Rushing Beat X: Return of Brawl Brothers review

The late ’90s and early 2000s were a time of transition for the brawler. Gradually, developers were abandoning the sprite-based fisticuffs of Final Fight and Streets of Rage in favor of polygonal worlds that could provide new pugilistic opportunities. While titles such as Fighting Force, Dynamite Cop, and Urban Reign all increased the number of ways to dish out punches, kicks, and throws, they all had a certain clunkiness.

While removed by a quarter of a century from these early efforts, Rushing Beat X: Return of Brawl Brothers feels every part of that blissful era. Yes, it is a game that understands the delight of a seven-hit aerial juggle and the thrill of flinging environmental objects at foes. But it’s also an effort that stumbles in the same ways as many of yesteryear’s brawlers.

Rival Turf Revisited, Some Rough Edges Included

Remarkably, it’s been 23 long years since the last entry in Jaleco’s Rushing Beat series. Released on the SNES between 1992 and 1994, Rival Turf!, Brawl Brothers, and The Peace Keepers (their stateside titles) were cult favorites thanks to their combo-heavy gameplay and protagonists who controlled like seasoned martial artists with an arsenal of professional wrestling moves. And no one looked cooler than Jack Flak, whose flying kick sprite personified what a power move should look like.

When it’s not revealing some rough edges, Return of Brawl Brothers flirts with capturing the energy of its source material. Each of the six playable characters brings their own move set, and the combo potential across the roster is reasonably deep. And yes, Rick Norton (his original name in the Japanese version) is here, clad in his iconic jeans and jacket combo.

Punches Mainly Land but There Are Some Whiffs

Landing a good ground-to-air launcher feels rewarding, with each hit lifting enemies upward before delivering several more punishing strikes. Air assaults, back blows, grabs, throws, follow-ups, specials, and auto-combo rushing attacks give the combos a spirited rhythm if you want to take down opponents with a bit of style. Of course, depending on which of the four difficulties you’re playing on, it’s also possible to just button-mash your way through a good portion of Rushing Beat X. The good news is there’s some weight behind each hit, making taking down a group of adjacent adversaries feel especially satisfying.

Should you want some helping hands and legs, two-player co-op is supported. And as Billy and Jimmy Lee and the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles taught us, brawlers are exponentially better when enjoyed with a friend. But you’ll have to play nice, since Rushing Beat X is missing any kind of versus mode. On the curious side, there’s an unlockable character,  although they can only be used outside the main campaign. Locking off a playable character is an odd decision that feels like it was made to meet a deadline rather than one intended by design.

The Return of Neo-Cisco’s Unusual Suspects

As with previous entries, the setting of Neo-Cisco is filled with an eccentric cast of opponents. From basic gangsters, commandos who require a more deliberate approach, and zombies who disrupt the rhythm in ways the others don’t, you’ll encounter a blend of the city’s weirdos. But beyond variety and the inclusion of some (occasionally recycled) bosses, you’ll probably long for a bit more enemy variety. At least there are stage hazards like motorcycles and speeding cars that add some fun by running over any unfortunate enemies. Just watch out for the warnings, since they’ll plow into you as well.

Scattered across stages are weapons that include dumbbells, knives, and firearms, as well as food items for health recovery. Sure, these pickups don’t revolutionize the brawler formula, but they’ll keep you scanning each stage rather than tunnel-visioning your way through it.

Return of Brawl Brothers’ cell-shaded graphics run well on lower-end hardware and give the game some personality. Largely, it’s a smart choice that highlights the franchise’s comic-book energy, especially when accompanied by bursts of on-screen onomatopoeia. This is where the game best distinguishes itself from that early polygon era. Instead of rudimentary three-dimensional characters and basic backdrops, Rushing Beat X provides plenty of graphical flair, courtesy of colorful aura effects, exaggerated animations, and stylized environments that elevate encounters, even when the underlying mechanics occasionally feel stuck in the past.

Rushing the Beat and Occasionally Missing the Mark

A trip through the game’s campaign reveals several unmistakable issues. Hit detection is probably the biggest problem. Although the inconsistent hitboxes can be overlooked early on, they become more punishing as the difficulty escalates. And it certainly escalates aggressively. Rushing Beat X might kick off forgivingly, luring players into a false sense of security. But before long, nailing the short window between multiple enemy attacks becomes frustrating.

And this is where the comparison to the pixel-to-polygon transitional era feels most appropriate. Those early games like Dynamite Cop and Fighting Force were mechanically ambitious but uneven in execution. You’d pardon the clunkiness because they strove to push the genre forward, providing a larger arsenal of moves and weaponry to play with. Oddly, Rushing Beat X: Return of Brawl Brothers revisits this space, offering a flawed and repetitive fight, but still entertaining experience. Jaleco’s long-dormant franchise deserved a revival. And while Return of Brawl Brothers delivers plenty of hard-hitting combos, it will test your patience as much as your skill.

Rushing Beat X: Return of Brawl Brothers was played on PC with review code provided by the publisher