Chris InglisThe Karate Kid: Street Rumble is a side-scrolling beat ‘em up developed by Odaclick Game Studio and published by GameMill Entertainment. The game launched on September 20 on PC and consoles and brings the iconic 80s movie franchise into video game form and offers a nostalgic trip down memory lane for fans of the original films. I missed playing the Cobra Kai games so I jumped at the chance to dive into this one.
Having been hooked on the Netflix series Cobra Kai the last couple of years, nostalgia has been at an all-time high for The Karate Kid. I have been wanting to watch the original movies, but this game has ticked some of the nostalgia boxes for me. The game’s story mode follows Daniel LaRusso as he navigates the challenges of high school and the world of karate. Seeing characters such as Ali, Johnny Lawrence, Kumiko and Mr Miyagi faithfully recreated in pixel art is fantastic and the story progresses through familiar locations from the trilogy.
There are five difficulties to choose to play in, with easy and medium unlocked, and the rest are unlocked once you complete a level on the previous difficulty. There are 12 levels to play in locations such as Topanga Beach, West Valley High, Cobra Kai Dojo, the All Valley Tournament, and more. Each playable character has their own unique fighting style and special moves with more special moves unlocked through gameplay. The combat system is simple, featuring light and heavy attacks, special moves, and a dodge button. You can run into an enemy and hold them to specifically attack them, but this opens you up to attacks from others.
The combat feels satisfying, with each hit and kick packing a punch. The enemies are diverse and challenging, most are unarmed but others have weapons like baseball bats, wrenches and ranged chains that can catch you off guard. Timing your attacks will also block oncoming attacks so you don’t need to worry a lot about positioning. In saying that, I did find it sometimes tricky to get on the same attack line as the enemy units. Additionally, you can bash boxes, trash cans and other items that may provide health pickups or bonsai trees that will replenish your special power meter.
Boss fights range in difficulty, with the first being Johnny Lawrence riding a motorcycle and the second phase you go toe-to-toe with him. Some have multiple phases too, but you quickly learn the timing of hits and dodges. You can also unlock different clothing skins for the characters which connects them to certain scenes from the movies. Seeing these iconic characters in movie locations and combined with the music that captures the 80s vibe well produces for a fun and nostalgic beat ‘em up.
Overall, The Karate Kid: Street Rumble is an excellent nostalgic beat ‘em up with the iconic movie characters and locations on show in pixel form. Being able to repeat missions at higher difficulties and unlocking new special moves as you progress adds some great replayability.
This review utilised a PlayStation 5 key provided by Five Star Games and The Karate Kid: Street Rumble is available now on PlayStation, Xbox, Steam, Epic Games Store, and Nintendo Switch.
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Daniel Agius
