Retro Replay Review

Gameplay

Renegade delivers a classic side‐scrolling beat ’em up experience that laid the groundwork for Technos Japan’s beloved Kunio/Nekketsu High series. Players guide our tough‐as‐nails protagonist through five sprawling levels, from grimy subway tunnels and rickety elevated trains to the shadowy docks and unforgiving backstreets of Brooklyn. Each stage poses new gang member variations and environmental hazards, ensuring that no two fights feel exactly the same.

(HEY YOU!! We hope you enjoy! We try not to run ads. So basically, this is a very expensive hobby running this site. Please consider joining us for updates, forums, and more. Network w/ us to make some cash or friends while retro gaming, and you can win some free retro games for posting. Okay, carry on 👍)

The combat system is deceptively deep for its apparent simplicity. Beyond basic punches and kicks, Renegade lets you unleash powerful headbutts and flying kicks, or even grab enemies for well‐timed throws. This variety keeps encounters fresh, whether you’re clearing out a horde of street punks or facing down a towering boss armed with nothing but brute force.

Controls are responsive, with tight timing windows that reward precision attacks and well‐placed dodges. While button mashing can carry you through the earlier stages, mastering combo chains and movement options becomes essential in the game’s latter half. The challenge curve feels fair, but it never hesitates to up the ante when you least expect it.

Adding to the replay value, Renegade peppers in small touches of humor—one minute you’re pulverizing foes in alley fights, the next you’re performing an exaggerated flying kick that almost feels cartoonish. This lighthearted flair softens the brutal action just enough to keep the experience enjoyable rather than punishing.

Graphics

For an early 1980s arcade conversion, Renegade’s graphics remain remarkably vibrant and distinct. Character sprites are chunky yet detailed enough to convey unique enemy types—punk rockers, knife‐wielding thugs, and hulking bruisers all sport their own color schemes and idle animations. This visual diversity helps you identify threats at a glance.

The urban backdrops do a fantastic job of setting the gritty scene: graffiti‐tagged walls, flickering neon signs, and rusted railcars fill the screen with a lived‐in atmosphere. Each level’s palette shift—from the dingy gray of the subway to the muddy browns and blues of the dockyard—offers visual variety without straying from the game’s rough‐and‐tumble tone.

Player animations, especially during special moves like flying kicks or headbutts, are surprisingly fluid. The frames of motion feel well‐considered, allowing you to appreciate the effort that went into communicating impact and weight. Even on home computer ports, these animations manage to hold up, though arcade versions naturally look sharper.

Minor flourishes—such as the occasional trash can flying across the screen or sparks from a stray punch—add polish without distracting from the core action. While Renegade won’t compete with modern pixel art, its graphics remain a charming snapshot of the era and set a high bar for contemporaneous beat ’em ups.

Story

At its heart, Renegade follows a timeless revenge‐and‐rescue narrative. Your unnamed hero must battle through five perilous zones to first reunite with his girlfriend, and then save her from vicious kidnappers. It’s a straightforward plot, but one that fuels each punch and kick with a clear emotional stake.

The western localization shifts the setting to the mean streets of Brooklyn, swapping the original Japanese schoolyard skirmishes for urban alley brawls. This change of scenery helps reinforce the game’s grittier tone while preserving Technos’s trademark tongue‐in‐cheek style. Between levels, brief text interludes hint at new dangers ahead and remind you of what’s at stake.

Although dialogue is sparse, the game’s presentation uses enemy design and level progression to tell its story. The further you push into the city’s underbelly, the more dangerous and desperate the thugs become. By the final showdown, Renegade has effectively conveyed a sense of escalating peril that makes rescuing your girlfriend all the more urgent.

While the plot doesn’t break new narrative ground, its simplicity is part of its charm. It never overstays its welcome or bogs down the player with cutscenes—everything is driven by hands‐on action. If you’re seeking a lightweight story that merely supports the brawling fun, Renegade delivers precisely what you need.

Overall Experience

Renegade stands as a seminal entry in the beat ’em up genre, and playing it today still offers a rewarding blast from the past. Its smooth combat, varied stages, and cheeky sense of humor combine into an experience that remains entertaining for both veterans and newcomers to retro gaming.

Replay value is high thanks to tight controls and escalating difficulty. Whether you’re revisiting the arcade original or exploring one of the many home computer ports, the core gameplay loop of fight, survive, and advance never grows stale. Occasional arcade ports even support two‐player co-op, doubling the chaos and enjoyment.

While modern beat ’em ups offer more bells and whistles, Renegade’s stripped-down approach has a purity that is often missing in today’s bloated titles. It reminds us that well-designed mechanics and a solid thematic hook can outshine flashy graphics or lengthy narratives.

For gamers interested in the roots of the genre—or those simply looking for a nostalgic urban brawl—Renegade remains a must-play. Its influence on later classics and its enduring playability make it not just a historical curiosity, but a genuinely fun adventure through the mean streets of Brooklyn.

Retro Replay Score

6.5/10