The "Dimension Shellshock" DLC for Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder's Revenge recently arrived on console and PC, adding new playable characters, an addictive co-op survival mode, and more. To learn more about the decision-making and co-op balance behind both the main game and "Dimension Shellshock," we spoke with...

Way back in 1987, the arcade version of Double Dragon was the first beat ‘em up to feature co-op. All these years later, it’s still a big deal when the series gets a new entry, despite the uneven quality of games like Double Dragon IV. Thankfully, Double Dragon Gaiden: Rise of the Dragons stands among the best games in the series.....

Given that the arcade version of Double Dragon was the first cooperative beat ‘em up, the series has always been hugely influential. Double Dragon Gaiden: Rise of the Dragons from Secret Base and Modus Games is the next game in the series. To learn more about Double Dragon Gaiden’s origins, references, and more, we interviewed Raymond T...

Things have been great for cooperative beat ‘em ups lately, with games like TMNT: Shredder’s Revenge, River City Girls 2, Final Vendetta, and Kung Fury: Street Rage – Ultimate Edition all entertaining audiences with their unique approaches to the genre. Jitsu Squad from Tanuki Creative Studio and ININ Games has its own distinct st...

With the 16-bit classic, River City Girls Zero, having finally received a worldwide release this year and the freshly launched River City Girls 2 currently knocking gamers’ socks off, it’s time to take a fresh look at the original River City Girls from WayForward and Arc System Works. RCG1, as we’ll call it, combines elements of t...

Jitsu Squad, one of the fastest and flashiest beat ‘em ups in recent memory, is headed to consoles in December. Among Jitsu Squad’s standout features are gorgeous 2D artwork, a catchy soundtrack, and 4-player local co-op. To learn more about the original PC game and upcoming console versions, we interviewed Dave Baljon and Sebastien Rom...

The River City/Kunio series has seen numerous installments over the years, but precious few of them received English releases until a few years ago. Once Arc System Works took over the license from the defunct Technos, more games starring Kunio and his buddy Riki started making their way out of Japan. WayForward’s release of River City Girls ...

Hot on the heels of a certain turtles-themed beat ‘em up, UK-based developer Bitmap Bureau launched their own highly anticipated brawler in June: Final Vendetta. In our co-op review, we praised the game’s Neo Geo-style graphics and core gameplay but called out some balance issues that hampered our experience. Still, Final Vendetta is su...

2022 is a banner year for beat ‘em ups, with GOTY contender Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder's Revenge, Dawn of the Monsters, Samurai Riot, and River City Girls Zero (Switch version) already out, and the incredible-looking River City Girls 2 on the way. Throwing their hat in the ring are Bitmap Bureau and Numskull games, who ha...

Ever since the two Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles arcade beat ‘em ups from Konami, the heroes in a half-shell have epitomized co-op gaming. Sure, there have been solo titles (including an underappreciated Metroidvania entry from WayForward), but gamers clearly expect co-op from Turtles games. Some later-day cooperatives entries like Mutants in ...

A few years back, a feudal Japan-themed beat 'em up called Samurai Riot from indie developer Wako Factory debuted on Steam. The game has now launched on Switch, and the Steam version has been retitled as Samurai Riot Definitive Edition. A story-heavy co-op beat 'em up, this game follows a pair of samurai as they choose whether to support a rebellion against their cruel master or put it down for good.

The recently released Egret II Mini arcade cabinet includes Rastan, Taito’s classic fantasy-themed action-platformer. The game’s two sequels, however, didn’t make the cut. Thankfully, all three Rastan games are available on the iiRcade home arcade platform. In fact, Warrior Blade: Rastan Saga Episode III just released on iiRcade. ...