Fight'N Rage (Xbox Series X/S) Review

From the initial load, its clear this is a labour of love, immediately feeling like you are sat in a grimy bar huddled over an arcade cabinet. Colours burst out of the screen and capture the essence of game that would suck every bit of change left in your bum bag. Incentive is instantly given too by showing a variety of other play modes from the off, mostly unavailable but instantly giving that little buzz of wanting to replay before even beginning. In fact, replayability has been taken into consideration greatly, with each level completed offering branching paths to explore. A simple addition but a welcome one.

Story wise, it's a simple premise (exactly what you look for in a punchy punchy), with the world being overrun with mutants and a small team stepping up to put them in their place for their own personal reasons. Characters are well designed and as previously mentioned, really pop on screen. Visuals can be changed at any time and although not usually a fan, the curved CRT TV scanline look really seems to work well here, something that cannot be said for a lot attempting the same (looking at you SNES online).

Gameplay as with all the best examples of the genre, seeming simple to begin with but holding some real depth if fully committing. Training mode is available from the outset, allowing players to get to grips with whichever character they like the look of and getting comfortable before embarking on the surprisingly lengthy arcade mode. Combos, juggling, parries and Special moves are all present and essential in progression due to the difficulty spike mirroring the arcade brawlers that inspired it.

Although difficult, modern-day mechanics have been implemented to allow a difficult, but never unfair experience. Continues are infinite and checkpoints regular meaning any slip up is purely on the player. It's very easy to get overwhelmed quickly if not paying attention to your surroundings and even if all of the random mob are dispatched, awaiting at the end of each level are some particularly tricky bosses. Levels are the standard affair but as previously mentioned, with branching paths and the obligatory lift level, there seems to be a lot to go back for.

If you do manage to sufficiently break stuff and reach the end credits, a large amount of rewards are there to play for. Both gameplay and cosmetic unlocks can be achieved while working through making life that little bit easier or at the very least, a little bit prettier. It's a welcome addition that many remasters of original titles have chosen to ignore save for a few character unlocks.