Midnight Fight Express

If you could go back to 1995 and show young me Midnight Fight Express, I would completely lose my mind! Inspired by old-school beat-em-ups, this is just the kind of game that I want. I remember a time when companies would not touch stuff like this with a 10-foot pole! Now though, the genre has come back with a real bang and this looks to be one of the more interesting beat-em-up style games released in quite some time.

Come Out To Play

If you have played beat-em-ups like this before then you know that you are not into these for the plot. What we know about the “story” that Midnight Fight Express has going on is that you basically are just trying to make your way across the city. In many ways, it reminds me of the plot of The Warriors only you are a one man ass kicking machine instead of being part of a gang.

Smooth And Stylish

The first thing that caught my attention about this game was the animations. This features some very impressive motion capture and it gives the fighting and the movement (especially the movement) a very cool look to it that makes it look realistic. The actual visuals are not realistic as they are done in a cartoon minimalistic kind of style, but it all works. I love how fast and fluid everything is and the dark and gritty setting just adds to the whole package.

The Ultimate Beat Down

When talking about a game like Midnight Fight Express, my go to comparisons are usually Streets of Rage, Final Fight, and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles IV: Turtles in Time. I would say that still kind of rings true for what we have here. However, I am adding two other games into the mix and that is Fighting Force (which was not as bad as people made out) and even a little bit of Power Stone as well.

This game features fast-paced combat and you may start by just mashing the buttons, but learning combos and knowing what to do is going to be essential for getting through some of the tougher sections or when you have a whole bunch of bad guys on your tail. It has a somewhat isometric viewpoint and that I think is quite interesting.

Be Your Own Man!

One thing that sounds cool is the progression of the game. As you fight, you will level up and by doing this you can get access to stuff like new cosmetics, weapons, and new moves that you can use in battle. I like this kind of thing as it keeps you pushing forward so that you can make your character better.

Pros:

• I love the whole premise of the game
• It has some very slick animations
• There is a nice sense of progression
• I love how fast and frantic the fighting is

Cons:

• As far as I know, there are no plans for multiplayer to be added to the game
• It may be lacking a tad in the story department