Pause your Shenmue session and grab a clean pair of pants, SEGA fans.

On Monday, game publisher Dotemu blessed us with a reveal trailer for Streets of Rage 4, which will be co-developed by Lizardcube and Guard Crush Games.

You can check out the trailer for yourself below.

Series leads Axel Stone and Blaze Fielding are back, but it remains unclear whether any other veteran Streets of Rage characters will be joining them. Sporting a manly beard this time around, Axel seems to have aged just a bit, while Blaze Fielding clearly ages like a fine wine. Who else is more than willing to take a sip?… by trying the game, of course.

While no other playable characters were revealed, old-school Streets of Rage fans should recognize a few of the classic baddies from the series, including the ever-annoying, fire-breathing fat ass. The trailer closes by revealing a mysterious woman who is apparently a talented snake handler. Her prominence in the trailer indicates that she may be the main villain in Streets of Rage 4, and if that’s the case, I’ll bet you a nickel her name is “Mrs. X.”

Streets of Rage 4 is being published by Dotemu in association with SEGA, whether that means Dotemu has merely acquired the publishing rights, or whether a specific deal for the Streets of Rage IP has been struck similar to Shenmue 3, is unclear at this time. We have reached out to both SEGA and Dotemu for a clarification. Still, SEGA fans may recognize the developers – Lizardcube – as the team who recently revived Wonder Boy III: the Dragon’s Trap in 2017, and Streets of Rage 4 features a similar, beautifully hand-drawn art style. Assisting Lizardcube is Guard Crush Games, who developed 2009’s bizarre Streets of Fury, a brawler in much the same vein as the Streets of Rage series… sort of.

Unfortunately, many key details surrounding Streets of Rage 4 including release date, platforms, price, and Yuzo Koshiro’s involvement in the soundtrack remain a mystery for the moment. In the meantime, be sure to stay tuned to The Splintering for all things Blaze Fielding… I mean, all things Streets of Rage 4… heh.

Source: SEGA Nerds

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