Take on me

When will these street thugs ever learn?

They're always trying to take over not just the neighborhood, but the whole damn city too. But that's okay because we got a core trio of vigilante badasses ready, willing, and capable of stopping them.

This time though, they will be taking the fight to the streets armed with an impressive arsenal of moves, weapons, and special abilities. It won't be long before peace is restored. Welcome to The Takeover.

Taking it to the streets

Developed and published by indie developer Pelikan13, The Takeover pays homage to classic 90s to beat 'em ups like Final Fight and Streets of Rage. The first thing you notice about The Takeover is the glorious modernized graphics. The colors, special effects, and dazzling backgrounds make this fight worthy of a first look.

The story is as old as time, but it goes something like this: some hooligans take something very precious from you and you vow to get her back in any way possible. You hit the mean streets ready to give (and take) punishment and to clean up the crime-ridden city once and for all. The engaging graphics features well-detailed characters that are easily identifiable even with half a dozen characters on screen at once.

As for features, The Takeover sound puts up a brave front with clear grunts and groans and a heavily stylized techno beat that is sure to keep your fist-pumping. 

As a standard beat'em up, The Takeover delivers solid gameplay and borrows heavily from the classic genre, especially in character appearance and moves. You have your typical mohawk-fighting brute, a sword-wielding femme fatale, and the standard shirtless baddies who patiently wait their turn before punching you in the face.

Crime Doesn't Pay

Unfortunately, the problems that plagued other side-scrolling fighters from the past seem to rear their ugly head in the form of hit detection. Oftentimes, when you're surrounded by enemies, trying to get them lined up to deliver a devastating rage attack doesn't always work resulting in nothing more than a few background items exploding but no real damage done to your enemies.

Another drawback is some of the levels are long-winded making it feel like you're just smashing buttons instead of dishing out punishment. This is especially true for the flying jet sequence which seemed to go on and on. Fortunately, what's long for some, may be perfect for another.

Something else to consider is that you can play with a buddy using local co-op but not online which is something this type of game needs. Hopefully, this will be added in a future update or in a sequel. 

All-in-all, Pelikan13 does an admirable job of tapping into our memory bank with The Takeover. While it does not beat any of the originals, it does provide enough charm, action, and thumb-numbing action to keep you fighting until Street of Rage 4 is released.

Joel

Healthcare Professional, Gamer, and Writer all rolled up in one. He once opened up an old Atari 2600 to see if it had a heart ... and it did. Hence, the lifelong love affair with gaming.

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