I'll admit, I'm not really capable of writing a thorough review of Rushing Beat Ran. There are five playable characters, but I'm not interested in discussing what differentiates them from one another, tier-lists, or any of that other nonsense. It's all because of Wendy. She activates the neuron. She flips all the switches. She's the "HELL YEAH!" in my bag of HELL YEAH! brand potato chips. Now what is it about her that's got me twisted? One word: Piledriver. Wendy has a piledriver that makes me believe there's purpose on this mudball known as Earth. As soon as I start the game, my very being is dedicated to piledriving everyone, repeatedly. It is the most beautiful of beautiful things.
Before going any further, do note that while I acknowledge the existence of Brawl Brothers, I don't recommend playing it. Somebody at Jaleco got the bizarre idea that this arcade brawler needed maze-like levels, so they turned the Western version into a confusing mess. Maybe the intention was to create "depth" for what they perceived as a mundane brawler. Take my advice and stick with the original. Treat it like the straightforward beatemup that it's supposed to be. The kind where you bash a few bad guys, move right (or left) for a bit, and then bash a few more. Occasionally you'll come across food, obstacles, and weapons; all of which are self-explanatory. Okay, I lied. Food ISN'T self-explanatory. You pick it up by pressing the attack button and then eat it by pressing the attack button again. It's honestly a neat mechanic, since it allows players to carry food until they desperately need it. They're still free to perform leaping or dashing attacks as well as grapples, without chowing down on whatever they're carrying.
Speaking of grapples, let's dive into what makes this game sing. Once again, the main subject of today's piece is Wendy and her gorgeous piledriver. You're probably sick of my endless praise and have some rebuttal locked & loaded but trust me when I say that this is one of the finest piledrivers in beatemup history. It's efficient, fast, clears away anyone in the immediate area, and the grappling system is loose enough that you can chain piledrivers into suplexes or frankensteiners into piledrivers. The way in which Wendy links piledrivers or other grappling maneuvers together almost feels like an exploit. Without much effort, she becomes this unstoppable machine that's ruining every bad guy's day.
Keep in mind however that the enemies aren't hopeless lackies. In fact, they can do a lot of damage the second they get an opening. Several of them are also capable of grabs, and they tend to get priority over the player. Getting around this is actually pretty simple. Instead of trying to grab the first person you see, knock them down with a flying kick. After they're knocked down, they'll sit up and try to recover. This is when they're most susceptible to grabs. Once you get into the rhythm, you'll find that it's extremely satisfying to capture enemies in a vortex of dropkicks and grabs. Unfortunately, using the standing attacks or "magic series" as they're sometimes called, can reset an enemy's... uh... ability-to-grab-you state? Basically, if you're not continually knocking them down and nailing those sweet piledrivers, then they could break out of the vortex and take you out.
Rushing Beat Ran is challenging, but in the wrong way. Food doesn't show up often enough, so even if you're doing well, you're still going to have a hard time avoiding death. The bosses have a comically large number of i-frames, so the most you can hope for is landing a stray jab that stuns them long enough for a grappling attack. Occasionally, they'll perform a move that can be countered, such as the first boss' flame breath. Even then, that particular move has a hitbox that's far too big, making it oddly tough to counter. This game really would've benefitted from some score-based extends or at least more food. I'll be honest. I tend to play with lives and continues set to five. There just isn't enough of an incentive to play exceptionally.
To put it simply, if there's an opportunity to piledrive somebody off of a building, I'll take it. If I can piledrive someone onto a landmine or electrified floor, then I'll do it. It may hurt, and it may kill, but it never stops being fun. Rushing Beat Ran is pure dumb fun. I don't care if it's unbalanced and unpolished. I just want to see my grappling queen Wendy crush adversity endlessly. Also, there are still four other playable characters. They probably have some kick ass moves of their own.
Not that I'll ever know, because Wendy's piledrivers are all I need.
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