Despite a Double Dragon-like aesthetic, Treachery in Beatdown City requires careful planning in how you land a punch or kick if you’re going to survive a street fight.
The combat style is deep and compelling, asking you to really get into the groove of a fight rather than toss punches and kicks at an enemy that’s halfheartedly trying to smack you around. Your character has a meter that they can draw from to launch more powerful attacks, but that doesn’t mean you should only launch your most powerful blows as many times as possible, either. You need to throw a few lighter hits to dizzy your foes, then move in for the bigger hits while they’re staggered. It’s a clever system that feels much more realistic than most action games.
That realism is also apparent in enemy behavior as well. Someone who’s inches from unconsciousness is probably not going to just walk up to you and try to fight some more. They’re going to keep their distance or possibly throw something desperate, right? This game factors that in, making enemies react differently depending on their health level and what kind of foe they are. You can rarely trust that you know an opponent’s moveset, as a weakened foe might take you completely off-guard with something.
It’s a compelling battle system that adds tension and planning to a fistfight, and it impressed us a lot the last time we tried it. Treachery in Beatdown City is an involved fighter that makes each of its moves feel valuable and important, all while throwing you into fights that force you to evolve and adapt as enemies change up their strategies. It’s easily one of the smartest games about fighting I’ve ever seen.
Treachery in Beatdown City is available now on the Nintendo Switch and Steam.
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