Streets Of Rage 2 isn’t just a game; it’s a benchmark in the beat ’em up genre, a title that resonates with players even decades after its release. Its gritty urban environments, unforgettable soundtrack, and satisfying combat mechanics cemented its place in gaming history. At the heart of its creation was Ayano Koshiro, the Chief Graphic Designer at Ancient, the development studio behind this iconic game. In this exclusive look behind the scenes, we delve into the mind of Koshiro, exploring the pivotal decisions and creative processes that shaped Streets of Rage 2 into the masterpiece it is today. From conceiving new characters and their signature moves to navigating the technical constraints of the Sega Genesis era, Koshiro’s insights offer a rare glimpse into the passion and ingenuity that fueled this beloved classic.
Crafting Combat: The Birth of Max, Sammy, and Iconic Moves
“Role? I’d probably say Chief Graphic Designer,” Koshiro reflects, humbly defining her pivotal contribution to Streets of Rage 2. But her influence extended far beyond visuals. In an era where graphic design often took precedence in game development, Koshiro was also the architect of the game’s dynamic combat system. She conceived the special moves and attacks that would define each character, even drafting the initial damage parameters. This hands-on approach highlights a stark contrast to modern game development, where roles are often more compartmentalized.
The question of character roster was central to the sequel’s evolution. While Axel and Blaze, the staples from the original Streets of Rage, were returning, Adam was notably absent. “Yes, that was me,” Koshiro admits with a laugh, taking responsibility for Adam’s departure. This wasn’t a decision made lightly but stemmed from a desire to innovate and introduce fresh gameplay experiences. The rationale was simple: create more distinct characters to enhance the sequel’s appeal.
Ayano Koshiro in 1991, during the development of Streets of Rage 2, showcasing her role as Chief Graphic Designer and key creative force behind the game.
This led to the birth of Max Thunder and Skate (Sammy in Japan), two characters who dramatically diversified the Streets of Rage fighting style. Max, the powerhouse wrestler, and Skate, the agile younger brother of Adam, were designed from the ground up by Koshiro, in consultation with her brother, the legendary composer Yuzo Koshiro. Max embodied slow, impactful throws, a nod to Yuzo’s love for grapple-heavy characters. Skate, on the other hand, was envisioned as the “tricky-style character,” demanding skillful play and appealing to experienced gamers seeking a high-maneuverability fighter.
The inspiration for the combat system wasn’t born in a vacuum. Koshiro and her brother were avid players of Street Fighter II, even installing an arcade cabinet in their office. The flow of combat in Street Fighter II – the jabs, straight punches, and powerful finishing blows – heavily influenced the design of Streets of Rage 2’s fighting mechanics. Koshiro aimed to replicate that satisfying rhythm and impact within the beat ’em up framework.
For each character, Koshiro meticulously crafted move indexes, drawing inspiration from popular fighting games of the time to ensure variety and depth in their abilities. This dedication to move diversity extended to seemingly minor details, like Blaze’s quick double kick achieved by holding and releasing the kick button, a move born from spontaneous brainstorming sessions with the development team. This iterative, collaborative approach, where ideas were instantly tested and refined, epitomized the agile game development of the era.
Concept art featuring Blaze Fielding, Axel Stone, Max Thunder, and Skate (Sammy), highlighting the distinct character designs and fighting styles envisioned for Streets of Rage 2.
Ancient’s Magic: Forging a Classic Under Pressure
The development of Streets of Rage 2 at Ancient was a testament to focused creativity under pressure. Koshiro recalls a remarkably short planning phase of less than a week, followed by a demanding six-month development cycle. This rapid turnaround was even more impressive considering Streets of Rage 2 was Ancient’s debut title on the Sega Genesis.
Despite the technical hurdles of a new platform, the team at Ancient, though small, was incredibly efficient. Koshiro credits the “ace programmers” and skilled subcontractors for their ability to quickly implement her design visions. Even without prior Genesis experience, these programmers possessed a deep understanding of game development fundamentals, enabling them to overcome technical challenges swiftly. Kataru Uchimura, who later became a key planner at Ancient, also joined the team during this period, further bolstering their expertise.
Koshiro’s role transcended art direction and move design; she was also the primary liaison with Sega, handling communications, attending meetings, and acting as a crucial bridge between the development team and the publisher. This multifaceted role underscores the collaborative and hands-on nature of game development at Ancient.
The atmosphere at Ancient during the Streets of Rage 2 development was one of intense focus, split between mastering the nuances of versus fighting games and crafting their own beat ’em up masterpiece. Koshiro’s ambition extended to incorporating a robust versus mode into Streets of Rage 2, aiming to capitalize on the fighting game craze. However, time constraints ultimately prevented its inclusion, focusing development efforts on enriching the core single-player and cooperative experiences. This decision, while disappointing for versus mode enthusiasts, ensured that Streets of Rage 2 delivered an exceptionally polished and deep beat ’em up experience.
Enemy concept art from Streets of Rage 2, showcasing the variety of enemy types and the detailed design notes that guided their creation.
Refining the Rage: Evolution from Streets of Rage
Streets of Rage 2 wasn’t simply a graphical upgrade of its predecessor; it was a significant evolution of the core gameplay formula. Several elements from the original Streets of Rage were deliberately removed or altered to enhance the sequel’s experience. One notable omission was the pepper spray, a weapon Koshiro jokingly suggests might have been removed for being “annoying to use.” More practically, the removal likely streamlined weapon selection, focusing on more impactful and diverse melee options like the steel pipe, bat, knife, and bottle.
The bottle, in particular, showcased the team’s attention to detail, featuring two distinct attack modes: an overhand strike and a stabbing motion after breakage. The steel pipe, with its ability to hit enemies behind the player during its overhead swing, further exemplified the nuanced combat system Ancient was crafting. These weapon mechanics added layers of tactical depth beyond simple button-mashing.
Another significant change was the removal of the police car special attack, a memorable feature of the first game. Koshiro explains this was necessitated by the introduction of diagonal scrolling in Streets of Rage 2. In its place, each character received a dedicated special attack button, granting players more strategic control over powerful moves. While less visually bombastic than summoning a police car, these character-specific specials added depth and differentiation to the gameplay, aligning with Koshiro’s vision of incorporating fighting game elements.
Despite the overall smooth development process, challenges arose, particularly concerning the quality of outsourced enemy pixel art. Koshiro recounts having to repeatedly request redrawn assets, ultimately leading her to retouch many backgrounds herself. However, she praises the background art of Nakai Satoshi, particularly the atmospheric ship stage, highlighting his ability to create detailed and evocative environments within the Genesis’s color palette limitations. These challenges underscore the iterative nature of game development, where quality control and artistic refinement are ongoing processes.
Translated design notes from Ayano Koshiro’s files, revealing considerations and restrictions faced during development, especially concerning content for the American market.
Megadrive Mastery: Pixel Art and Technical Triumphs
Streets of Rage 2 stands as a visual showcase for the Sega Genesis, pushing the 16-bit hardware to its limits. For Ayano Koshiro, the Genesis was a favored platform, despite its technical constraints. While Ancient’s first Genesis title was Streets of Rage 2, they had prior experience with the Game Gear Sonic, which Koshiro notes shared similarities in its underlying structure.
The Genesis’s color palette limitations – four 16-color palettes – required creative solutions. Koshiro explains their palette management strategy: two palettes for characters and two for backgrounds. They ingeniously used the first character palette for black and white gradations, a technique they developed to maximize visual depth. Palette swapping was employed for enemy color variations, though limited to two versions per enemy in most cases.
When asked about desired hardware features, Koshiro’s immediate answer is “Transparencies!” This feature, prominent in the Super Nintendo, was notably absent in the Genesis. However, the Ancient team cleverly utilized dithering, blending pixel lines to simulate transparency effects, as seen in the waterfall in Sonic the Hedgehog, which initially impressed Koshiro.
While the Genesis offered sprite scaling and rotation, Koshiro found the scaling effect less visually appealing, preferring transparencies. Despite the limitations, Koshiro favored Genesis development over the Super Nintendo. She found the SNES’s larger pixels and color palette less appealing, describing the SNES as feeling “sluggish” compared to the Genesis’s “snappy” and “lighter” feel. She appreciated the Genesis’s higher pixel resolution and the dynamic movement of its sprites, citing games like Mickey Mouse, Sonic 1, and The Super Shinobi as inspirations.
Koshiro reveals Ancient’s “secret technique” for maximizing visual impact on the Genesis: subtle palette adjustments within a single palette to create nuanced shading and depth. This meticulous attention to detail, combined with clever workarounds for hardware limitations, is a hallmark of classic 16-bit game development and a key factor in Streets of Rage 2’s enduring visual appeal.
A dithering effect example, similar to the techniques used in Sega Genesis games like Sonic the Hedgehog to simulate transparency, a feature Ayano Koshiro admired.
Streets of Rage 4 Reimagined: Koshiro’s Modern Vision
Imagining a hypothetical Streets of Rage 4, Koshiro’s vision is clear: a modern brawler that embraces its roots while leveraging contemporary technology. “Like an online multiplayer thing, where you and five of your friends could all swagger down the street like a gang,” she envisions. This focus on cooperative multiplayer aligns with the social spirit of classic arcade beat ’em ups, updated for the online era.
Character-wise, Koshiro firmly rejects current trends, declaring “no moe characters. Just old dudes and tough guys.” Her Streets of Rage 4 would be a celebration of “muscles, muscles, and more muscles!”, a tongue-in-cheek return to the genre’s testosterone-fueled origins. While humorous, this statement underscores a desire to recapture the gritty, no-nonsense aesthetic of the original Streets of Rage games.
Story takes a backseat to gameplay in Koshiro’s vision. Even a zombie apocalypse scenario is playfully suggested, highlighting the focus on action and camaraderie over narrative complexity. Hardware is secondary to the core experience; whether on PC or 3DS (jokingly titled “Minna de Bare Knuckle”), the emphasis remains on fun, accessible multiplayer action.
Reflecting on the evolution of game development, Koshiro contrasts the “craftsman’s home-run studio” approach of the past with the “auto industry” assembly lines of modern AAA development. She expresses nostalgia for the era where smaller teams had greater control and individual ideas could significantly impact a project. While acknowledging the maturation of the game industry and the increased focus on marketing and sales targets, Koshiro sees potential in a return to indie development for franchises like Streets of Rage, suggesting a new title could feel “fresh and new to young people today.” This sentiment speaks to the enduring appeal of classic gameplay and the potential for retro revivals to resonate with contemporary audiences.
Concept art emphasizing the muscular and tough character designs envisioned for Streets of Rage 2, reflecting Ayano Koshiro’s preference for strong, imposing figures.
Legacy of the Rage
Ayano Koshiro’s reflections on the development of Streets of Rage 2 offer a valuable window into a pivotal era in gaming history. Her insights reveal a development process driven by passion, collaboration, and creative problem-solving within technical constraints. Streets of Rage 2’s enduring legacy is not just a result of technical prowess but also of the dedication and artistic vision of individuals like Koshiro, who poured their hearts into crafting an unforgettable gaming experience. From the innovative character designs and move sets to the meticulous pixel art and impactful gameplay, Streets of Rage 2 stands as a testament to the magic that can be created when talented individuals are empowered to bring their creative visions to life. Revisit the streets, relive the rage, and rediscover the classic beat ’em up that continues to inspire generations of gamers.
The diverse enemy cast of Streets of Rage 2, a testament to the detailed character design and variety that contributed to the game’s enduring appeal and challenging gameplay.
