Treachery in Beatdown City Ultra Remix
Foreword. The MOMENT I was about to publish this article, I saw a tweet on the official account that made me cackle out loud. Earlier today (as of the date of this article), I received a National Alert System test both in English and Spanish. One of the ongoing jokes in Treachery in Beatdown City is that the mayor is terribly bad at Spanish. Now, I don't want to say this tweet is in reference to that, but it's this kind of humor that really drove home how great this game is when it comes to being self-aware. Bravo. Now, on to the review!
Today, the long-awaited DLC for Treachery in Beatdown City, aptly titled ‘Ultra Remix’ releases on all major platforms. The RPG beat-em-up was also released on the Xbox consoles for the first time, including Ultra Remix. This review wouldn’t be possible without NuChallenger and HurakanWorks, not only for giving us a code but also for creating Beatdown City. I’ve never played a game quite like this, as a fellow New York resident born and raised. The first time I heard of Treachery in Beatdown City was back in the beginning of 2023 and it was purely a chance encounter.
In January, the New York Game Awards was held in midtown Manhattan not far from our old office space. The atmosphere was awe-inspiring, featuring a “who’s who” of important video game icons. It was here that I met Shawn Alexander Allen of NuChallenger as well as became acquainted with Treachery in Beatdown City Ultra Remix. For more information on the developers themselves and why I’ve taken a fascination with the game, I highly recommend checking my coverage of the New York Game Awards first.
As someone who lives in New York City, both being Black and queer, you tend to notice a lot of situations that you happen to be in simply for existing. Many of the cutscenes shown in Beatdown City reflect city life from the perspective of three diverse characters who are all ordinary people who learned not to take disrespect from anyone. Lisa is the first character that players are introduced and as an Afro-Hispanic woman, it becomes abundantly clear how much East Fulton is a mirror of New York City.
One of the many quality-of-life changes within the Ultra Remix is a revamped tutorial system that does an impressive job of introducing the player to the deceptively complex but surprisingly simple battle mechanics. After a run-in with a racist who mistakes her for the cleaning crew, Lisa decides to teach him a lesson in hospitality in the form of a five-knuckle sandwich. Treachery in Beatdown City is equal parts a “beat-em-up” as it is an “RPG,” taking elements from various games of both genres from the 80s and 90s.
Each level consists of several NPCs spread out like a map. Interacting with some of the NPCs will give the players advice and items if they are in need. More often than not, an enemy blocking your path, like Ugly John in the above example, will initiate a fight. Fights in Treachery in Beatdown City revolves around two major mechanics, FP and the ACT meter. The player can freely punch and attack like other beat-em-ups, but that’s not where the magic happens.
The player’s FP determines the various attacks that are accessible to them. Lisa’s left and right punches are combo starters with high accuracy and deal decent damage. Coincidentally, the player can commit up to three actions each turn, determined by the number of blocks on the ACT meter. A left-right-left jab combo will require a total of 24 FP for example, which is enough to begin a “Combo.”
A better comparison is the Fallout battle system from Fallout 3 onward. The V.A.T.S combat mechanic is similar in that the player could freely shoot enemies, but would get far better results in deciding which shot is placed where for bonus damage. Similarly, the ACT system is where players can get creative in their attacks. Certain moves have different strengths and weaknesses, including range and how accurately they will land on an opponent.
Certain attack combinations will also give the players buffs and debuff enemies. A grappling knee strike to the stomach can reel an enemy off balance, leaving them exposed to bonus damage. Likewise, a sharp hook may bleed the opponent and cause them to take damage for each turn. The enemies can also perform actions in the same way, leaving the gameplay to that more similar to a traditional RPG with tactical movement involved.
There are two other characters that the player is introduced to early on and that’s Brad the wrestler and Bruce, a martial artist. Of the three, Bruce is the fastest character in the party and he’s able to employ a “hit and run” strategy. Theoretically, the player can run circles around the opponent, wait for an opportune chance to strike and build their combo until they have enough for a deadly finisher.
However, one of the key lessons that Treachery in Beatdown City teaches the player is that no fight is a complete “beatdown.” Much like an actual brawl, the player is expected to get roughed up a bit and most enemies won’t take being a punching bag lightly. Enemies have a chance to counter strikes and grapples, based on their class, but also how much health they have left.
Likewise, players can’t expect to fight and must “take a bump,” as it were. It’ll be inevitable that enemies will catch up to the player, especially for slower characters like Brad. “Bracing” yourself for damage means the player takes the brunt of it but preserves their precious FP for a counterattack. It’s similar to Ichiban’s philosophy of fighting in Yakuza Like A Dragon, so maybe the “honorable dishonorable” approach to a street fight in comparing it to an RPG is something to think about.
In short, fighting in Beatdown City is akin to a dance, no pun intended as the later added levels in Ultra Remix include an entire dance number. Each of the enemy types has strengths and weaknesses that each fighter can take advantage of. Sneaky characters use guile and trickery to escape strikes but are susceptible to grapples. Likewise, grapplers love to get close and counter other grapples in a “test of might.” Softening them with strikes and opening up for a rewarding grab should always be the go-to strategy. Other enemy types include support characters, who give their own mates buffs, and brawlers who are “jacks-of-all-trades.”
Lisa, Brad, and Bruce are the Brawler, Grappler, and Sneaky types of playable characters albeit very “roughly.” Most of their strengths and weaknesses are mirrored by their enemy counterparts. I found myself using all three characters in rotation whenever my favorite character was low on health. Usually, it would happen with Lisa as she’s the most well-rounded character early on. However, there are “decisive battles” known as Grudge Matches where the player is forced to use a character to settle whatever differences they will have with an NPC.
Unlike regular matches, losing these matches will force the player to restart the match but in most matches, with the Ultra Remix update, players can swap to another active character and continue the fight. Think of this mechanic similarly to The King of Fighters, where upon entry, some enemies have their health restored. If you have a character that’s your favorite, chances are you’d want them alive so you’d save them for last and use another character, again, like King of Fighters. As I write this, there are a lot of consistencies with many of my favorite childhood games growing up.
Perhaps the most annoying enemy type, just like they are in real life, are the runners. They do nothing but jog and bike, but anyone who has lived in this city will know that bikers will use the sidewalk as they please and joggers are some of the most impatient people on the planet.
Trying to fight these guys normally will annoyingly lead to taking trample damage and remember it’s not the kind of game where players could just jump and attack. As the game progresses and each character learns more useful skills, these guys become less of an annoyance, but kudos to the developer for capturing that nuisance in video game form.
It seems that the residents of East Fulton are extra rowdy, more than likely due to the inconvenience of “President Orama” getting kidnapped while visiting East Fulton. As the dialogue in the game will quickly prove, this is less of the case of the president being abducted but more that the city itself is, well, a dump. As I was defeating enemies in spectacular fashion, beating up vending machines, and being graced by the healing powers of Farooq’s DAMN Halal, I was impressed by the game’s length before reaching the Ultra Remix content.
Ultra Remix adds bonus levels and new locations, slowly opening more of “Beatdown City’s” world to players. Other useful additions including rolling out of harm's way and parrying attacks to build a “Revenge” meter, add layers to the game’s mechanics. This is a good thing because the game can get repetitive after a while. The relatable, often tongue-in-cheek humor, gives Treachery In Beatdown City its charm and it’s great fun in short bursts.
Overall, much of what I enjoyed about Treachery In Beatdown City was its dedication to telling a story while also making the game the definition of “cool.” Wrestling fans will love the set-up of punching a fool in the gut only to brainbuster them in transition. Martial arts fans will also appreciate the usage of agility to attack behind unsuspecting foes rather than throw their weight around. The attention to detail as well as a relatable diverse cast made the game feel like a celebration of the culture, from movie to music references in a way where if you understand the jokes, it leads to a better payoff.
With a brand new DLC and a new platform release, Treachery in Beatdown City Ultra Remix is a must-play for fans of “urban RPGs” as well as a throwback to when Streets used to Rage and when we thought our Fights were Final with our Bare Knuckles—You get the idea.
Treachery in Beatdown City Ultra Remix is available on Steam, Nintendo Switch, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.