DHGF: Gang Wars can best be described as a relic from an era where arcade beat-’em-up titles were king and each one sought to be the next Double Dragon in popularity. While it did have stat gains and firearms that the player could use, which wasn’t common in that period, everything else about it is a pretty standard genre affair. It’s great if you grew up in that period and like these kinds of games, and $3 is a steal for an arcade title. However, if you don’t have an appreciation for retro titles or are looking for one with the co-op capability intact, then you’d best move on.
Developed by Alpha Denshi and published by SNK in 1989, Gang Wars is a 2D beat ‘em up that resembles Double Dragon on the surface. But with aesthetics aside, Gang Wars was the first of its kind to offer character customization, firearms, and a unique 3 button configuration.
Digital Chumps: I love the old school gameplay, but in comparison to other fighters of that decade this one is just a bit too easy. It needed a bit more challenge to put it in the same category as Double Dragon and Final Fight. Still, it does bring back some classic elements, and is impressive with the upgrade system. Definitely worth the $2.99, but not more than that.
KJ of Play legit writes "Levels have pitfalls, and some bosses won’t die for a while. It can get really cheap in later sections. The player can save their progress at any point, and come back if it’s too much."
