Brawler is a classic side-scrolling beat ’em up from indie developer and publisher Cobra Blade, built around old-school street fighting against waves of gang enemies. It centers on Hawk, who sets out to take down the gangs after they kidnap his girlfriend Kira, joined by his friends Blaster and Lace.
Quick answer: Brawler is a single-player and local two-player beat ’em up with five levels, boss battles, a Survival mode, and three playable characters plus one unlockable fourth. It costs $3.99 on Steam and runs on Windows and macOS.
What Brawler is and what you get
The game is a straightforward arcade-style brawler set in gang-infested streets. You move through stages clearing out enemies, then face a boss at key points. Action runs solo or with a second player on the same screen, and there is a separate Survival mode for endless fighting.
| Detail | Value |
|---|---|
| Developer / Publisher | Cobra Blade |
| Genre | Action, Indie |
| Release date | Feb 14, 2021 |
| Price | $3.99 |
| Players | 1 and 2 player, shared/split screen co-op |
| Levels | 5, plus boss battles |
| Extra mode | Survival |
| Achievements | 5 |
| Language | English (interface) |
The game also supports Family Sharing on Steam and includes online interactivity. You can find it on its Steam store page if you want to add it to your library or wishlist.
Playable characters and the unlockable fourth fighter
You start with three playable characters. Hawk is the lead, joined by Blaster and Lace. A fourth playable character is hidden as an unlockable, giving you a reason to keep playing past the main run.
| Character | Availability |
|---|---|
| Hawk | Available from the start |
| Blaster | Available from the start |
| Lace | Available from the start |
| Fourth character | Unlockable |
Default controls for Player 1 and Player 2
Two players share one keyboard. Player 1 uses the arrow keys and nearby letter keys, while Player 2 uses the numpad. These are the default key bindings.
| Action | Player 1 | Player 2 |
|---|---|---|
| Move | Arrow keys | Numpad 8, 4, 6, 2 |
| Jump | Z | Numpad . |
| Attack | X | Numpad + |
System requirements for Windows and macOS
The game is light on hardware. Both Windows and macOS need only 256 MB of RAM and 700 MB of free storage. Note that, starting January 1, 2024, the Steam client supports only Windows 10 and later.
| Requirement | Windows | macOS |
|---|---|---|
| OS | Windows 7 | macOS 10.9 |
| Processor | Intel Pentium 4 1500MHz or AMD A10 PRO-7800B APU | Intel |
| Memory | 256 MB RAM | 256 MB RAM |
| Graphics | NVIDIA GeForce 6100 or AMD RADEON A9800XT | — |
| DirectX | Version 9.0 | — |
| Storage | 700 MB available space | 700 MB available space |
For a few dollars, Brawler delivers a compact arcade package, three fighters out of the gate, a hidden fourth, five levels with bosses, and a Survival mode for solo or couch co-op runs. The low requirements mean it should run on almost any modern PC or Mac, making it an easy pick for fans of the genre who want quick, no-frills street fighting.
