President Blake Orama just got kidnapped by ninja dragon terrorists!

April 22, 2020 3:07 PM

Treachery In Beatdown City [YouTube][Game Trailer] “Treachery in Beatdown City looks like a new take on Double Dragon for the NES, but it actually plays a lot more like Bravely Default II or another high-level strategy turn-based RPG. That's what's going on under the hood. In terms of the body, it's a story of underdogs who aspire to upturn the system. That's just one of the ways it reminds me of Undertale, another game that looks like one thing but is something else entirely, that boldly wore its outsider status on its sleeve. Treachery ticks all the same boxes while delivering an entirely different message: sometimes, violence is good.” [via: Destructoid]

• A Solid Punchline [Gamespot]

“Treachery in Beatdown City takes on the style of an over-the-top late-'80s beat-'em-up that you might spot at an arcade, but from the second you start playing you can tell it’s doing much more than just emulating the past. Playing with the standard style of brawler games by utilizing smart humor and classic tactics mechanics, it creates an exciting amalgamation of genres that makes almost every punch fun. [...] Treachery in Beatdown City uses humor skillfully as a tool to deal with contemporary issues with the gig economy, insidious tech company ploys, and obnoxious bigots. It has some lulls and a bit of an abrupt conclusion, but that’s overshadowed by how especially fun the conversations and combat are. The mechanics stand out and push against the standards of the brawler genre, injecting a strong tactics twist that lets you make some freestyle combos in the blink of an eye. In the end it was a short, satisfying playthrough that maintained its action movie aura the entire time. Treachery in Beatdown City is all about fighting, but it shines because at its core it’s about fighting back.”

• A Throwback Brawler With a Twist [Screen Rant]

“Treachery emphasizes spacing and patience in lieu of running in with fists blazing. Regardless of your chosen brawler, a quick button press allows you to freeze time and schedule up to three consecutive actions, so long as you have enough Fight Points (FP) and bars on your action meter. You then string together combos with strikes and grapples before backing off to recharge before returning to the fray. The battle system and rhythm of combat is distinctive, which helps with Treachery’s solid first impression. It’s a shame that the first tutorial area (and then a healthy chunk of the nex) front-loads entirely too much information, most of which is never adequately documented or stored in a help menu. For example, Bruce possesses a character ability where he activates special buffs or debuffs by stringing certain moves together, a key detail which is easy to miss or skip through by mistake.”

posted by Fizz (9 comments total)

This sounds awesome.

I first heard of Open Mike Eagle last week on This Might Be a Podcast, talking about his influence by TMBG, so this appeals to me as a huge fucking nerd.
posted by Countess Elena at 3:21 PM on April 22, 2020

Treachery in Beatdown City is all about fighting, but it shines because at its core it’s about fighting back.

Are you a bad enough dude to rescue the proletariat?
posted by mhoye at 3:35 PM on April 22, 2020 [11 favorites]

The chiptune music for this game, I'm pretty certain, was made in 2013 (released 2014), and is from the artist Inverse Phase. It's a spectacular album to download and work to.
posted by JoeXIII007 at 4:48 PM on April 22, 2020 [4 favorites]

Ha, someone s been watching me narrate my insurrectionist themed River City Ransom sessions
posted by eustatic at 5:40 PM on April 22, 2020 [1 favorite]

Oh wow. I kickstarted this 5 year ago and had totally forgotten about it. Thanks for the reminder I'm going to go download it right now.
posted by thecjm at 7:30 PM on April 22, 2020

Inverse Phase?! That's a name I've not heard since my days following the tracker scene...
posted by kaibutsu at 12:59 AM on April 23, 2020

Imo the classic beatem up is one of the finest and funnest forms of gaming. The ones with some strategic depth are best, and this definitely seems like an interesting good move.
Maybe a bit like the real-time/freeze time in Fallout?
posted by SaltySalticid at 5:31 AM on April 23, 2020

Maybe a bit like the real-time/freeze time in Fallout?

It's as if Double Dragon & Fallout 3 had a sidescrolling beat-em-up baby. This is it.
posted by Fizz at 7:53 AM on April 23, 2020

I can't seem to find this on the Switch store even though everything says it's been released. I'm in Spain, but from what I can see it shouldn't make a difference.
posted by jpziller at 1:02 PM on April 23, 2020