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Best brawler games on GamesNostalgia

Brawler games, also known as beat 'em ups, are a subgenre of action games that emphasize combat against waves of enemies. Unlike traditional fighting games that focus on one-on-one battles, most brawler games often feature side-scrolling gameplay, allowing players to move horizontally through levels while taking on hordes of enemies. These games typically involve a combination of hand-to-hand combat, weapons, and special moves. The objective is simple: defeat every enemy and progress through the game's story or stages.

Probably the best early example of this genre is Double Dragon, released in 1987 as a coin-op but then ported to all possible platforms. The sequel, Double Dragon II: The Revenge, is still considered one of the best brawler games ever. Karateka for the Apple II and The Last Ninja for the Commodore 64 don't have hordes of enemies, but they are still great examples of early progressive beat-em-up created for home computers.

The gothic horror-themed platformer-brawler Castlevania was released in 1986 for the NES. It was one of the first examples of the metroidvania sub-genre, where the player must explore several levels non-linearly.

SEGA's masterpiece Golden Axe was released in 1989, and it's still one of the best examples of fantasy brawlers with hack & slash co-op mechanics.

We have many examples of great brawlers released for the SEGA Mega Drive/Genesis: from Streets of Rage to Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Hyperstone Heist, without forgetting the fantastic Comix Zone.

On the Amiga side, we should not forget the famous Shadow of the Beast, a game that impressed all players thanks to the high-quality graphics and music.

If you liked these games, don't forget to check the related sub-genre fighting.

Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3 genesis

Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3 is a fighting game developed and published by Midway Games in 1995. It is an improved and slightly different version of Mortal Kombat 3. The original thi...

Year: 1996 Genre: Brawler

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Streets of Rage 2 genesis

Streets of Rage 2, released in Japan as Bare Knuckle II: The Requiem of the Deadly Battle, is a beat-em-up created by SEGA for the Mega Drive/Genesis. It was released in 1993. The ...

Year: 1993 Genre: Brawler

2 players anime brawler genesis original game side-scrolling

The Revenge of Shinobi genesis

The Revenge of Shinobi is the second game in the Shinobi series created by SEGA. Revenge was released in 1989, specifically for the SEGA Mega Drive/Genesis, with the PAL (Europe) version coming out in 1990.

Year: 1989 Genre: Brawler

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Super Street Fighter II Turbo dosamiga

Super Street Fighter II Turbo is a competitive fighting game created by Capcom and released initially as an arcade in 1994. It is the fifth game in the Street Fighter 2 series, b...

Year: 1995 Genre: Brawler

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International Karate + amigacommodore-64

International Karate + is a side-view karate fighting game created by System 3 initially for 8-bit platforms. The game, also known as IK+, or Chop N' Drop in the US, was released f...

Year: 1988 Genre: Brawler

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WWF WrestleMania: The Arcade Game genesis

WWF WrestleMania: The Arcade Game is a coin-op created by Midway in 1995. It is impossible to deny that many of today's adults grew up with games like Super Mario Bros or Sonic. Bu...

Year: 1995 Genre: Brawler

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Shadow of the Beast amiga

Shadow of the Beast is a side-scrolling platformer created by Reflections for the Amiga and published by Psygnosis in 1989. It was considered revolutionary at the time, thanks to i...

Year: 1989 Genre: Brawler

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Rygar: The Legendary Warrior amiga

Rygar: Legendary warrior is an arcade platform action game created by Tecmo in 1986 and ported to several platforms. The game was released in fact for the C64, ZX Spectrum, and Sega Master System.

Year: 2019 Genre: Brawler

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Shadow of the Beast III amiga

Shadow of the Beast III is the third chapter of the fantasy platformer created by Reflections and published by Psygnosis. While the first and second episodes, thanks to the franchi...

Year: 1992 Genre: Platformer

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Shadow of the Beast II amiga

Shadow of the Beast II is the sequel to the popular side-scrolling platformer Shadow of the Beast, created by Reflections and published by Psygnosis. The sequel was released in 1...

Year: 1990 Genre: Brawler

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Super Street Fighter II DX amiga

Super Street Fighter II: The New Challengers is the fourth chapter of the popular beat-em-up series based on the arcade Street Fighter II. This edition, known as Super Street Fighter 2, is the first to use "Super" in the title.

Year: 1995 Genre: Brawler

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Streets of Rage 3 genesis

Streets of Rage 3 is a beat-em-up created by SEGA for the Mega Drive/Genesis, released in 1994. It is the third chapter of the famous Streets of Rage series. After the success of ...

Year: 1994 Genre: Brawler

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One Must Fall 2097 dos

One Must Fall: 2097 is a beat 'em up developed by Diversions Entertainment and published by Epic MegaGames in 1994. It is set in the future, where fighting between humans is outlawed.

Year: 1994 Genre: Brawler

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Double Dragon amigagame-boy-advance

Double Dragon is a beat them up created by Technos Japan and released in 1987 by Taito. Originally released as an arcade game, versions were also made for home computers and consol...

Year: 1988 Genre: Brawler

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