Quick definition:A genre of action game in which the player fights large numbers of weaker enemies in close combat, usually along a scrolling level, with a stronger boss waiting at the end of each stage.
Meaning
A beat 'em up places the player in the middle of a crowd and asks them to fight their way out. Movement is usually along a flat strip of street, factory or castle that scrolls sideways, and enemies approach in groups from the front and from behind.
Characters have a small set of attacks, such as punches, kicks, jumps and grabs, along with a special move that clears space around them. Weapons and healing items can be picked up from the floor or from breakable objects, and each level ends with a stronger opponent who must be defeated before the game moves on.
Many are designed for two or more players working together, which made them popular in arcades and later at home. Modern versions add upgrades, branching routes and three-dimensional arenas, while some designers revisit the older, simpler style as a deliberate tribute to the arcade era.
Origin:The name is a casual contraction of the phrase beat them up, which describes the action of the genre. The style took shape in arcades during the 1980s, when side-scrolling brawlers sent heroes through city streets against waves of thugs. Earlier one-on-one fighting games influenced it, though critics disagree about which release first defined the genre. Example:Two friends stand shoulder to shoulder in a crowded arcade, each gripping a joystick as the screen scrolls past a run-down alley. They punch gang members, grab a pipe from the ground and share a roast dinner found inside a barrel to restore health. At the end of the street, a huge bruiser waits, and both players groan.
Did you know?Beat 'em ups often hide health-restoring food in breakable scenery, a convention that became a running joke among fans. Many also give each character a special move that costs a little health, which rewards careful positioning when surrounded by a crowd.
