Night City Assault Demo

The 80s were marked by classic thrillers and action movies that practically represent that period, with many popular stars making a name for themselves at the time. Nowadays, the acting is not quite as exaggerated, since movies are designed to appear much more realistic and complex. Back then, all you needed to throw a plot together was a bad guy, a pretty girl and Sylvester Stallone.

Night City Assault is a 2D beat ‘em up set in a classic 80s universe, where the streets are full of punks looking for trouble and crime is everywhere. The game plays very much like Metroid and Castlevania combined, although there are plenty of original elements as well. Your main task is to beat everyone you come in contact with, using your fists and feet to score impressive combos and special moves.

The story is riddled with cliches as well, given the fact that you play as a detective trying to single-handedly bring down an entire crime syndicate. The final game is going to include a second character as well, with the added bonus of being able to play in co-op with a friend. There’s not much else to the plot, other than the occasional short dialog sequences and many dirty back alleys.

Most of the gameplay mechanics should come naturally to every beat ‘em up fan out there, since everything is pretty straightforward and simple. You can punch, kick, jump and roll around using different keys. By pressing the same key repeatedly, powerful combos can be achieved. Special moves can be unleashed too, but you should pay attention when it comes to using them, because some drain your HP.

In the graphics department, the designers tried their best to recreate an atmosphere worthy of the 80s. Everything is covered in graffiti around you, and the locations you visit are always shady back alleys or buildings that have fallen into disrepair. The characters range from punks with pointy hairdos to butchers and what appear to be gimps, which helps a lot with the general atmosphere of the game.

When it’s all said and done, Night City Assault is still pretty early in the development phase to draw too many conclusions. However, everything clicks together for now, and it should turn into quite the fun game once everything is in its place.