat ‘em up genre. While it lacks the forward momentum found in games like Final Fight and Streets of Rage, the brawler more than makes up for that with its emphasis on strategy. The 8-bit graphics, music, and sound effects are simultaneously old-school and modern. If you’re looking for a fresh, quirky beat ‘em up with a healthy dose of social commentary, Treachery in Beatdown City is a game you should pick up.
Treachery in Beatdown City didn’t work for me, but it’s a far more creative and ambitious project than many of its contemporaries. Its subject matter is timely, and I enjoyed the attempt to reinterpret some of city life’s biggest problems through the lens of old-school games like Double Dragon. The idea of RPG-style menu-selected moves in a beat-em-up is very clever, even if the implementation here didn’t hit the mark. As it is, even with a lot of creativity on display, it’s just not a city I recommend visiting.
What comes together to create the full package is very underwhelming but wrestling fans will get a kick out of some of the references made from fight to fight as they beat their way across Beatdown City. Non-wrestling fans will find very little to enjoy in the characters and story but may find the experimental combat innovative.
Unfortunately, because the pace feels so plodding and this beat 'em up formula doesn't mix particularly well with RPG-style combat, it's hard to recommend coming back for more. I like Treachery in Beatdown City's concept, but it's not something that really worked for me in practice. You can't always mix peanut butter with chocolate and end up with something good.
User Reviews
There are no user reviews yet. Be the first to add a review.
Summary Explore an urban dystopia, meet awful people, and use an all new beat 'em up system infused with RPG/tactics/wrestling mechanics to make them think twice about picking a fight! Pick your fighter, build custom STRIKE and GRAPPLE combos, and knock out your enemies, all to save the president.
Platforms:
- PlayStation Vita
- PC
- Nintendo Switch
Initial Release Date: Mar 30, 2020
Developer:
- Nuchallenger
Publisher: Nuchallenger
Genres:
