Tonight We Riot

Genre: Arcade Brawler

Players: 1-2 Co-Op (Local)

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Review:

Tonight We Riot, released in 2020 on PC and Nintendo Switch, is a game that combines the basic mechanics of an Arcade Brawler with some light Real-Time Strategy and 2-Stick Shooter elements, and while I don’t often talk about capital-P politics in reviews, it’s kinda’ unavoidable here, because this game puts them front and center: this game revels in Communist imagery and its anti-capitalism message… all while priced at a convenient $15. Given the game’s tongue-in-cheek tone, I would guess the irony of this is not lost on the game’s creators.

The premise here is fairly simple: capitalism has grown out of control, with the lower class leading miserable and hopeless lives, and the wealthy living lives of comfort exploiting those beneath them while controlling the media and politicians. And… this is a work of fiction, right? Well, anyway, things reach a breaking point and riots break out, threatening to overturn the status quo.

Players take the role of one of the game’s malcontents, leading a group of rioters against an increasingly severe police response. While the tone this game espouses is overwhelmingly anti-establishment, there’s a wry sense of humor throughout as well. As an example, at one point early on, one of the riot police opposing your rioters rallies his men by telling them, “All right, boys! I’m ready to lay down my life to keep the market strong! Who’s with me?”. Given that this game was released in the early months of the covid epidemic, I think you could almost view this as prophetic.

Beyond the humor and themes, the presentation here is overall pretty good, with 2D pixel art visuals that don’t do much to show characters’ individual personalities, but definitely make for fun visual chaos when you have a lot acting all at once. This is backed by a decent synthesized soundtrack that gives the game an edgy futuristic feel.

For the gameplay itself, Tonight We Riot is fairly simple, with just a jump, attack, and ability to swap out your held weapon, and if that’s all the game was it would be a pretty poor Arcade Brawler. However, what sets this game apart is your ability to collect a horde of rioters who will attack enemies at will or, if you toss a brick or molotov, will do the same action with you, effectively multiplying your attack. You can also use the right analog stick to direct your crew to attack a certain spot or stand back from a hazard, in a manner that feels a bit like the Pikmin games.

One of the other fun things this game does is that since you’re not playing a specific character, it doesn’t matter quite so much if the rioter you’re playing dies, because then you just start playing someone else from your mob, meaning the size of your mob is not only an attack multiplier but a way to extend your health/lives.

It makes for some clever mechanics, but outside of this interesting central mechanic, I can’t say this game does anything truly great, and in fact the massive numbers of rioters can make the gameplay feel somewhat chaotic at times, especially when an enemy attack scatters your people.

In the end, I think Tonight We Riot is a fun but flawed take on the genre. It’s a cool concept, controlling a mob in an Arcade Brawler, even if in practice that concept ends up being just as messy as… well, as messy as you’d expect an actual mob to be. However, the fun satire and amusing gameplay do a lot to keep things fun, and players who enjoy a little chaotic action may find this worth a look.

tl;dr – Tonight We Riot is an Arcade-style Brawler where players control an anti-capitalist mob looking to fight back the cops and do some real class warfare. The concept of taking a Brawler and expanding it out to a full mob is a fun idea, and while it’s fun, it’s also chaotic and a bit repetitive. Still, if this idea appeals to you, I think you’ll find this game’s satire and core gameplay worth checking out.

Grade: B-

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