Streets of Rage 4 beginner's guide: Tips and tricks to beat the game (without getting beat up yourself)

Improve your brawling gameplay by learning the best characters and moves to use

The word of the street is that one of the best brawlers, Streets of Rage 4, has finally landed on Android and iOS. So far, the hype is warranted. The challenging beat 'em delivers perfected gameplay on Android, so there's no better time to reveal our latest tips and tricks guide to get players into the groove. We've profiled the available Street of Rage 4 characters while detailing what's included in the Mr. X Nightmare downloadable content (DLC), with some handy move examples and general reminders to help you clear those problematic stages.

Character profiling and best moves

We've profiled each character's strengths and weaknesses and highlighted some of their best moves to help alleviate deficiencies while complimenting their particular playstyle. Note: Characters from the early installments in the series are not included.

Adam Hunter

Adam's fighting style resembles traditional kickboxing. He's classified as an all-around/jack of all trades but master of none but excels at using his basic combos to launch opponents in the air. Some of his moves can leave him wide open.

Notable moves: Sword Strike, Roundhouse Kick

Sword Strike used to be one of the best moves in the game, and it's still quite potent. Liftoff is also a valuable alternative when dealing with opponents surrounding you. His finisher, Roundhouse Kick, can knock enemies back.

Axel Stone

Axel offers a martial arts playstyle with some boxing, kickboxing, and karate moves mixed in. He's defined as an all-rounder but with powerhouse capabilities; and struggles against agile and flying opponents but is great against bosses. He also has the strongest offensive star move in the game.

Notable moves: Dragon Smash, Grand Upper

Axel can blitz attack with most weapons. Comboing to Dragon Smash and Grand Upper and then unleashing Axel's star move is one of his best assets against bosses.

Blaze Fielding

Blaze offers a judo playstyle, another all-rounder known for being a little more agile with good anti-aerial and flying attacks in her kit. Her low stamina is her downfall, which means she will take more damage from incoming attacks than other characters.

Notable moves: Hishousouzan, Rekkaken

Rekkaken is a DLC alternative blitz attack; it covers shutting down attacks Hishousouzan struggles against. Blaze's jump kicks also have decent range and can shut down attacks simultaneously.

Cherry Hunter

Cherry's guitar brings a unique flavor offering a technical playstyle that provides hit-and-run and anti-aerial moves (she can grab opponents in midair). Due to her technical playstyle and inherently weaker stamina and power, she is difficult to recommend to beginners but can be powerful in the right hands.

Notable moves: Flying Knee/Sliding Knee, Somersault Kick

Cherry's Somersault Kick can open up plenty of combos if appropriately used. Flying Knee and Sliding Knee are equally helpful for clearing the screen from multiple opponents.

Floyd Iraia

Floyd's excellent at the grab-and-smash playstyle; his bionic arms extend at an acceptable range against his opponents. Since he is technical and power-based, he's very slow, and if his grabs don't connect, he's left open like a sitting duck.

Notable moves: Gatling Punches, Double Smash

Floyd's moves offer a lot of versatility if you prefer more offensive play setting up combos, or defensive moves that counter your opponent. Gatling Punches offers I-frames making it a safer option to use. Double Smash is Floyd's most characteristic move capable of effective crowd control.

Estel Aguirre (Mr. X DLC)

Estel is a master at stun attacks and excels at crowd control. She is classified as a balanced but technical character, and she lacks escape moves to get her out of danger.

Notable moves: Boot Mark, Sucker Punch

String charge attacks in her combos to gain range and I-frames. Diving punches is her best evasive tool to get you out of danger. Police Tackle with follow-up punches can get you in trouble, so swapping to Sucker Punch means you don't have to worry about recovery time from Police Tackle.​​​​​​​

Max Thunder (Mr. X DLC)

Max's strengths and weaknesses are similar to Floyd's, both are technical and power-based characters, but Max is slightly less forgiving to use. He can jump while holding an opponent and resist interruption with some of his attacks.​​​​​​​

Notable moves: Clothes Lining, Atomic Drop

Max's basic combo is the strongest in the game, so use it! He gains armor for activating Clothes Lining, meaning his attack doesn't get interrupted. Atomic Drop is also one of the most powerful moves in the game; Max can grab his opponent from behind and smash them to inflict deadly damage.​​​​​​​

Shiva (Mr. X DLC)

Shiva is power and speed-based with decent midair combo potential. Unfortunately, Shiva has a quirk that prevents him from handling weapons. Instead, he launches them at his opponents for extra damage. He is noted for offering underwhelming basic combos.​​​​​​​

Notable moves: Back Attack, Flying Kick

Back Attack and Flying Kick have good range and reach, and Flying Kick is generally safe. Shiva's moves might add some quirks, but if he lands the combo/hit, it can bring in devastating damage.

Gameplay tips/tricks and valuable techniques

• Best weapons: Naginata (polearm) and Katana (sword) are potent weapons. You'll utilize a weapon to extend your attacking range briefly. All weapons have durability; Naginata and Katana have decent durability and reach. A helpful tip is you can catch weapons in midair.
  
• Consistently execute your combos after using a special move: Health management is vital when you're clearing the stage; landing the best punches will regain a portion of your health.
• Take advantage of your invincibility frames (I-frames): Your most reliable way of defending against a devastating attack. You'll often want to finish combos with a star move or a special to take advantage of I-frames.
  
• Practice makes perfect: Enter the Training mode to practice techniques, combo moves, and receive lessons.
  
• Being stingy with food: Food is split between small and big, so only consume when you need it the most, such as when you're about to get KO'd or after clearing a screen. Don't forget to kick the trash to check if your dinner landed in there! Note: If your health bar is full, you can pick up food to get more points.
  
• Respecting recovery: You'll be unable to act for some time after using some moves, so don't leave yourself vulnerable to your opponent if you can help it. If you're in the air, tap the jump button to recover; tap any button to break free if you're being grabbed.
• Syncing up a controller: Sometimes, touch controls don't translate well when you're feeling out a challenging brawler. Give your touchscreen a rest and try syncing a controller to play. Tap on Options > Video > Button icons to swap your layout.
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​​​​​​​Beat 'em up in Streets of Rage 4

Streets of Rage 4 may be new, but it's already one of the best Android games to be released on this platform. The beat 'em up side-scroller has translated well for mobile gaming, and you even have the option to plug in a controller when you need a break from those touch controls. Streets of Rage 4 is an addictive, fast-paced experience that you can easily play on the go. Check out the title now by navigating to our Play Store link below.