The story of an unassuming underdog rising through the karate ranks thanks to a wise old master who teaches him to fight comically villainous bullies seems perfect for a video game, but there’s never been a good The Karate Kid game.Several developers have given it the old college try over the years, but to no avail.
While the first Cobra Kai game is just mediocre,the second is actively bad and might be one of the most disappointing games I’ve ever played.
Although I’d love to say that I’ve been dreaming of the day that I’d get my hands on a good Karate Kid game, I just didn’t think it could happen. ThenThe Karate Kid: Street Rumble, Odaclick Game Studio’s a2D retro beat ‘em up, was revealed, and a sliver of hope grew slowly but surely in my heart like a bonsai tree.
If there wasanygenre that could finally give The Karate Kid a chance for something half playable,it’s a classic arcade brawler in the vein of Turtles in Time. Street Rumble doesn’t get close to that legendary status (almost nothing could best Turtles, after all), but it does stand firmly with one leg raised as the best Karate Kid game of all-time… even if that’s not saying much.
A Cliffnotes Retelling Of The Karate Kid Trilogy
Street Rumble very loosely recounts the events of the original Karate Kid trilogy, with four playable characters, Daniel, Ally, Miyagi, and Kumiko, fighting from the first All-Valley Tournament all the way to the abandoned Cobra Kai dojo where they’re tormented by everyone’s favourite harasser of children, Terry Silver.
Kumiko and Ally are interesting picks for playable characters that add some variety, but I’m disappointed that Johnny Lawrence isn’t a secret unlockable fighter.
The in-game visuals and detailed sprites do a nice job representing the characters and world of Karate Kid, with most of the locations and events you’d expect to see, like the Halloween dance from the first movie, getting their chance to shine in the spotlight. The characters in particular are a highlight, with each having some charming animations that capture their spirit perfectly even with the limitations of pixelated graphics.
Although it was a nice surprise to see all three movies represented in Street Rumble, it’s hardly the best adaptation of the films, with slideshow cutscenes telling a cliffnotes version of the events that feels like it’d only be understood by people who already know what’s happening. I didn’t expectmuchof a retelling from a retro beat ‘em up, but it doesn’t doesn’t do the overall cheap feeling to its presentation any favours.
Street Rumble’s levels are surprisingly lengthy too, with each stage taking around 10 minutes and feeling a little too long in the tooth.
Satisfying 2D Brawling With A Few Twists
Street Rumble’s visuals are nice enough and fit well with the ‘80s nostalgia, even if they don’t go further beyond that. That goes for the gameplay too - if you’ve ever played a side-scrolling beat ‘em up before, then you’ll know exactly what to expect here. Each character has a mixture of light attacks, heavy attacks, throws, and special moves that are functionally the same as one another, but have unique animations to make them stand out a bit.
Most of the mechanics in Street Rumble aren’t anything new, but they are adequately satisfying, especially with how many enemies you face and wipe the floor with during each level. It tries and adds a bit more depth too by having unlockable moves and stat bonuses as you use each character more and level them up. Think Shredder’s Revenge but more simplistic, which is pretty much Street Rumble in a half (nut) shell.
The only other way that Danny’s retro retelling separates itself from other beat ‘em ups is with how it handles special moves, which are known as signature attacks. As you fight and defeat enemies, you’ll fill up a bar that can be used to unleash powerful near-insta-kill abilities that are different for each character. That part’s pretty standard, but Street Rumble mixes it up a bit by making that same meter a shield for players that depletes when hit.
This creates a nice risk versus reward system. Do you use up your special moves whenever the bar is charged to easily take out enemies, or do you play it safe by holding off on crane kicks and giving yourself a bit more leeway against the more powerful brutes and bosses?
Street Rumble Is Decent, But Doesn’t Go Much Further Than That
Like everything else in Street Rumble, it’s not groundbreaking, but it does show that there’s been some thought and effort into doing something different. That same effort can be seen in the various minigames that are dotted throughout the campaign, which riff on scenes in the movie like catching flies and practising your kicks on a beachside stump.
Street Rumble does have a few unique chase levels, but they don’t really change up the gameplay and still just have you fighting a bunch of dudes.
While Street Rumble does try its best to have an identity, those attempts don’t do all that much to make it stand out. At the end of the day, it’s a fairly generic side-scrolling retro brawler with a decent Karate Kid coat of paint, and it doesn’t need to do much more than that totechnicallybe the best around.
Still, even if Street Rumble doesn’t do much to stand out from the crowd, it’s a decent brawler in its own right and worth checking out for fans of The Karate Kid. It’s not going to win at the All-Valley Tournament, but at least it put up more of a fight than Cobra Kai: Dojo’s Rising.
