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The Karate Kid has seen successful outings on both big and small screens, but one area where the series has struggled is in gaming.The Karate Kid: Street Rumblebreaks from the tradition of subpar licensed games with a beat-‘em-up that lets you relive the events of the first three films.
You’re able to play through the trilogy as Daniel, Mr. Miyagi, Ali, and Kumiko, all rendered in beautiful era-appropriate pixel art. The road to karate glory won’t be easy, however, and you’ll square off against many tough opponents on your journey. Use these tips to knock out your foes and prove you’re the best around.
Stick With One Character During Your First Playthrough
All playable characters in Street Rumblelevel up as you defeat opponents and complete levels. This progression gives youaccess to new signature attacksandvarious gameplay buffs, such as additional lives and an increased Focus meter.
While it may be appealing to try out the entire roster, doing somay leave characters underleveledtowards the end of the campaign, making the final stages disproportionately challenging.
Trophy hunters will be rewarded for their loyalty as well; there areachievements for reaching both level ten and max levelwith each playable character.
Play Minigames To Practice Combos
During the campaign, Street Rumble will have brief interludes to introduce minigames. Karate Practice and Tournament Practice (unlocked at the end of the game) are of particular note, since they see youpracticing the combosyou can unleash on bullies during traditional levels.
It’s worth spending some extra time in these modes to learn every combo andmaster the game’s timing, letting you dish out serious punishment to the enemies who get in your way.
Make Use Of Throws For Crowd Control
If youwalk into an opponent, your character willinitiate a grapple. You’re then given the option to continue pummeling them with the light attack button, orlaunch them with a heavy attack.
These throws become invaluable when there are a lot of enemies on screen, asthe thrown enemy will hit any others in their path, knocking them all down. Not only does it deal damage to all of them, but it also gives you a moment to think, letting you plan how you want to attack next.
Conserve Focus
As you sink your fists into your foes, you’ll notice apurplegauge filling up underneathyour health bar. This is yourFocus, a resource that can beused to unleash your character’s signature attacks. Each move costs one portion of the gauge, and as you continue to level up your character, they will gain additional segments in the Focus meter.
There is one other way that your Focus can be depleted, and that’s bybeing hit by attacks. The Focus gauge will actuallyprotect you from losing any healthas long as it hasn’t been fully emptied, and that’s why it’s soimportant not to spam your signature moves.
It’s possible to make it through an entire level without your health being affected at all, but if you don’t pay attention to your Focus, you’ll be running out of lives quickly.
Jump To Avoid Damage
Anyone who has practiced Karate knows the importance of having a strong base, with a lot of your power coming from your hips and legs. It makes sense then that most of the enemies in Street Rumblekeep their feet planted firmly on the ground.
It also means theirattacks can often be avoided simply by jumping. Use your aerial strikes to stay on the offensive while minimizing the risk of being walloped.
Prioritize Barriers
In certain stage sections, you’ll come across barriers that will block your progress. You’ll need todestroy them in order to continue, but that task is made significantly more difficult by the waves of thugs that come to attack you.
The barriershould be your first priority, since destroying it will stop further enemies from spawning. Use these lowlifes as punching bags to build your Focus, thenunleash a barrage of signature attacksinto the barrier.
If you find yourself struggling with the horde onscreen, use throws, heavy attacks, or other techniques toknock enemies to the groundand buy yourself some time to hit the wall.
Look For Pickups
Street Rumble has a small collection of pickups that can help you on your journey. They’ll helprecover your health, Focus, and evenboost your attack power.
In contrast to other beat-‘em-ups, they won’t simply be dropped by enemies after besting them. Instead, you’ll have to peruse the environment,punching parts of the background to see if they hide useful items. It’s encouraged toattack every interactable elementin a stage; you never know if it holds a useful power-up!
Remember To Parry
Along with jumping and storing Focus, Street Rumble has one more way of avoiding damage, and that’sdodging. Though the game refers to it as performing a dodge, it’smuch more similar to a parry, since you don’t move at all and areallowed to attack immediately afterward.
Executing a parry is as simple as pressing the corresponding button (Circle/B/A)right before you get hit. If done correctly, you’llnegate any impact on your Focus or health, and be given an opportunity to strike. It’s a high-risk, high-reward technique, but it can be incredibly useful during boss fights to hold your ground without losing access to your signature moves (or your life).
