Old Pier is the fourth stage from Streets of Rage 4. An abandoned pier in the outskirts of town, which since became a refuge for criminal activity and violence.
Story[]
After defeating Nora in her "pleasure" room at the ship's command room, she taunts the player and drives the cargo ship into an old pier, crashing it. The heroes drop off and proceed to find a way back into the city.
Enemy List[]
On higher difficulties, enemy density is higher and other variants may appear.
- Diamond / Ruby
- Galsia / B.T.
- Donovan
- Y. Signal / G. Signal
- Murphy
- Barney
- Zamza (Retro Mini-Boss)
- Estel (Boss)
- Barnaby (Mania+)
Overview[]
After the Crash: Crossing the Pier[]
The player will start at the pier, with the cargo ship crashed behind them. As soon they go to the open area, Ruby and Diamond will jump from offscreen (two of each on higher difficulties), alongside some Galsias. A bit further, two more Diamonds will be near a ledge. If the player is fast enough, it is possible to attack the two and make them fall. More Rubies, Diamonds and Donovans will appear.
After that, the player will find themselves in front of two Donovans near ledges, similarly, the player can also attack preemptively and knock them. More enemies will jump from the holes, as well appear behind the player, with Signals, Donovans and Galsias. A Donovan wielding a baseball bat (two in higher difficulties) will be among those appearing from the backline; they should be dispatched as soon as possible, because their swings can launch the player far away into the holes.
A bit further, the player will find a money case between two ledges; as soon approaching it, Ruby and Diamond will leap from each hole (two of each on higher difficulties). It is possible for the player to hit them in mid-air and knock them back to the holes. Continuing, the player will find a Donovan wielding a pipe will leap from a hole, and later one wielding a baseball bat (on higher difficulties they will all come in pairs). After that, knife-wielding Galsias will appear, and later Diamonds, Rubies and Green Signal.
After that, Murphy and Dick carrying a taser will appear (more in higher difficulties) while various Donovans, Galsias, Signals, Rubies and Diamonds will appear over time. A strategy here is to ignore the cops and focus on the thugs, and then let them fight among each other while the player stays at a distance and wait for an opportunity to attack all once. After defeating them all, the player can jump down to the lower area.
Retro-Mini Boss: Zamza[]
If the taser hasn't been destroyed, it can be taken into a arcade store room behind and hit the arcade machine and fight Zamza in a retro stage (two on Mania+); if playing with either version of Shiva or Roo, the secret level can be accessed by using a Defensive Special Attack on the cabinet. Zamza is a slippery foe that will use a lot of attacks that grant him either invincibility frames or super armor; ideally, the player should wait for him to attack and punish quickly, since his recovery is fast. He can also use a rising slash against jumping attacks or when getting up. Once exiting the retro stage, the player will be returned to the normal stage at full health.
Lower Pier[]
Once the player jumps down, they'll be at the lower part of the beach, underneath the bridge. And Syndicate members can be seen fighting against the police. As the player progresses, various Galsias, B.T.s and Green Signals will attack. Some of the Galsias will be carrying bottles, while more bottles can be found on the ground. After clearing all the enemies, walking a bit further will trigger the boss fight. A strategy here on higher difficulties is to save all bottles and throw them towards the boss zone, allowing players to start the fight with various bottles to use as weapons.
Boss Fight: Estel[]
- Main article: Estel Aguirre#Boss Fights
On Mania+, two Barnaby will appear after Estel reaches 50% health, and another one later when she's below 30% health.
Trivia[]
- "Estel: Round 1" boss theme was composed by Harumi Fujita.
- There's a sign saying Max Thunder in the intro part of this level, possibly referencing that Max had a performance on this pier at some point in past.
- Concept art for the stage originally included what appeared to be a cardboard cutout of Sonic the Hedgehog, using his artwork from the anime Sonic X. The cardboard Sonic is absent in the final version of the stage.
- In front of the arcade machine shop, graffiti written "Where are my pixels" and "Pixels not dead" poke fun at an initial backlash of fans regarding Streets of Rage 4's hand-drawn graphics as opposed to pixel art from the original Sega Genesis trilogy.