''Brawl Brothers'', known in Japan as , is a
side-scrolling beat 'em up
The beat 'em up (also known as brawler and, in some markets, beat 'em all) is a video game genre featuring hand-to-hand combat against a large number of opponents. Traditional beat 'em ups take place in scrolling, two-dimensional (2D) levels, ...
game developed and published by
Jaleco
was a corporate brand name that was used by two previously connected video game developers and publishers based in Japan. The original Jaleco company was founded in 1974 as Japan Leisure Company, founded by Yoshiaki Kanazawa, before being renam ...
for the
Super Nintendo Entertainment System
The Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES), commonly shortened to Super NES or Super Nintendo, is a 16-bit home video game console developed by Nintendo that was released in 1990 in Japan and South Korea, 1991 in North America, 1992 in Eur ...
in 1992. It is the second game in the ''
Rushing Beat
is a trilogy of beat 'em up video games released by Jaleco for the Super Famicom. Although all three games were released outside Japan, localization resulted in various changes to the games' storylines and gameplay. While all three titles were ...
'' series, after ''
Rival Turf!
''Rival Turf!'', released in Japan as , is a beat'em up video game. It was released by Jaleco in 1992 for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System and later on Nintendo's Virtual Console and Nintendo Switch Online service. The game is the f ...
'', and was followed by ''
The Peace Keepers
''The Peace Keepers'', known in Japan as is a beat 'em up video game released for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System in 1993. It is the third game and final game in the '' Rushing Beat trilogy'', following ''Rival Turf!'' and '' Brawl Bro ...
'' in 1993.
Gameplay
As in ''
Final Fight
''Final Fight'' is a series of beat 'em up video games by Capcom, which began with the arcade release of ''Final Fight'' in 1989. Set in the fictional Metro City, the games focus on a group of heroic vigilantes who fights against the control and ...
'', the player has to walk sideways and fight bad guys for several stages. Next to the general food-health supplies, the player can also pick up weapons like sticks, guns, grenades and such. A special "Angry Mode" gives injured fighters a burst of energy.
It is the only known
SNES
The Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES), commonly shortened to Super NES or Super Nintendo, is a 16-bit home video game console developed by Nintendo that was released in 1990 in Japan and South Korea, 1991 in North America, 1992 in Euro ...
game that features its Japanese version on the same cartridge, accessible through use of a
cheat code
Cheating in video games involves a video game player using various methods to create an advantage beyond normal gameplay, usually in order to make the game easier. Cheats may be activated from within the game itself (a cheat code implemented by ...
. The Japanese version of the game features different character names, no maze-like stages, an expanded ending sequence and the addition of a groin kick move for playable character Douglas Bild.
Characters
The player can choose from one of five characters, with American and Japanese version names:
*Hack / Rick Norton, the
street brawler. Compared to ''Rival Turf!'', Norton is more imposing and one of his throws is a deadly German suplex. He now wears bandages around his pants' lower legs to protect his shins. His
boss
Boss may refer to:
Occupations
* Supervisor, often referred to as boss
* Air boss, more formally, air officer, the person in charge of aircraft operations on an aircraft carrier
* Crime boss, the head of a criminal organization
* Fire boss, a ...
stage is a platform surrounded by a steel cage.
*Slash / Douglas Bild, the police officer, who has gained more size as well and wears yellow boots that also go up to half his calf. He can no longer do a Frankensteiner, but his power bomb is much stronger. His alternate throw is an Atomic Drop from the back. In the Japanese version it is an Atomic Drop from the front, which is a direct shot to the groin, which was censored by Nintendo of America. His boss stage is a construction platform that is raised and lowered as the battle goes on.
The new characters aiding them are these:
*Lord J, the
judo
is an unarmed gendai budō, modern Japanese martial art, Olympic sport (since 1964), and the most prominent form of jacket wrestling competed internationally.『日本大百科全書』電子版【柔道】(CD-ROM version of Encyclopedia Nipponi ...
master, slow and lumbering but with powerful throws. His boss stage is a temple court;
*Kazan, the
ninja
A or was a covert agent or mercenary in feudal Japan. The functions of a ninja included reconnaissance
In military operations, reconnaissance or scouting is the exploration of an area by military forces to obtain information about enem ...
, very quick and able to split himself in half to slash foes. His boss stage is a ninja dojo training room and has spikes on the floors which become walls as the room rotates;
*Wendy Milan, the
professional wrestler
Professional wrestling is a form of theater that revolves around staged wrestling matches. The mock combat is performed in a ring similar to the kind used in boxing, and the dramatic aspects of pro wrestling may be performed both in the ring or ...
, rather quick for the powerful moves she can execute. Her boss stage is a conventional wrestling ring whose ropes she can jump on to execute flying attacks.
In a one-player game, a "partner" will chosen for the player at random by the CPU. The remaining characters thereafter (or clones of them per the Japanese storyline) will be chosen as bosses for the first three levels. The remaining level ends with a battle against the final boss, Dieter/Iceman, a martial artist with an extendable and flexible staff.
Reception
''
Nintendo Magazine System'' called it an "outstanding beat' em up which suffers on a few minor accounts" with an overall score of 84%. ''
AllGame
RhythmOne , previously known as Blinkx, and also known as RhythmOne Group, is an American digital advertising technology company that owns and operates the web properties AllMusic, AllMovie, and SideReel.
Blinkx was founded in 2004, went publ ...
'' gave a rating of 3 out of 5 stars, praising the graphics, music, and addition of more enemies and moves than the original game. Criticism included the lack of speed, precision, and polish compared to games like ''
Streets of Rage
''Streets of Rage'' is a series of side-scrolling beat 'em up video games, centering on the efforts of several ex-police vigilantes trying to rid a fictional, large American city from a crime syndicate that has corrupted its local government. ...
'', ''
Double Dragon
is a beat 'em up video game series initially developed by Technōs Japan and released as an arcade game in 1987. The series features twin martial artists, Billy and Jimmy Lee, as they fight against various adversaries and rivals.
The original ...
'', and ''
Street Fighter II
is a fighting game developed by Capcom and originally released for arcades in 1991. It is the second installment in the ''Street Fighter'' series and the sequel to 1987's ''Street Fighter''. It is Capcom's fourteenth game to use the CP Syst ...
''.
Power Unlimited
''Power Unlimited'' is a Dutch multi-format video games magazine. It is the biggest gaming magazine in the Benelux. The first issue was released in June 1993.
History
''Power Unlimited'' started in June 1993 in Bjørn Bruinsma's basement as a n ...
gave a review score of 75% writing: "Brawl Brothers graphics are excellent. They almost match the graphics of the arcade games of 1993. The gameplay may be a bit less, but it's still a great game."
References
External links
''Rushing Beat Ran''a
''Brawl Brothers''at
GameFAQs
GameFAQs is a website that hosts FAQs and walkthroughs for video games. It was created in November 1995 by Jeff Veasey and was bought by CNET Networks in May 2003. It is currently owned by Fandom, Inc. since October 2022. The site has a databa ...
*
{{Rushing Beat series
1992 video games
Beat 'em ups
Cooperative video games
Jaleco games
Video games about ninja
Video games about police officers
Side-scrolling beat 'em ups
Super Nintendo Entertainment System games
Video games developed in Japan
Video games featuring female protagonists
Virtual Console games
Virtual Console games for Wii U
Nintendo Switch Online SNES games
Multiplayer and single-player video games