is a trilogy of

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, ...

video game Video games, also known as computer games, are electronic games that involves interaction with a user interface or input device such as a joystick, controller, keyboard, or motion sensing device to generate visual feedback. This fee ...

s released 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 Famicom 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 ...

. Although all three games were released outside

Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...

localization Localization or localisation may refer to: Biology * Localization of function, locating psychological functions in the brain or nervous system; see Linguistic intelligence * Localization of sensation, ability to tell what part of the body is a ...

resulted in various changes to the games' storylines and

gameplay Gameplay is the specific way in which players interact with a game, and in particular with video games. Gameplay is the pattern defined through the game rules, connection between player and the game, challenges and overcoming them, plot and pla ...

. While all three titles were released under the ''Rushing Beat'' name in Japan, localized versions used three distinct titles and changed storylines and character names. In the Japanese versions, the storyline mainly revolves around two heroes, Rick Norton and Douglas Bild. The original

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

title refers to a ''rushing'' attack and the fact that Norton (a plainclothes detective) and Bild (a uniformed officer) are police officers working a ''beat''. According to the Japanese storyline, the game locale's name is "Neo-Cisco", a futuristic

San Francisco, California San Francisco (; Spanish for " Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the fourth most populous in California and 17th ...

Gameplay

The games play like typical beat'em ups, with both jump and attack buttons. The attack button allows players to use a standing combination of attacks, as well as jumping attacks, holds and throws. Each game features a one or two player mode, in which the player must defeat a plethora of enemies using

punch Punch commonly refers to: * Punch (combat), a strike made using the hand closed into a fist * Punch (drink), a wide assortment of drinks, non-alcoholic or alcoholic, generally containing fruit or fruit juice Punch may also refer to: Places * Pun ...

es,

kick A kick is a physical Strike (attack), strike using the leg, in unison usually with an area of the knee or lower using the foot, heel, tibia (shin), ball of the foot, blade of the foot, toes or knee (the latter is also known as a knee (strike), ...

s and various weapons collected throughout the course of the game. Like other games in the genre, a powerful special attack can also be launched, at the cost of some of the player's health. Later games in the series added additional super attacks that could be performed using various button/directional combinations. One of the main features of the series is the "Angry" (Original Japanese: ''"Ikari"'') mode where the character, after taking enough damage, becomes temporarily

invincible Invincible may refer to: Film and television * ''Invincible'' (2001 drama film), a drama by Werner Herzog about Jewish cabaret during the rise of Nazism * ''Invincible'' (2001 TV film), a fantasy / martial arts TV movie starring Billy Zane ...

and has more powerful throws. The games have also featured versus modes, in which up to four players (in the third game) can battle each other.

Games

''Rushing Beat'' is the first entry to the series. The game was released outside Japan as ''

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 ...

'', but Western versions omitted the game's introduction scene and changed the names of the game's protagonists from "Rick Norton" and "Douglas Bild" to "Jack Flak" and "Oozie Nelson" respectively. The second game in the series is ''Rushing Beat Ran''. The game retained the playable characters from the first game in the series and added several other playable characters. The game was released in Western markets as '' Brawl Brothers''. Norton and Bild's names were again changed, this time to "Hack" and "Slash". The Japanese version is playable in ''Brawl Brothers'' through the 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 third and final game in the series is ''Rushing Beat Shura''. The game included new

player character A player character (also known as a playable character or PC) is a fictional character in a video game or tabletop role-playing game whose actions are controlled by a player rather than the rules of the game. The characters that are not control ...

s, branching story paths, new special moves and several different endings. Rick Norton is available as a secret character while Douglas Bild only makes a hidden

cameo appearance A cameo role, also called a cameo appearance and often shortened to just cameo (), is a brief appearance of a well-known person in a work of the performing arts. These roles are generally small, many of them non-speaking ones, and are commonly eit ...

. The game was released outside Japan as ''

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 ...

'', with various changes and omissions affecting the game's storyline, gameplay and

soundtrack A soundtrack is recorded music accompanying and synchronised to the images of a motion picture, drama, book, television program, radio program, or video game; a commercially released soundtrack album of music as featured in the soundtrack o ...

External links

Exploration of the trilogy
{{DEFAULTSORT:Rushing Beat (Series) 1992 video games City Connection franchises Super Nintendo Entertainment System games Jaleco games Cooperative video games Fighting games Beat 'em ups Video game franchises Side-scrolling beat 'em ups Video game franchises introduced in 1992 Video games developed in Japan