Streets of Rage 4 Patch Rebalances Tons of Characters

Streets of Rage 4 is essentially the game that keeps on giving. When it launched, it paid tribute to all of the classic (and new) characters. It considered what fans love about the series. Lizardcube and Dotemu even committed to more content. But, in the meantime, a major rebalancing Streets of Rage 4 patch has hit right as Dotemu also confirmed 1.5 million people bought and downloaded the game.

The rebalancing patch is quite a huge one, with the focus being on adjusting and improving characters. Yes, every specials have been changed too, so they interrupt hit freeze or hitstun states. But what really changed is how some characters will work. Like the Streets of Rage 4 patch makes the newest version of Axel faster, offers better recoveries, and makes him stronger and does wonders for Cherry to make her stronger. But also, you might notice some major enemies like Riha & Beyo and the final bosses being stronger than before.

Here are the full Streets of Rage 4 patch notes going over all rebalancing, taken directly from Dotemu.

[GENERAL GAMEPLAY ENHANCEMENTS]

• Specials and star move can interrupt any hitstun state on ground
• Specials can interrupt hit freeze
• Faster jump start for SOR4 characters

[SOR4 CHARACTERS: FIXES AND ENHANCEMENTS]

AXEL SOR4:

• Faster move speed
• Better recovery on-air special
• Added additional invincibility frames on grand upper start-up
• Added grand upper on the ground (OTG) property
• Grand upper travels farther
• Added neutral special OTG property
• Neutral special has less hit freeze
• Pipe swing has a less recovery
• Air special: all hits connect when OTG + ignore weight class
• Defensive cost lowered
• Rescaled damage on grand upper
• Forward special has a bigger hitbox
• Buff charge kick wall damage
• Infinite stun-lock on enemies are removed
• Special pipe goes farther
• Better recovery on combo
• Better damage on normal combo and star move
• Charge attack goes a little farther

CHERRY SOR4:

• Cherry can jump cancel after uppercut combo and grab uppercut
• Added 2 frames stun on punches
• Flying punch from combo is fully invincible
• Cherry’s charged flying punch is invincible before hit
• Full invulnerability during fall is removed
• Special forward is faster
• Damage Buff
• Back throw works in corners
• Pogo kick can hit OTG
• Cherry damages are rescaled on normal combo
• Infinite head stomping fixed
• Cherry knee loop slightly nerfed

FLOYD SOR4:

• Floyd’s attack x3 infinite is removed
• Neutral special life costs adjustment
• Floyd can no longer reset his grab move counter by jumping
• Special take less HP
• Floyd has now a slower animation throwing a butcher knife like all SOR4 characters

BLAZE:

• Reduced vertical speed on juggle neutral special
• Reduced vertical speed on juggle back attack
• Blaze’s back attack has a high bounce
• Jump cancel on combo kick 1st hit

ADAM:

• Fixed Infinite loop
• Added neutral special OTG property

[RETRO CHARACTERS: FIXES AND GAMEPLAY ENHANCEMENTS]

AXEL SOR1:

• Added invincibility on headbutt

BLAZE SOR1:

• Hitting behind with flip kick

ADAM SOR1:

• Combo feels more like the original
• Added body hit property to his last kick in combo as in original SOR1
• Infinite fix

AXEL SOR2:

• Fixed Star Move not recovering green health

MAX SOR2:

• Atomic drop recovery is now shorter and bigger AOE

SKATE SOR3:

• Damage nerf on blitz

AXEL SOR3:

• Infinite removed
• Increased run speed (+10%)
• Fixed Star Move not recovering green health
• Punch range is better
• Jab recovery is shorter

SHIVA SOR3:

• Blitz damage nerf
• Fixed hitbox on Star Move

[BOSS: FIXES AND ENHANCEMENTS]

Diva:

• Bug fix Diva never going in phase 2.
• Diva charge is slower.
• No armor on kicks.
• Electric area disappears faster.
• Diva has longer preparation for snake bite.
• Diva snake bite has less depth.

Commissioner Stage 2:

• Balancing.
• Commissioner has longer charge punch time + lower dash grab hitbox.

Estel:

• Police attacks are easier to dodge.

Barbon:

• Barbon kicks can hit another player after impact.

Shiva:

• Smaller hitbox on palm moves.
• Shiva double has a chance to align with the player (instead of being full random).

Commissioner Stage 7:

• Fewer armor moves.

Riha & Beyo:

• Beyo is a little faster.
• No more armor moves for Beyo.
• Armor finishes sooner for Riha’s moves.
• Less fire pond (lesser time and bigger cooldown).
• Riha fire aoe moves are slower.

Max:

• Throw aoe damage nerf.
• Some AI fixes.
• Can’t combo the player anymore with 3 shoulder tackles.

Ms.Y:

• Mr.Y is now harder to defeat
• Elite Shadow reinforcements during the fight.

Mr. Y:

• MrY stage 11 harder.
• MrY stage 12 evades more.

Robot:

• Mr.Y and Ms.Y final fight lasts longer (before the robot appearance)
• Some robot hitboxes are smaller.
• Legs positions have changed.
• Twin getting into the robot regains full life.
• Additional damages on the robot.
• Fixed a bug preventing Mr.Y from throwing grenades.
• Spider robot now has the same attacks in phase 1 & 2.
• Fix a bug with Ms.Y not grabbing in stage 12 last fight.

STAGES / ENEMIES:

• Nerfed Galsia weapon hitbox

Stage 9:

• Apple added in the changing room.
• Added a roasted chicken.

Stage 12:

• Less green life at the beginning.
• Fixed Pheasant and sparrow rising move.
• Shorter electric vial time.
• Reduced steam hazards hitbox.
• Lots of enemies rising armor moves removed/nerfed.

Karate:

• Longer parry recovery time.
• Massive punch is easier to dodge

Caramel and Candy:

• Headbutt nerf: hitbox + hitbox depth nerf.
• Lower hp.

DIAMOND / palettes:

• Jump kick track less.
• Slap is slower.

Dylan:

• No armor.

Raven / palettes:

• Slower kicks.
• Slower knee while rising.
• Turn towards the target when rising.

Taser Cop:

• Slower start up.
• Smaller hitbox height.
• Less HP.

• Bronze enemy is not armored anymore during his attack.
• Donovan and palettes have a slower jab punch.
• Lower nb of hits to destroy bikes : 3.

Big Ben / Gourmand:

• Gourmand jump attack tracks less.
• Gourmand doesn’t do 2 hits anymore with an air attack.
• Armor removed on Big Ben fire attack.

Elite Cop:

• Slower shield regeneration.
• Slower attack.

Boss Rush:

• Barbon clone bug fixed.

Signal R & D:

• Faster walk speed before grab.
  

VARIOUS

• Deactivated special burst in Battle Mode
• Enemies hurtbox while jumping on-screen is bigger.
• You can pick up an item that is in the air if it is in your character height.
• All characters can hit at point-blank.
• You cannot charge a move while doing a charged move.
• Forward specials are not triggered when pressing up or down.
• Wall bounces increments the combo counter.
• A character that is in « Body Hit » mode will collide more easily with other characters.
• Nora palettes aren’t armored anymore.
• Donovan can hold a hammer.
• Gold reinforcements on stage 10 boss.
• Stage 11 more score items on the plane.
• Stage 12 ninja floor changed a little (removed spike ball, added Big Bens).
• Faster transition on stage 1_2.
• Donovan with a hammer on stage 3_1.
• Boss Rush Mr.Y & Ms.Y robot trigger threshold as in Story Mode.
• Bikes are now breakable in Stage 6.
• Walking upward in front of Roo makes spawn 3 vials.
• Score: combo bonuses don’t have a point limit now.
• Better reinforcements spawn code preventing some reinforcements from spawning out of bounds.
• Combo counters stay alive when hitting shields or guards.
• Falling into holes breaks the combo.
• Lowered Koobo control weapons number (2 flying at the same time).
• Fixing Grenade throwers on roff throwing their grenades out of bounds.
• Damage reduced on players when comboed by enemies.
• Fixed a bug where you could infinite combo an enemy and refill his life.
• Fixing pickup bug when several items overlap.
• Weapons start flashing in red at 1/3 life (instead of 1/2).
• Sledgehammer freeze reduced a bit.
• Fixed input bug when canceling blitz by fwd special near a wall.
• Fixed some scripting issues in the 5-2 bar fight.
• Better reinforcements spawning.
• Throwing knives do 36 damage instead of 35 preventing some weird 0hp enemy situations.
• Some K-washi shield issues fixed.
• Retro Shiva boss fight reworked.
• Added 10 frames of stun after vault jump.
• Pummel moves fix preventing some infinite.

Streets of Rage 4 is available for the Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC.