Out. Of. Nowhere! French publisher Dotemu’s clearly not done with retro revivals in the wake of its recent Windjammers 2 announcement, as it’s just confirmed Streets of Rage 4. This is one helluva sentence so it deserves repeating at least once: Streets of Rage 4 has just been freakin’ announced. There are no platforms confirmed yet, but we can only imagine it’s going to rock up on everything eventually.

The title’s being developed by Lizardcube, the studio best known for last year’s stunning remake of Wonder Boy: The Dragon’s Trap, and it’ll have a similar hand-drawn style. Classic protagonists Axel and Blaze will return, but the long-awaited beat-‘em-up sequel promises to “build upon the classic trilogy’s gameplay with new mechanics, a fresh story, and a gauntlet of dangerous stages with a serious crime problem”.

The press release also plays lip service to the series’ iconic electro soundtrack, but there’s no confirmation that composers Yuzo Koshiro and Motohiro Kawashima will return just yet. Nevertheless, check out the trailer embedded above, rub your eyes, and then watch it again. What the heck is going on at the moment? We’re playing Shenmue II and writing about Streets of Rage 4 – the 14-year-old in us is crying with happiness right now.

[source streets4rage.com]