The survivors-like genre has become crowded in recent years, with countless games asking players to dodge hordes, collect upgrades and survive for as long as possible, all as they look to compete with the genre champion. Beatdown City Survivors arrives on Xbox hoping to punch its way through that crowd – quite literally.
Launching on Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, PC and Steam, whilst also landing day one on Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass, along with Play Anywhere support, Beatdown City Survivors takes the familiar formula and throws it into a chaotic urban playground filled with exploding cars, electrified puddles, mutant creatures and some decidedly unconventional weapons.
At A Glance
- Game: Beatdown City Survivors
- Developer: NuChallenger
- Publisher: NuChallenger
- Platforms: Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, PC, Steam, Xbox Play Anywhere
- Price: £8.39
- Subscription: Game Pass Ultimate, PC Game Pass
- Genre: Survivors-like / Action Roguelite
A City Designed For Destruction
Unlike many survivors-style games that focus almost entirely on enemy waves and character upgrades, Beatdown City Survivors is keen to make the environment just as important as the monsters themselves.
The streets are packed with interactive hazards and opportunities. Gas can be ignited, puddles can be electrified, vehicles can be detonated and practically anything can become part of your strategy as you attempt to survive increasingly overwhelming odds.
That environmental chaos gives the game a more sandbox-like feel, at least when compared to many of its contemporaries.
Build The Weirdest Arsenal Imaginable
Weapons are another area where Beatdown City Survivors seems determined to stand apart.
Players can discover dozens of items scattered throughout the city, ranging from the relatively sensible – pipes and blunt weapons – to the completely absurd. Better still, many of these tools can be combined to create even more powerful and ridiculous creations.
Finding the perfect build will be a major part of the experience, encouraging experimentation as players discover which combinations work best against the city’s growing population of zombies, mutants and assorted nightmares.
A New Direction For The Beatdown City Universe
Fans may recognise the name from Treachery in Beatdown City, NuChallenger’s unusual blend of beat ’em up action and RPG mechanics.
While that game earned praise for its originality, we found that the execution didn’t always live up to the concept. In our review of Treachery in Beatdown City: Ultra Remix, we noted that “there is a germ of a good idea buried here” but felt the pacing and presentation prevented it from fully realising its potential.
Beatdown City Survivors looks to be taking that same creative energy and applying it to a completely different genre. The result? Well, we’re expecting something considerably faster, more chaotic and perhaps better suited to the offbeat humour and style that helped the original stand out. Stay tuned for our review.
Day One On Game Pass
And of course, one factor that could work heavily in Beatdown City Survivors’ favour is accessibility.
With a launch price of just £8.39 and day one availability through Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass, players can jump into the action with very little risk attached. Whether you’re here for the survivors-style progression, the environmental mayhem or simply the chance to defeat monsters with increasingly bizarre weapon combinations, Beatdown City Survivors certainly isn’t lacking personality.
Beatdown City Survivors is available now via the Xbox Store for Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, PC, priced at £8.39 and included with Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass. It’s also on Steam.
