''The TakeOver'' is an indie

beat 'em up A 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 Side-scrolling video game, scrolling, 2D c ...

video game developed by

Greek Greek may refer to: Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe: *Greeks, an ethnic group *Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family **Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor of all kno ...

developer Pelikan13 (Antonis Pelekanos) and published by Dangen Entertainment. It was released for

Windows Windows is a Product lining, product line of Proprietary software, proprietary graphical user interface, graphical operating systems developed and marketed by Microsoft. It is grouped into families and subfamilies that cater to particular sec ...

and

MacOS macOS, previously OS X and originally Mac OS X, is a Unix, Unix-based operating system developed and marketed by Apple Inc., Apple since 2001. It is the current operating system for Apple's Mac (computer), Mac computers. With ...

on February 2, 2016 in

early access Early access, also known as alpha access, alpha founding, paid alpha, or game preview, is a funding model in the video game industry by which consumers can purchase and play a game in the various pre-release Software release life cycle, developm ...

, seeing a full release on November 10, 2019. It was subsequently released for

Nintendo Switch The is a video game console developed by Nintendo and released worldwide in most regions on March 3, 2017. Released in the middle of the Eighth generation of video game consoles, eighth generation of home consoles, the Switch succeeded the ...

on June 4, 2020 and

PlayStation 4 The PlayStation 4 (PS4) is a home video game console developed by Sony Interactive Entertainment. Announced as the successor to the PlayStation 3 in February 2013, it was launched on November 15, 2013, in North America, November 29, 2013, in ...

on May 20, 2021. The game is a clone of the ''

Streets of Rage ''Streets of Rage'' (titled ''Bare Knuckle'' in Japan) is a series of side-scrolling beat 'em up video games. It centers on the efforts of several ex-police vigilantes trying to rid the fictional American metropolis of Wood Oak City of a crime ...

'' series that uses similar gameplay and graphical style, also featuring some music by that series' composer,

Yuzo Koshiro is a Japanese composer and sound programmer. He is often regarded as one of the most influential innovators in chiptune and video game music, producing music in a number of genres including rock, jazz, symphonic, and various electronic genres s ...

. The game received mixed reviews, with some critics bemoaning the writing quality and lack of gameplay polish or

online multiplayer A multiplayer video game is a video game in which more than one person can play in the same game environment at the same time, either locally on the same computing system (couch co-op), on different computing systems via a local area network, or ...

, though they agreed it was a worthwhile homage.

Gameplay

''The TakeOver'' is a side-scrolling game with a story told via comic-book-style cutscenes. The game has separate buttons for punching and kicking enemies, which can be chained together into combos, which can be devastating if they are able to be performed without interruption. The game also features

minigames A minigame (also spelled mini game and mini-game, sometimes called a subgame or microgame) is a short game often contained within another video game. A minigame contains different gameplay elements and is often smaller or more simplistic than th ...

such as vehicle driving and jet piloting in a manner resembling '' After Burner: Climax''.

Development

As Greek artist and developer Antonis Pelekanos withdrew from his work on '' The '90s Arcade Racer'', he showcased his first demo for ''The TakeOver'', a beat 'em up heavily inspired by ''

''. Professional YouTuber Matthew Kowalewski, better known as "Matt McMuscles", offered feedback on

Steam Steam is water vapor, often mixed with air or an aerosol of liquid water droplets. This may occur due to evaporation or due to boiling, where heat is applied until water reaches the enthalpy of vaporization. Saturated or superheated steam is inv ...

and began corresponding with Pelekanos. Matt McMuscles would eventually be offered a contributory role as a writer and producer on the project, which he accepted. After Pelekanos completed the brunt of his work on the game, Matt McMuscles wrote and produced the cut scenes, hiring both artists and voice talent, including

Kira Buckland Kira Buckland (born July 16, 1987) is an American voice actress who has provided voices for English dubbed Japanese anime, cartoons, and video games. Some of her major roles are Jolyne Cujoh in '' JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: Stone Ocean,'' 2B in ...

, Marc Swint and Curtis Arnott.

Reception

DamienMcFerran of ''

Nintendo Life Gamer Network Limited (formerly Eurogamer Network Limited) is a British digital media company based in London. Founded in 1999 by Rupert and Nick Loman, it owns brands—primarily editorial websites—relating to video game journalism and ot ...

'' rated the game positively, saying it was "worth the time and money" compared to ''Streets of Rage 4''. He cited the game's character sprites and lack of online play as downsides, but praised the soundtrack and Yuzo Koshiro's contribution. Matthias Schmid of ''

4Players ''4P'', formerly known as ''4Players'', is a German online magazine that provides news and reviews of video games and related content. Established in August 2000, ''4Players'' is owned by the Hamburg-based company 4Players GmbH, an indirect subs ...

'' also rated it positively, calling it "surprisingly competent". The game was reviewed by ''Gameplay'' magazine in 2019.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:TakeOver, The 2019 video games Dangen Entertainment games Early access video games Indie games MacOS games Nintendo Switch games PlayStation 4 games Side-scrolling beat 'em ups Single-player video games Video game clones Video games developed in Greece Windows games