Juggle City.
The arcade Beat’em Up is a genre I rarely tire of. There are certainly better ones than others, but even the most disappointing entries usually have some redeeming qualities. In recent years, largely due to the success of certain titles, the genre has seen a huge boom in popularity. TMNT: Shredder’s Revenge did wonders to reinvigorate the Beat’em Up, as did the return of numerous others in Double Dragon and Streets of Rage.
The latest to throw down is Fallen City Brawl, which takes place in the titular city of Fallen City, as you attempt to reclaim the streets as a battle for control of the criminal underworld rages on. The city has been taken over by Ignition Gear, who serves as the main antagonist, a man with whom the central characters have some sort of history with. While the game does mention the origins of Ignition Gear, it sadly does nothing to present him as any sort of threat or status. Hell, you’ll beat him without even knowing he’s the last guy.
With four unique characters and seven stages spread out across subways, industrial beaches, and a local gym, not to mention local 2-player co-op, Fallen City Brawl is a brief but largely enjoyable brawler that is fun for a few playthroughs, even if it certainly lacks a strong identity of its own. While it only features local play, Steam Remote Play worked great, even despite a few crashes during the RIOT and CHAOS supers.
Fallen City Brawl is clearly inspired by the Beat’em Ups of the past, as you fight through each stage, wielding weapons, performing devastating combo attacks, counters, special attacks, RIOT and CHAOS supers, all to a kick ass soundtrack by legendary Capcom composer, Daniel Lindholm.
The cast revolves around four strangers and a wolf, for some reason. They consist of Sgt. Clay, an ex-Swat Team member framed for a crime he didn't commit, Ricco, a Special Forces Operative who lost his entire unit to Ignition Gear, and Iron Jackson, who wants revenge against Ignition Gear. Finally, we have Natasha, a mechanic who is trying to find her sister and pull her from the clutches of Ignition Gear. They band together to stop him, and each find what they want in the end.
Throughout the seven stages, you'll combat six Lieutenants under the command of Ignition Gear, who serves as the final boss. I really wish there was some sort of cutscene element to the bosses, giving them a bit more presentation. I will stress that you should certainly play this game on hard since most bosses, especially in two-player, can be killed within 5 seconds as you juggle them in the corner, making you wonder if they are actually the boss at all.
The characters do generally play very similarly, with slightly different skills. Sgt. Clay, for example, has his shotgun, whereas Natasha can throw her large wrench, each acting as a ranged attack. Clay’s Shotgun also requires ammo, so you'll find ammo defeating enemies and destroying boxes, and containers. That said, while Natasha can throw her wrench, she too, requires ammo to accomplish this feat. The only other real differences are how characters act when sprint attacking or their drop kicks, to which Iron Jackson throws out Roman Reigns’ Superman punch.
Each character has RIOT Supers and CHAOS Supers that generally clear the screen; you simply need to acquire crystals that you'll find in battle. These attacks are fairly flashy; it's pretty easy to rack up the crystals to perform them again and again.RIOT Supers are your first to build up, with a fully stocked arrangement of crystals, then allowing the use of CHAOS Supers, who can cause special boss characters to show up during boss fights. Honestly, this is the only feature in the game that is original and lends itself to making the game better.
Fallen City Brawl features large sprites, keeping the action pretty close. There are some wonky walking animations, such as Clay's head not moving when he walks, but the overall look of the game is nonetheless solid. It has a very arcade vibe, far more so than the last Double Dragon, or even the Karate Kid game, which I adore. It gives the game a great look, for as limited as the art assets allow.
If I had to knock Fallen City Brawl for anything drastic, it is that the game is a half hour long with no real reason for replaying it other than trying out the other characters or attempting to defeat all CHAOS bosses. There are no galleries, collectibles, additional characters, costumes, or anything to grind away and give reason to play through it again. During the review period, I played through the game solo, and then two full playthroughs in co-op. Will I play the game again? I don’t think so, I’ve seen everything it offers three times so far.
Fallen City Brawl has its moments, and much of what is here is sound. It does lack some presentation issues and its identity is simply not there. When the final boss fell, I frankly didn't even realize that was it, making its story and resolution to largely fall flat. I think a sequel with a bigger emphasis on its story, characters, and world would provide something to really make it stand apart.
Developer - Fallen City Studio. . Publisher - Eastasiasoft. Released - August 12th, 2025. Available On - Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, PS4, PS5, Nintendo Switch, PC. Rated - (N.A) No Rating. Platform Reviewed - PC - Steam. Review Access - Review code was provided by the publisher for the purpose of this review.
Jeff is the original founder of Analog Stick Gaming. His favorite games include The Witcher III, the Mass Effect Trilogy, Hi-Fi Rush, Stellar Blade, Hellbade: Senua’s Sacrifice, and the Legend of Heroes series, especially Trails of Cold Steel III & IV.