Overview – developed by Fallen City Studio with publishing by Eastasiasoft, Fallen City Brawl is an arcade style brawler set in 1989, inspired by classics of the genre from the past. As one of four vigilantes, take to the streets and battle the criminal syndicate that has taken over Fallen City. This title is now available on consoles, with Nintendo Switch/ Switch 2, PlayStation and Xbox versions, with links to each platform at the bottom of this review.
Disclaimer: before I get into the review, I would like to thank Eastasiasoft for providing the copy of Fallen City Brawl that was used for this piece. The provision of this software has not influenced the contents of this review, all thoughts and opinions contained within are my own.
Now with the introductions out of the way, let’s get into the review, starting with the story. I have previously covered the game for Steam when it was first released, which you can find (HERE). Most of the content in this review will be similar, with new details on how the console version plays and feels, as well as updates that were added to the game. The story has been taken directly from the game.
Story – In 1989, a brutal battle for control of Fallen City’s criminal underworld rages, a once peaceful city descends into chaos. A former black-ops mercenary known only as ‘Ignition Gear’ seizes control. Ignition Gear’s six deadly lieutenants grip each area of the city, hope is almost lost. Only four stand against them. Joined by a fearsome wolf, together they will decide tonight in Fallen City. Who will live and who will fall.
Gameplay – Fallen City Brawl is a side scrolling brawler, which takes inspiration from classic games of the past. In this chaotic beat em’ up, players will take the fight to 7 areas of Fallen City, either alone or with a teammate. To free Fallen City from the criminal syndicate, they will need to beat down the criminal thugs and powerful boss commanders. The only game mode for this release is arcade mode, with an interactive tutorial for players to try the playable characters.
The vigilantes are unique and varied, each with a unique fighting style, special attacks and personal weapons. The crew consists of SGT Clay, a former Swat member framed for a come he didn’t commit. Ricco, a special forces soldier with a personal grudge against Ignition Gear. The mechanic Natasha, fighting to rescue her sister from the grip of the syndicate, and Iron Jackson, a former member of the group seeking revenge after being betrayed.
All playable characters share a basic move set, with a combo attack that will knock enemies to the ground, alongside unique extenders that can have additional effects. The special weapons have limited uses, with Natasha swinging a wrench, Iron Jackson throwing Molotov Cocktails and the trained officers bringing their firearms. If the player runs out of ammo for their attacks, they will be able to pick up weapon use bonuses by defeating enemies.
While fighting enemies, they will be able to knock enemies down, juggle them with combo extenders and deal big damage by slipping weapon attacks in. As the player beats down the enemy forces, they will build up a combo counter which will reset if the player fails to extend it. Players will also be able to grapple enemies for extra damage, use ground and pound attacks, launch them into the air and rebound them off walls for maximum combo gains.
If the player gets surrounded, they can unleash unique character special attacks. These special desperation attacks will use the SP bar, which is a new feature that replaces the original health drain for usage. As the player cracks skulls across the city, enemies will drop gems that can be collected filling a meter on screen. By collecting the gems that get scattered across the ground, the player can unleash one of three special ultimate attacks.
When the player fills the first segment of the meter, they can use RIOT power, dealing damage to enemies and enhancing attack power for a limited time. At the second level of RIOT power, a character specific summon will occur, including a wolf that will attack enemies. When the meter is filled completely, CHAOS MODE can be activated and two powerful shadow enemies will appear, attacking the player and offering great rewards if defeated.
Alongside the gems that are dropped by defeating enemies, there will be money that will fall on the ground. By collecting the money, players will gain additional points to their score, improving their scores to climb the rankings. If the player fully fills the RIOT meter, or uses the super attacks, coins will be dropped, which will change to red coins when RIOT power is used. If the player is able to collect over 100 coins, they will gain an extra life.
While making their way through stages, players will be able to interact with the environment, picking up items and weapons that are found on the ground. The objects include boxes, barrels and even enemy motorcycles, with weapons consisting of hammers, swords and bats to name a few. Weapons have limited durability and will break after using them for a while. This adds some unpredictability to the combat taking place throughout the game.
When the player reaches the end of a stage, the player will encounter a powerful boss, with unique gimmicks to each of these opponents. The powerful enemies include a gang leader with heavy weapons, a Samurai in the snow and 80s style martial arts villain on a train. As each of these foes appear, the challenge significantly increases as they hit harder with unique attack patterns. Some of the bosses also call henchmen into the battle, adding to the risks.
Once the final blow has been landed on the boss, the score screen will appear and bonus points will be awarded for how the player performs. These bonuses include extra points for the number of gems and coins collected, as well as the time left when the stage is cleared. If the player is able to gain a high enough score, they will be able to secure a good place on the in game leaderboards. But this can be difficult as scores reset if the player loses all lives and continues.
At the start of the game, the player will have three lives and limited credits, which should be enough to make it to the end of the game. However, in the event that the player runs out of credits during play, they will be able to continue the game from the main menu. This will refill the lives and credits for the player, allowing them a chance to get through the game and reach the end. This makes the game beatable by players of all skill levels.
In this updated release, there are brand new features that have been added. These include additional difficulty settings, with an Easy and Hard mode, alongside the changes to the special move system. There is also new content for players to experience, with two special stages that can be unlocked, as well as unlockable character palettes to change the look of the characters. All of these updates have also been added to the PC release of the game.
Now with the gameplay covered, it is time to discuss the other aspects of this release, starting with the controls.
Controls – as this is an arcade style brawler, there is an easy to pick up control system, using only 5 buttons for all of the combat actions. During play, the action is responsive with reactive inputs and no issues in terms of delay or lag. The game works well when using the standard Joy-Con 1 and 2 controllers, with the option for 2 player using attached controls. For those who want a fuller feel to the controls, the game is comfortable with pro-controllers and third party offerings.
Difficulty – The original version of the game had some minor issues in terms of balance, where the difficulty would spike and lead to unfair situations. This has mostly been remedied in the updates, with the game feeling a lot more balanced during play at the default setting. With the additional difficulty settings, there are more enemies, more damage to deal and take, all with a significantly more chaotic experience at the max level of challenge.
Presentation – Visually, Fallen City Brawl has a retro feel to the spritework, with a graphical style that is reminiscent of classics from the 16/32-bit era. The environments are nicely detailed and the animations are smooth, with artful scaling and tricks with effects like flames adding to the style. All of this is complimented by an excellent soundtrack, offering tracks that have the feel of the time, bridging the gap and making it feel like it could have been in arcades.
Final Thoughts – I previously covered the PC version of Fallen City Brawl a year ago, having a good time with it although it needed some polish to be truly great. Now with the console version being released, I am happy to say that many of the little issues have been buffed out. There have been significant improvements, allowing the game to live up to the potential on show a year ago, making the game a complete package that is a lot of fun.
The action is fast and chaotic, with the snappy brawling being a lot of fun in motion, which is further enhanced by the improved mechanics and special move system. The rebalanced difficulty, additional stages and unlockable palettes give this game more staying power, especially with the resurgence of the brawler genre. The game isn’t perfect, as there are some minor spikes in difficulty at times, but all in all, I can recommend this game to everyone.
In the end, I give the new and improved Fallen City Brawl a score of 4.25/5. This is a great retro style beat ‘em up that has been polished a lot in the last year, with enhanced gameplay, updated content and a lot of the lil imperfections buffed out, making it one of the better brawlers of the year. If you want to check this title out for yourself, a link to the console versions, as well as the PC releases will be below.
Link to Nintendo Switch version (HERE) – Supported on Switch 2
Link to PlayStation version (HERE)
Link to Xbox version (HERE)
Link to Steam version (HERE)
Link to GOG version (HERE)
