Don’t let all of the lingering E3 buzz and current Steam Next Fest hype distract you from the fact that there’s some Streets of Rage 4 DLC on the horizon. Streets of Rage 4: Mr. X Nightmare will add three new playable characters to the game, as well as a Survival mode that’s still under wraps. There’s also some new music coming to the already-stellar score.
Shiva, Max Thunder, and Estel Aguirre join the fight after previously appearing as bosses in the game. Shiva and Max have quite a bit of history as part of the Streets of Rage series, so their inclusion as playable brawlers in the upcoming DLC is great news for longtime fans. Meanwhile, newcomer Estel became an instant favorite in Streets of Rage 4, and it always seemed like she was destined to be playable at some point.
Streets of Rage 4 was my favorite game of 2020, so revisiting it for the new Mr. X Nightmare DLC is something I’m legit stoked to do. So much so that I reached out to the development team to get some insight on both the game itself and its imminent DLC. Though details are still pending, the developers were able to talk about their experiences working on Streets of Rage 4, what the series has meant to them, and more.
Half-Glass Gaming: What did it mean to the dev team to create the newest chapter in the Streets of Rage series?
Beausoleil Samson-Guillemette (Graphics and Tools Programmer at Guard Crush Games): It’s an honor for sure, to be part of that. The first three games are classics. They’re history. And reviving the series so many years later, that’s writing history. There’s a whole lot of pressure that goes with it, but when I look at the team, they’re the best people for the job. They’re not just great at what they do — they understand the context of a game, of this one beat-‘em-up game. And above all, they put their heart into it.
HGG: How was it revisiting Streets of Rage 4 for the purposes of the DLC? Were there any challenges in returning to the game? Or was it a smooth, exciting experience overall?
Jordi Asensio (Lead Game Designer at Dotemu): To be honest, we never left the game. I’m always taking feedback from players, and we’re constantly making patches and improvements. I was eager to work on a DLC to try something new with extra modes and playable characters.
Cyrille Lagarigue (Main Programmer at Guard Crush Games): Developing the DLC has allowed an opportunity to add fresh ideas, and to realize them much more fully than if it had not been a DLC. The biggest challenge was the level generation for the survival mode — we’ll share more on that soon, but it was a totally different mindset to have from the main campaign, where everything is made by hand.
HGG: Did fan feedback and reactions play a role in these specific characters being included in the upcoming DLC?
BSG: Yes and no. Early on, we had plans of unlocking them as the story progresses, just like Adam. But as always, you dream larger than you can do. We had to accept it wasn’t possible, and started jokingly saying we’d add them later in a DLC. When we saw the reactions of the players, how much they loved them, especially Estel, it confirmed it wasn’t a bad idea after all!
HGG: Just as a hypothetical, what are some other classic franchises that you’d love to revitalize like Streets of Rage 4 if the stars aligned perfectly? Like a game or series where you’d say, “I would love to make a new one of those!”
JA: I’m a big Sega Saturn fan, so any franchise from that console would be awesome. I really love Guardian Heroes — it was a very innovative beat-‘em-up at the time with RPG mechanics and a great story, it’s always fun to play, and I would be thrilled to make a new one and help people discover how great this franchise is.
CL: I second Jordi on that. Guardian Heroes has been an inspiration for us since the beginning of Guard Crush Games, when we made Streets of Fury. Working on a sequel to this game would be an honor.
Though Dotemu and Guard Crush Games still can’t divulge much about the upcoming Survival mode for Streets of Rage 4 just yet, it was cool being able to get their thoughts on the game and what the series means to them. A huge thank you to the team for taking the time to answer these questions!
You can check out a trailer for the upcoming Mr. X Nightmare DLC below.
