Brawler (other)

The beat 'em up (also known as brawler and, in some markets, beat 'em all) is a video game genre featuring hand-to-hand combat against a large number of opponents. Traditional beat 'em ups take place in scrolling, two-dimensional (2D) levels, while a number of modern games feature more open three-dimensional (3D) environments with yet larger numbers of enemies. The gameplay tends to follow arcade genre conventions, such as being simple to learn but difficult to master, and the combat system tends to be more highly developed than other side-scrolling action games. Two-player cooperative gameplay and multiple player characters are also hallmarks of the genre. Most of these games take place in urban settings and feature crime-fighting and revenge-based plots, though some games may employ historical, science fiction or fantasy themes.

The first beat 'em up was 1984's '' Kung-Fu Master'', which was based on Hong Kong martial arts films. 1986's ''Nekketsu Kōha Kunio-kun'' introduced the belt scroll format employed extensively by later games, while also popularizing contemporary urban settings, while its Western localized version ''Renegade'' further introduced underworld revenge themes. The genre then saw a period of high popularity between the release of ''Double Dragon'' in 1987, which defined the two-player cooperative mode and continuous belt scroll format central to classic beat 'em ups, and 1991's ''Street Fighter II'', which drew gamers towards one-on-one fighting games. Games such as ''Streets of Rage'', ''Final Fight'', ''Golden Axe'' and ''Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles'' are other classics to emerge from this period. In the late 1990s, the genre lost popularity with the emergence of 3D-polygon technology.

In the 2000s, a sub-genre of 3D hack-and-slash games emerged (also known as "character action games"), adapting the beat 'em up formula to utilize large-scale 3D environments, with popular franchises including ''Devil May Cry'', ''Dynasty Warriors'', ''God of War'' and ''Bayonetta''. Since the 2010s, traditional 2D beat 'em ups have seen a resurgence, with popular titles such as ''Dungeon Fighter Online'', ''Dragon's Crown'', ''Streets of Rage 4'' and '' Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder's Revenge''.

Definition

A beat 'em up (also called a "brawler") is a type of action game where the player character must fight a large number of enemies in unarmed combat or with melee weapons. Gameplay consists of walking through a level, one section at a time, defeating a group of enemies before advancing to the next section; a boss fight normally occurs at the end of each level. Arcade versions of these games are often quite difficult to win, causing players to spend more money.

Beat 'em ups are related to but distinct from fighting games, which are based around one-on-one matches rather than scrolling levels and multiple enemies. Such terminology is loosely applied, however, as some commentators prefer to conflate the two terms. At times, both one-on-one fighting games and scrolling beat 'em ups have influenced each other in terms of graphics and style and can appeal to fans of either genre. Occasionally, a game will feature both kinds of gameplay.

In the United Kingdom, video game magazines during the 1980s to 1990s, such as ''Mean Machines'' and ''Computer & Video Games'' (C+VG) for example, referred to all games which had a combat motif as beat 'em ups, including fighting games. However, they were differentiated by a specific prefix; games like ''Double Dragon'' or ''Final Fight'' were called "scrolling beat 'em ups" and games such as ''Street Fighter II'' or '' Mortal Kombat'' were referred to as "one on one beat 'em ups". Fighting games were still being called "beat 'em up" games in the UK gaming press up until the end of the 1990s.

Game design

Beat 'em up games usually employ vigilante crime fighting and revenge plots with the action taking place on city streets, though historical and fantasy themed games also exist.Fitch, Andy
Dynasty Warriors 6 (Xbox 360)
''1UP'', Mar 7, 2008, Accessed Mar 19, 2009 Players must walk from one end of the game world to the other, and thus each game level will usually scroll horizontally. Some later beat 'em ups dispense with 2D-based scrolling levels, instead allowing the player to roam around larger 3D environments, though they retain the same simple-to-learn gameplay and control systems.Sato, Ike
Dynasty Warriors 2 Review
''GameSpot'', Aug 17, 2000, Accessed Mar 19, 2009 Throughout the level, players may acquire weapons that they can use as well as power-ups that replenish the player's health.

As players walk through the level, they are stopped by groups of enemies who must be defeated before they're able to continue. The level ends when all the enemies are defeated. Each level contains many identical groups of enemies,Cassidy, William
Hall of Fame: Golden Axe
, ''GameSpy'', June 8, 2003. Retrieved March 24, 2009. making these games notable for their repetition.McGarvery, Sterling

''GameSpy'', Mar 10, 2009, Accessed Mar 24, 2009 In beat 'em up games, players often fight a boss—an enemy much stronger than the other enemies—at the end of each level.Ramachandran, Ryan
Gamasutra Opinion: Boss Design – Trial & Punishment
''GamaSutra'', June 17, 2008. Retrieved March 24, 2009.

Beat 'em ups often allow the player to choose between a selection of protagonists—each with their own strengths, weaknesses, and set of moves.Perry, Douglass C.

, ''IGN'', Mar 14, 2007, Accessed Mar 22, 2009 The combat system typically tends to be more highly developed than other side-scrolling action games. Attacks can include rapid combinations of basic attacks (combos) as well as jumping and grappling attacks. Characters often have their own special attacks, which leads to different strategies depending on which character the player selects. The control system is usually simple to learn, often comprising just two attack buttons. These buttons can be combined to pull off combos, as well as jumping and grappling attacks. Since the release of ''Double Dragon'', many beat 'em ups have allowed two players to play the game cooperatively—a central aspect to the appeal of these games.Staff
Game Help Editors' Picks Co-Op Games
''IGN'', June 13, 2005. Retrieved March 24, 2009. Beat 'em ups are more likely to feature cooperative play than other game genres.

Sub-genres

The beat 'em up or brawler genre includes several sub-genres.

* Scrolling beat 'em up – Beat 'em up games which employ a 2D scrolling format.
** Single-plane beat 'em up or side-scrolling beat 'em up – Scrolling beat 'em ups that move along a single side-scrolling plane of motion. This was the earliest style of beat 'em up, with the format established by Irem's '' Kung-Fu Master'' (1984), designed by Takashi Nishiyama. Other titles that followed in the sub-genre include Sega's ''My Hero'' and ''Flashgal'' (1985), Taito's ''The Ninja Warriors'' (1987), Data East's ''Bad Dudes Vs. DragonNinja'' (1988) and Namco's ''Splatterhouse'' (1988). This early style of beat 'em up is part of a broader genre of side-scrolling character action games, including 2D fighting games, scrolling platformers, and run-and-gun shooters. A more modern example of this style is Capcom's ''Viewtiful Joe'' (2003).
** Belt-scroll action game or belt-scroll beat 'em up – The most popular type of scrolling beat 'em up, these games use a belt scroll format, a side-scrolling format with a downward camera angle where players can move both vertically and horizontally along a horizontally scrolling environment. The term "belt scroll action game" was coined in Japan, where it was named as such due to the scrolling style resembling conveyor belt motion. This format was introduced by Technos Japan's ''Nekketsu Kōha Kunio-kun'' (1986), known as ''Renegade'' in the West, and further developed and popularized by its follow-up ''Double Dragon'' (1987). Later popular examples including titles such as the Sega's ''Streets of Rage'' series and Capcom's ''Final Fight'' series.
* Hack and slash – Beat 'em ups or brawlers that are centered around combat with melee-based weapons, such as swords or blades, rather than fist-fighting.
** 2D hack & slash or slash 'em up – 2D scrolling beat 'em ups centered around melee-based weapons. Examples include Sega's arcade series ''Shinobi'' (1987 debut) and ''Golden Axe'' (1989 debut), Data East's ''Captain Silver'' (1987), Taito's '' Rastan'' (1987) and ''Saint Sword'' (1991), Tecmo's early ''Ninja Gaiden'' (''Shadow Warriors'') 2D games (1988 debut), Capcom's '' Strider'' (1989), the Sega Master System game '' Danan: The Jungle Fighter'' (1990), and Vanillaware's ''Dragon's Crown'' (2013).
** 3D hack & slash or character action game – These are third-person action games centered around weapon-based melee combat in three-dimensional environments. The sub-genre was largely defined by Capcom's ''Devil May Cry'' (2001), designed by Hideki Kamiya, with other examples including Koei Tecmo