Down Town is an early overhead two-player arcade brawler with a standard urban setting. Like Ikari III: The Rescue, it features a special rotating joystick that allows you to move in one direction while facing another. Besides that, the combat is a simple Double Dragon-esque punch/kick setup with a small handful of weapons. It's notable for being the only arcade brawler where the bodies of enemies remain onscreen after being defeated.
Streets of Rage Remake on the PC is probably the only other brawler that keeps the enemies onscreen after you defeat them (and even then it's an option you have to unlock.)
Final Fight would later feature brawling against corrupt cops in the form of Edi. E.
Jan '89
Down Town is average. Its rotating joystick gimmick is interesting, and it's great how enemy corpses stay onscreen. But the combat itself is way too simplistic and the perspective makes it really hard to judge distances. The graphics and sound ain't nothing special, either.
