3D brawlers seem to have trouble breaking into the mainstream nowadays. The genre struggled in the transition from 2D to 3D, making them a bit of an oddity in today's gaming scene. However, Rockstar Games' underrated PlayStation 2 brawler The Warriors breathed new life into the genre for a short time. If more studios followed its unique blueprint, brawlers and beat 'em ups could make their way into the spotlight once again.
Many people forget how popular brawlers and beat 'em ups were during the 1990s. Games like Streets of Rage, Final Fight and Double Dragon dominated arcades and home consoles. Unfortunately, the genre started losing its flair when the fifth console generation took hold. The introduction of 3D gaming presented new obstacles that brawlers couldn't seem to conquer. Many attempts in this space felt awkward and stiff compared to their 2D counterparts.
The genre started drifting into obscurity as more shoddy releases flooded the market. It looked like 3D brawlers were entering an early grave until Rockstar released The Warriors in 2005. This unconventional beat 'em up revolutionized the genre by introducing a vivid story, a semi-open world and more. The Warriors appeared to be the genre evolution that fans were waiting for.
The Warriors didn't feel like the average 3D brawler. It blended many styles together to create somewhat of a brawler-hybrid. The game allowed players to explore different parts of New York, offering more freedom than most other games in the genre. It also had a slew of side missions for the times when beating up baddies started getting stale. The game's variety combined with its enthralling environment made The Warriors one of the most innovative brawlers of its time. Due to all these fresh ideas, The Warriors' format still holds up today.
Many gamers anticipated a brawler revival shortly after The Warriors launched, but players were only greeted with disappointment as other companies had already abandoned the genre. It's been over 15 years since Rockstar released The Warriors, and brawler fans don't have much to show for it. With the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X slowly replacing last-gen consoles, now is the time to give the genre another chance. If developers used The Warriors as a blueprint, it could help 3D brawlers reach mainstream success.
Gamers haven't really seen anything like The Warriors since its release. If developers adopted this style and iterated on it, the result could feel new and exciting in the modern era. A contemporary beat 'em up with semi-open world exploration and a captivating story might be more successful than the industry realizes. It would give gamers a break from repetitive genre trends while creating something unique yet familiar at the same time. Modernizing old gaming formats can be just as successful as building something fresh.
The Warriors might not be Rockstar's biggest or most successful game, but it single-handedly changed the way players viewed 3D brawlers. It replaced the simplistic side-scrolling format with a semi-open world and gave players more freedom than any other beat 'em up at that time. If a developer could build upon The Warriors' innovative structure while modernizing it enough to fit in today's ever-growing gaming scene, it could be a huge success. Players are always craving something fresh, and a revolutionary 3D brawler in the same vein as The Warriors might be just the thing to tide them over until the next video game breakthrough.