13.00. Brawling Genre

Brawlers center around eliminating enemies, typically with melee attacks.

Subgenres

Side-Scrolling Brawler

Side-Scrolling Brawlers are the distant cousin of Action Platformers. While both feature a gravity-bound player character attempting to reach the end of the stage, Side-Scrolling Brawlers place more of an emphasis on overcoming enemy attack patterns when compared to the latter's primary focus on platforming challenges.

Altered Beast (Sega, 1988); Viewtiful Joe (Capcom, 2003)

Belt-Scrolling Brawler

Belt-Scrolling Brawlers swap verticality for wide-open spaces and favor waves of enemies compared to the continuous stream often found in Side-Scrolling Brawlers. Belt-Scrolling Brawlers are well known for their combo systems, disposable weapons, and... food found in trash cans.

Isometric Belt-Scrolling Brawlers:

Final Fight (Capcom, 1989); Streets of Rage 2 (Sega, 1992)

3D Belt-Scrolling Brawlers:

Dynamite Cop (Sega, 1998); God Hand (Capcom, 2006)

Adventure Brawler

Adventure Brawlers bring the genre's core mechanics to the Adventure Class, often featuring heavier stories, puzzle-solving, and exploration.

Onimusha (Capcom, 2001); God of War (Santa Monica Studio, 2005)

Spectacle Brawler

Spectacle Brawlers emphasize flashy character-focused combos. While still featuring many of the additions Adventure Brawlers brought to the genre, Spectacle Brawlers retain an Arcade Class backbone with fast-paced action and replayable segments intended for high score achievement.

Bayonetta 2 (PlatinumGames, 2014)

Onslaught Brawler

Onslaught Brawlers task the player with defeating armies as a single character while simultaneously commanding troops.

Dynasty Warriors 5 (Omega Force, 2005)