8 Great Side Scrolling Brawlers
A beat ‘me up game, also referred to as a “brawler” is a type of action game where the player must fight large a large number of enemies in unarmed combat or melee weapons. Brawlers can come in different forms but the most well-established beat ‘em up is the Single-plane brawler. This is a side scrolling brawler, where the player moves along a single side-scrolling plane of motion. This style was first seen in the 1984 game Kung- Fu Master. There have been many great side scroller brawlers that have been released over the years. Many have been considered classics and others were commercial flops.
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Turtles in Time
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Turtles in Time was produced by Konami and released in 1991 for the arcade. It was ported to the Super Nintendo Entertainment System in 1992. Turtles in Time allows four players to control the different Turtles; Leonardo, Michelangelo, Donatello, and Raphael, on the adventure through time in order to defeat Shredder. Similar to other Beat em games the players guide the turtles through a number of levels. At the end of each level there is a boss that the players must face. These bosses are all familiar faces that have been featured in the animated series like Beebop, Rocksteady, Krang, and Shredder. Each character has their own strengths and weaknesses which drastically alters the gameplay. Donatello can attack at a greater range while Raphael has a more powerful physical attack.
X-Men: Arcade
The X-Men Arcade game was released in arcades in 1992. Both produced and released by Konami this game is inspired by the 1989 cartoon X-Men: Pryde of the X-Men. This game differs from other games on this list because it offers up to six players and utilizes two screens. The two contiguous screens created the effect of a single wide screen set up. The Players can choose between Cyclops, Colossus, Wolverine, Storm, Nightcrawler and Dazzler on their adventure to stop the villain Magneto from destroying the humans. Each character has a different special ability that can be used in battle. Many familiar characters from both the animated show and comic book series make appearances as bosses in the game like, Pyro, Blob, Mystique, Juggernaut and many more. X-Men Arcade was one of the top five highest grossing arcade games of 1992 in the United States. It eventually got a home release in 2010 for both the PlayStation 3 And Xbox 360.
The Simpsons Arcade Game
In 1991 Konami released the Simpsons game. In this Beat ‘Em Up game up to four players can control the Simpsons family save Maggie from Br. Burns. Each character utilizes a different weapon. For example, Bart beats down enemies with his skateboard, while Marge uses a vacuum. This game consists of eight stages, each of them ending with a boss who are characters from the television show like Mr. Burns and Smithers. The Simpsons Arcade game featured the shows original voice cast for the characters. In 2012 it was ported to the Xbox 360 and Playstaion 3, and in 2021 Arcade1Up released a 30th anniversary edition of the home arcade cabinet.
BattleToads
Battles Toads was developed by Rare and published by Electronic Arts in 1994. Battle Toads is an interesting game because in this game up to three players can play together instead of the usual two or four players. Each player can choose between Rash, Pimple, and Zitz, as they fight through six levels to save the universe from the Dark Queen. Each toad has their own signature attack as well as their own play style. For example, Rash is weak while Pimple is much stronger. In 2015 Battletoads Arcade received its console debut for the Xbonx One.
Double Dragon II: The Revenge
The first sequel in the Double Dragon Series, Double Dragon II: The Revenge, was originally released in November 1988 in North America. Produced by Technos Japan two player brawler follows brothers, Billy and Jimmy Lee on their mission to Avenge the death of Marian. The players can choose to play as each one of the brothers as they fight through four missions in search for the Black Warriors leader. The characters have a variety of different moves such as a back kick and hurricane kick that can be used against enemies and bosses. Double Dragon II obtained a home console release on the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) in 1990. This version of the game was re-released two different times; once for the Wii, 3DS, and Wii U on the virtual console and a second time in 2019 on the Nintendo Switch.
Streets of Rage 2
Streets of Rage 2 also known as Bare Knuckle II in Japan was released in 1992. This brawler was published by Sega and released for the Sega Genesis. In this sequel to Streets of Rage, two players can team up to defeat enemies as they progress through the different levels trying to take down a criminal organization called the Syndicate in Campaign mode. This game also offers dual mode where the players can battle against each other in combat. There are four characters to choose from; Axel Stone and Blaze Fielding who make their return from the first game and new characters Max thunder and Eddie “Skate” Hunter. Each character has different base stats and a unique Blitz Attack. One big mechanic that this game offers is the ability to pick up melee items that can be used on enemies and bosses. Streets of Rage 2 has been ported many times since its release. It has since been released on the Dreamcast, PlayStation 2-4, GameCube, Xbox 360, Xbox One, and Nintendo Switch.
Golden Axe
Golden Axe was released by Sega in 1989 for arcades. This game follows three warriors who must escape the land of Yuria from an evil ruler of death, Adder. In this side scroller brawler up two to players can choose between an axe wilding dwarf, a barbarian who wields a sword and an Amazon who wields a longsword. Similar to other brawler games each one of characters stats differ between themselves. They players can attack with their weapons as well as use spells in order to defeat the Henchmen and bosses. One year after its release it was ported to the Sega Genesis. Now this title can be played on the Nintendo switch through the Genesis virtual console.
Scott Pilgrim vs. The World: The Game
In 2010 Ubisoft released Scott Pilgrim vs. the World: The Game. This brawler is loosely based off of the graphic novel. Originally released for the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3, Scott Pilgrim was re-released in 2021 for the Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Window, Amazon Luna, and Google Stadia in the form of Scott Pilgrim vs the World: The Game- The Complete Edition. The complete edition contains the DLC content as well as the full game. This game offers four player cooperative mode. There are a variety of characters to choose from in this game and each offers their own individual move sets, which can be upgraded. Together Scott Pilgrim, Romana Flowers, Kim Pine, Stephen Stills, Knives Chaue Nega Scott, and Wallace Wells battle together to defeat Romona’s seven evil exes.
