Dynamite Deka for days!
After playing Streets of Rage 4 and recently reviewing a retro-inspired beat ’em up melded with a turn-based twist, I wanted something truly old-school and punchy. That’s when I came across Breakneck City, a classicly inspired 3D beat ’em up that hits my nostalgia buttons by pulling from the classic Dynamite Deka, better know in the U.S. as Die Hard Arcade.
As a kid, there were only a few arcade games that I gravitated to at my local arcade and Chuck E Cheese, the king of cardboard pizza. Turtles Arcade, Jurassic Park (the one shaped like a jeep), Wing War, and Die Hard Arcade. There is just something about this era of games that reminds me of simpler times and simpler games. Also, tokens; lot’s of tokens.
Breakneck City is about as straightforward as it gets. A gang has taken over the city and you select between two characters to lay down a beating on a bunch of baddies across six stages. Along the way, you can pick up weapons, use the environment, and dash about to your heart’s content.
You have a punch and kick that you can use to string into a few basic combos that can send enemies flying. But it’s more than just punches and kicks as the 3D stages can also be used to your advantage. Kick a dude into a rubbish bin, bust a steam pipe and send them flying, kick them though objects, and more.
It’s always a blast kicking a chair at an unaware baddie forcing them to sit down on it. You’ll find all sorts of interactivity in places you might not expect throughout your adventure. That meat hook in the background looks unimportant but can be used to string up a tougher enemy that causes you grief.
Swing from lamp posts or stripper poles to clear out large swaths of enemies that might surround you and use jump attacks from upper parts of areas for some serious damage. Yes, this is a really simple looking game but it holds quite a bit under the surface making it feel like an advancement to the Deka games that inspired it.
The blocky visuals look fantastic as well as era-appropriate. The neon coloring makes everything pop and just looking at screens will have you wanting to at least try this one out. The color inspiration feels a lot more NES inspired that anything to me but it really works to the game’s favor.
Renegade Sector, the developers behind the game, are in their comfort zone with this 90s atheistic and low-poly styling. So many of their games feel like these wicked cool art projects that remember to actually include a game inside. They are quickly becoming the masters of this low-poly style of game.
Breakneck City is a blast from beginning to end and lays everything out to the player right from the start. Jump into any stage and practice that speed run or just bypass areas that cause new players to much trouble. And because this is a beat ’em up having two players makes the experience a better one.
Add in some fun boss fights and you have a tight little package. Breakneck City isn’t a long game but that works to its benefit. You won’t find yourself feeling like the game is padding itself just to reach some arbitrary play length. It’s fun and each area builds just enough to keep you engaged right to the end.
Breakneck City is a low-poly 90s beat ’em up that pays homage to a lost area of 3D arcade gaming in the best possible way.
Final Score:
Pros:
+ Nails the atheistic
+ Great co-op
+ Solid gameplay
Cons:
– Short
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