1992-03-27
Rival Turf! is the first game in Jaleco's SNES-only Rushing Beat trilogy. It's a fairly blatant Final Fight rip-off that's notable for being one of the first SNES brawlers with two player gameplay. It separates itself from its source material with a button dedicated to running, kill-based death-blows, and Ikari Mode, which is a brief period of invincibility and increased strength right before you're about to die.
This is the only brawler that lets you run at will by holding down a button. In Japan, this game is called Rushing Beat. It could be interpreted that refers to how you rush at enemies and beat them up, but it refers to a "beat" like an officer's territory.
I'll admit, Rival Turf has serious problems. Its unimaginative combat is brought even lower by terrible hit detection and a game-breaking dashing mechanic. However, it somehow has a ton of personality and charm in its thankfully large sprites. For example, there's a black boss named "Honky." Its graphics and sound are both slightly above average.
