The beat 'em up genre might not be familiar for everyone, but it occupies a specific niche within action games. Here, gamers will play as a character, battling through hordes of enemies in side-scrolling environments (Belt Scrolling Games). My first ever experience with this genre was "Golden Axe". Me and my friends used to sneakily play the game in primary school during our computer lab classes.
Back in the '90s when these games were everywhere, I never really distinguished them as a "genre". They were just... well, games. Games where you picked a character, plowed through as many stages as possible, and if you were skillful enough and luck was on your side, you would square off against the final boss.
History of the Beat 'Em Up Genre
In a Beat 'em up, the gameplay loop basically revolves around confronting relentless waves of enemies within a side-scrolling 2D environment. Traditionally, the games in this genre will offer linear progression through a series of stages, unfolding the game's story and narrative, peaking in a climactic showdown with the final boss. The controls are also pretty straightforward, often just one or two attack buttons that generate combos, plus a jump button. As you play the game, you'll come across health-boosting pickups, potent weapons that may even grant you new move sets until the weapon breaks. It was the one of the only gaming options if you wanted to play side by side with a friend against computer enemies.
The beat 'em up genre's golden era was during the late '80s all the way through the '90s, championed by titles like "Double Dragon," "Golden Axe," "Final Fight," and "Streets of Rage". Most classic beat 'em ups came from Japan, and their stories usually centered around battling street gangs and their over-the-top bosses.
Eventually, 3D graphics took the gaming world by storm, and the beat 'em up genre of games eventually died out as game developers started focusing on newer ideas.
Beat 'Em Ups in Modern Times
In the recent years, many new beat 'em up games have emerged. Fresh titles like "Double Dragon Gaiden: Rise Of The Dragons," "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder's Revenge," "Streets of Rage 4," and the "River City Girls" series have brought the genre to a new era of young gamers. They've maintained the core beat 'em up charm while weaving in modern-day enhancements. For example: "River City Girls" introduces in-game currency for buying combo skills as well as an open exploration of zones, while "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder's Revenge" offers expansive multiplayer options and a leveling system. I especially love it when the developers use retro pixel art as the game's artstyle, as pixel art really has a certain kind of charm that 3D simply doesn't.
Nintendo Switch and Beat 'Em Ups: A Perfect Match
If you ask me, the Nintendo Switch is THE platform for beat 'em up gaming. Its portability, coupled with its seamless start and stop feature, makes it the best experience for me. I can brawl through a couple of stages, hit pause, and then dive right back in whenever. I have also recently developed an obsession to collect as many beat 'em up games as I can and add them to my Nintendo Switch game library. The eShop's ever-rotating sales also helps with saving money while making collecting every beat 'em up title an exciting chase.
Top Beat 'Em Up Games to Play Today on the Nintendo Switch
These are list of some of the best beat em up games on the switch you should play in my opinion.
Characters (Including Unlockables): 7 (+2 DLC)
Stages: 16
Players: 1 - 6 Players
Characters (Including Unlockables): 7
Stages: 7
Players: 1 - 4 Players
River City Girls
Characters (Including Unlockables): 4
Stages: 6 Zones
Players: 1 - 2 Players
River City Girls 2
Characters (Including Unlockables): 6
Stages: 8 Zones
Players: 1 - 4 Players
Fight'N Rage
Characters (Including Unlockables): 3
Stages: 10
Players: 1 - 3 Players
Characters (Including Unlockables): 21
Stages: 12
Players: 1 - 4 Players
Characters (Including Unlockables): 3
Stages: 6
Players: 1 - 2 Players
The TakeOver
Characters (Including Unlockables): 4
Stages: 7
Players: 1 - 2 Players
Characters (Including Unlockables): 13
Stages: 4
Players: 1 - 2 Players
This is Capcom's collection of 7 classic Beat 'Em Up games.
Why I Love Beat 'Em Ups
So what's the allure of beat 'em ups for me? A combination of nostalgia and pure, unadulterated gaming joy. Most modern games today demand a level of commitment before you can start having fun, beat 'em ups however, allows me to immediately have fun the moment I jump into the stage with my chosen character. The simplistic yet rewarding mechanics of beat 'em up games allow players to feel accomplished with minimal effort, epitomizing the essence of gaming. Completing stages, defeating bosses, and mashing buttons and witnessing your character perform cool combo chains is really the purest form of entertainment a gamer can have.
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