Considering the near-exhausting wave of 80s nostalgia we’ve been living in since, well, the early 2000s, it amazes me that it took so long for someone to come up with a brand new Karate Kid game. And no, I’m not talking about Cobra Kai tie-ins; I’m talking about the original trilogy, the ones with Ralph Macchio and William Zabka. In fact, the last Karate Kid game was released back in 1988, for the freaking NES. The Karate Kid: Street Rumble, published by GameMill, is a game I have no idea why anyone hadn’t thought of it prior. A retro-styled beat ’em up set in Karate Kid universe, covering all three original movies? Welp, this doesn’t sound like the worst premise of all time.

It isn’t the worst premise of all time, if you’re not hoping for a true retelling of the movies. The Karate Kid: Street Rumble is SET in the Karate Kid universe, it has Daniel LaRusso as the main protagonist (you can play as other characters, though), it has ugly cutscenes that (vaguely) remind you of the plot, but this is not a traditional retelling of the famous underdog story. In fact, being one of the easiest beat ’em ups I’ve ever played, this game nearly feels like a “what if” scenario, if Daniel-san had known karate from day one, beating the hell out of Johnny Lawrence on his first opportunity.

The overall presentation feels Karate Kid-adjacent at best. Everyone is an ugly approximation of their Karate Kid counterpart, especially during the aforementioned static cutscenes. Graphics are decent, but they feel less like the 80s, and more like the SNES era of gaming. To me, that’s imbued in 90s nostalgia. Finally, the music, whilst good, has nothing to do with Karate Kid as a whole. There’s no “You’re the Best” by Joe Esposito, and there is no voice acting. That last bit, I kinda understand, though. Older Cobra Kai games had William Zabka reprising his role because he wasn’t as hot as he is nowadays. I can only imagine his fees have quintupled since then.

But I can’t say that, mechanically-speaking, The Karate Kid: Street Rumble is a bad game. It is a pretty standard beat ’em up, but it’s not broken by any means. Even if it feels floaty, that issue is offset by how easy the game is. Daniel, Mr. Miyagi, and every single playable character is more overpowered than the entire cast of Yakuza after a wild night of karaoke. In this game, every single characters knows their best moves right from the getgo, so there’s little challenge involved.

The controls are responsive, there are a handful of combos you can pull off, and there is quite a bit of content included in this package, as the game covers all three movies. Sadly, no Hilary Swank Karate Kid references. It’s just a bit forgettable in terms of its substance, but as long as beat ’em ups go, I’ve played worse games. At the same time, it’s a bit hard to go on describing it, as it’s just there, with no highlights or low points.

The Karate Kid: Street Rumble is just alright. There’s nothing terrible about it, and there’s nothing that makes it truly stand out. Even if its gameplay is floaty, it is so damn easy you won’t even care about it. It’s full of content related to the first three movies in the franchise, but it doesn’t properly follow the trilogy’s “from zero to hero” premise, making it feel less like a tie-in and more of a “what if” fanservicey fest than an accurate tie-in. Furthermore, it’s just okay as a beat ’em up. I had fun with it, sure, and I’m pretty confident die-hard fans of the franchise (and 80s pop culture in general) will have a blast with it, but there are better titles out there.

Graphics: 6.0 Harmless but decent pixel art. In no way do the characters look like their proper movie counterparts in a convincing manner, but hey, it’s not all bad. Cutscenes, on the other hand, are ugly as hell.	Gameplay: 6.5 It’s a pretty standard beat ’em up gameplay loop and control scheme. It’s very floaty, but that is offset by how easy the game is.
Sound: 6.5 It’s meant to sound and feel like something straight from the mid-80s. Sadly, there’s no “You’re the Best” by Joe Esposito. Missed opportunity…	Fun Factor: 6.5 It’s a love letter to the original Karate Kid trilogy, but it doesn’t particularly follow the movies’ stories closely. It’s more of a “what if” fanservicey fest than an accurate tie-in. Furthermore, it’s just okay as a beat ’em up. I had fun with it, sure, but there are better titles out there.
Final Verdict: 6.5

The Karate Kid: Street Rumble is available now on PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series S/X, PC and Switch

Reviewed on PS5.

A copy of The Karate Kid: Street Rumble was provided by the publisher.