Announced from out of the blue just a few days ago, the Capcom Beat ’em Up Bundle is the latest collection of older games from the company rereleased for modern consoles. Following the current trend of other classic compilation releases like the Disney Afternoon Collection, the Street Fighter 30th Anniversary Collection, the various Mega Man collections, plus many more. This time around, the beloved Japanese company has decided to come up with a collection comprised of games from a genre that the company isn’t well-known for. Besides the renowned Final Fight, which is included in the package, Capcom has always been more famous for their fighting, shooting, and platforming games. This doesn’t mean they haven’t been able to pull out some fantastic gems and this bundle is here to further prove this point.

The Capcom Beat ’em Up Bundle is comprised of the following games: Final Fight, Captain Commando also known as “that guy from Marvel vs. Capcom 2“, The King of Dragons, Knights of the Round, Warriors of Fate, and for the first time ever on consoles, Armored Warriors and Battle Circuit.

All of those games feature completely customizable controls, including the addition of turbo buttons if you wish, various options on how to gain extra lives, customizable difficulty settings, and even save states. Each game also features unlimited continues for the less able players, as well as online multiplayer support for any of the titles included in the package. That’s right, online Final Fight and there aren’t many noticeable lag issues to be worried about either. Those are all the new features included in the bundle as the graphics haven’t been remastered, although you can choose between a few new borders. The soundtrack is basically the same as it was originally.

Just like other Capcom compilations out there, this bundle is also filled to the brim with side content for gaming history buffs, such as concept art, old covers, posters, advertisements from the time, and so on. It might not be incredible in the eyes of the casual player, but it’s always a neat additional treat for either those who grew up with these games or those into overall gaming art.

At first, I was actually excited to play the one (and a half) game I actually knew from this collection, but I’ll admit Final Fight was the game I had the least fun with. No, I’m not saying it’s bad, on the contrary in fact, I’m the saying the other games in the bundle were more fun to play. The medieval-based The King of Dragons and especially the fast-paced Knights of the Round surprised me with beautiful graphics, fun design, and a slightly less limited gameplay when compared to Final Fight‘s 1989 limitations. Battle Circuit, a game I had never even heard of prior to playing in this bundle, was also an excellent surprise, with wonderful graphics and a delightful sense of humor.

This Capcom Beat ’em Up Bundle impressed me for unexpected reasons. I went full on board for games like Final Fight and to a lesser extent Captain Commando, but lesser known titles like Knights of the Round and The King of Dragons were the games I had the most fun with. This is not exactly a collection of memories from your childhood. This is more like an introduction to criminally overlooked hidden gems from the past and for that I thank thee, Capcom.

 

Graphics: 6.5 Upscale renditions of the classic arcade graphics, with no extra tinkering or additional filters.	Gameplay: 8.0 Arcade-style, combo-deprived fighting commands. It’s not complex, but at the very least it’s really easy to learn how to play each game. The turbo function is a welcome addition.
Sound: 7.0 Take it or leave it, those are the same soundtracks and sound effects from before. The tunes weren’t always amazing, but keeping them as they were increases the nostalgia factor.	Fun Factor: 9.0 You may have picked this collection up for Final Fight, but the relatively unknown games in this collection are easily the stars of the show.
Final Verdict: 8.0

Reviewed on PS4.
Capcom Beat ’em Up Bundle is available now on PS4, Xbox One and Switch.

A copy of Capcom Beat ’em Up Bundle was provided by the publisher.