What is a Beat Em Up and How is it Different from a Fighting Game?

Beat em Ups and fighting games are two genres which seem to have a lot in common. Essentially, both games are about fighting! Are beat em ups fighting games fully though?

It’s a bit of a tricky question, but for most people the answer is a no. While Beat em ups are games that are about fighting, they don’t technically fall into the fighting game genre thanks to some key differences between beat em ups and fighting games. That’s a rough answer. Although, there are games which blur the lines. In a list of beat em up games, they’ll be plenty of titles which are borderline fighting games. Even some of the top fighting games have beat em up style mini-games in them.

What is a beat em up game then and how is it different from a fighting game?

What is a Beat Em Up Game?

A Beat em up, or Brawler as they’re sometimes known, is a type of game that has a focus on fighting. That might not help the argument that the answer to are beat em ups fighting games is no, but the genre is basically focused purely on fighting. Only, it’s a different style to fighting games

Typically, these games see players progressing through side-scrolling 2D levels. On each screen, they are enemies. You’ll need to use fighting moves to beat up everyone in the screen before progressing forward. They often have combat systems which can take a bit of work to really get good at. How to improve in fighting games is pretty different to getting good at Beat em ups though.

Beat em ups were popular games in arcades. They often lent themselves to the arcade pay per life gameplay, challenging you to try and get further into them than before.

Askingare beat em up fighting games goes past just what their gameplay is though. The main quest in a beat em up is to fight, but in a different way to what we think of as a fighting game.

Are Beat Em Ups Fighting Games?

Beat em ups are not fighting games in the traditional sense. For most people, these two terms mean a specific genre of game. They aren’t entirely literal. Are beat em ups fighting games doesn’t refer to a game that features fighting, but a separate specific genre of game.

Beat em ups might be games that are built around fighting. However, they aren’t fighting games in the sense that it’s a 1-v-1 or 2-v-2 brawl. They are an entirely separate genre which also involves fighting. Plenty of shooters feature the ability to melee players, but few think of those as fighting games. The differences between beat em up and fighting games would mean that most people think of them as separate genres. There’s much more to what makes up a beat em up game than just fighting,

Main Difference Between Beat Em Ups and Fighting Games

For the most part, beat em up games contain elements closer to an RPG or platformer than an actual fighting game. You’re progressing from screen to screen, trying to make it to the end of the level. In some games there are even puzzles or hidden paths for you to take. A fighting game is just fighting. The core gameplay is technical fights. Sometimes they have more modes, like the Tekken 7 story mode or Smash’s World of Light. However, even in these modes most of the gameplay is done through different solo fights, not progressing and exploring. That’s one of the key differences between beat em ups and fighting games

Fighting games and beat em ups are closely related genres. Often a gameplay mechanic or idea has begun in one genre before moving other to the other. However, for the most part, they are separate genres and it’s easier to think of them as entirely separate worlds.