ROM Hack New Streets Of Rage 2 Hack Adds Leveling System To The Classic Sega Beltscroller

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If you've been looking for an excuse to revisit Streets of Rage 2, then today's your lucky day.

The prolific ROM hacker and "retro mad scientist" BillyTime!Games has just released a brand new IPS patch for the classic 1992 sidescrolling beat 'em up, which adds a simple levelling system to the Sega Mega Drive / Genesis game to mix things up a bit.

With the patch installed, players will start out as normal with the typical amount of strength and the exact same resistance to damage but will then be able to gain a new level every 100,000 points to raise these attributes further. Each successive level increases the player's strength and resistance by one, with these bonuses lasting until they run out of lives.

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It's an interesting addition and one we'd potentially love to see developed even further in the future, perhaps with the option to choose specific upgrades to speed, strength, and resistance with each level earned. It would also be nice to see a visual indication on the screen of what level the player is currently on, even though it's possible to work this out simply by extracting that information from the current score.

For now, the patch is available to download from ROM Hack Plaza for you to try out. Notably, it is also compatible with BillyTime!Games excellent Streets of Rage 2 randomizer patch from last November, should you want to alter your game even further.