Streets of Rage: Neon District

Streets of Rage: Neon District puts Rhea and Vale on the streets of a city caught in a blackout. This side-scrolling brawler spans eight district chapters, with groups of opponents, weapons to pick up and bosses to confront. Your job is to keep moving through the district while making room to fight. Punching is only one part of the toolkit: kicks, jumps, dodges and throws give you different ways to handle a crowded encounter.

Make space before committing to an attack

Watch an opponent's windup before you move into striking distance. A dodge can help you leave the path of an incoming hit, while a grab or throw offers an alternative to exchanging punches. Try the different attacks individually at first so you can recognise their reach. Once the inputs feel familiar, combine movement with airborne attacks rather than remaining in the same spot and pressing the attack button repeatedly.

Choose between Rhea, the quick-handed mechanic, and Vale, the heavy-hitting former detective. The district structure and local checkpoints give the campaign a clear sense of progress. Use a retry to change the decision that caused trouble: approach from a different position, dodge sooner or leave room to escape before starting another attack. Weapons add another option when you encounter them along the route.

Keyboard, mouse and touch controls

• Move with WASD or the arrow keys.
• Press J or left-click to punch; press K or right-click to kick.
• Use E to grab, throw or pick up an item.
• Press Shift or L to dodge, and Space to jump.
• Pause with P or Esc. On mobile, use the displayed movement and action controls.

The neon city setting makes this a different kind of adventure from the elemental-knight battles in Castle Crashers: Stolen Sun. Stay with Neon District when you want street fighting built around positioning, close-range attacks and working your way through the city's chapters.