Jacob Dwinzel’s brutally stylish debut brawlerMidnight Fight Expresshas already found a special place in the hearts of both beat-em-up fans andtwin-stick shooterfans alike with its over-the-top fusion of kinetic bare-knuckle melee combat and isometric shooter action. Blending together the best of old-school arcade brawlers likeDouble DragonandStreets of Ragewith the best of modern takes on the genre, this game createsan incredibly satisfying brutal melee combat system.
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Across the campaign’s 40 levels, players can unleash a huge arsenal of 100 weapons upon the city’s many bloodthirsty inhabitants. Yet among the vast array of deadly options at your disposal, there are ten that stand tall above the rest as the most powerful.
10Cleaver
The Cleaver may not seem like much on paper but works quite well as an early-game Swiss Army Knife of sorts. Its lightning-fast attack speed makes quick work of most early enemy types without slacking on durability either. Having a one-shot kill option in the form of its thrown attack bolsters its utility even further, made even more appealing by how common it’s found in levels.
The Butcher Knife may not do all that much compared to the more exciting weapons found inMidnight Fight Express, but it gets the job done with flying colors.
9Heavy SMG
The Heavy SMG, much like the other SMG variants, pellets enemies with a constant barrage of bullets at nearly any range. Serving as an all-rounder gun, the Heavy SMG’s high fire rate can quickly suppress attacking enemies and quickly create distance.
Its main weakness lies in its low per-shot damage, but luckily this weapon and its variants are some of the most commonly found guns in the game; making for a great go-to weapon for clearing out weaker enemies.
8Saw Baseball Bat
A staple of thebeat ‘em up genre, the Saw Baseball Bat, along with its normal Baseball bat counterpart, can do a little bit of everything while still providing solid damage. Taking cues from both the Sledgehammer and the Baton, the Saw Baseball Bat can hit multiple enemies at once with great range while also having great durability.
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The Saw variant is quite a lot rarer than the more common Baseball Bat and deals more damage, but both versions provide solid options formastering any encounter.
7Sledgehammer
The Sledgehammer works just as perfectly as you’d hope, dealing high melee damage to multiple enemies in front of you while pushing back would-be attackers. The Sledgehammer boasts the highest range of any Melee weapon inMidnight Fight Express, and can also break weak shields in one hit.
Its range combined with just how far it can knock enemies back makes for a powerful crowd-control tool when brawls get too hectic.
6Circular Saw
Serving as one of the more unusual in Babyface’s many weapons, the small but deadly Circular Saw makes quick work of those unfortunate enough to meet its rotating blade. The Circular Saw is one of the few melee weapons able to instantly kill enemies in one hit. While some enemy types are resistant to its instant kill, the Circular Saw will still deal immense damage per hit.
While its range and durability are less than ideal, its ability to deal massive damage quickly combined with its above-average attack speed more than makes up for its shortcomings.
5Electric Grenade
Typically found later in the campaign, the Electric Grenade is one of the most useful tools in late-game encounters. The Electric Grenade is a thrown weapon that deals huge amounts of damage while shocking and stunning nearby enemies. While the shock effect is very useful when it comes to dealing with robot enemies, the Electric Grenade deals so much raw damage on its own that you often won’t even need it.
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Its main flaw simply lies in the fact that it’s a single-use thrown weapon, requiring good timing to use effectively in fights.
4Stun Baton
Often carried by SWAT Team enemies, the Stun Baton acts as a solid jack-of-all-trades melee weapon that remains effective across all enemy types. Its biggest strength is surprisingly its durability, typically not breaking before taking out groups of enemies at full health. As the name implies, the
Stun Baton shocks enemies on hit, applying extra damage while preventing them from attacking briefly. In addition, the Stun Baton is one of the few weapons able to effectively damage robots.
3Grenade Launcher
When it comes to crowd control, few weapons shine as brightly as the Grenade Launcher. Its unmatched blast radius allows it to instantly clear out groups of enemies with only one shot. Luckily, its strengths don’t end there, as the Grenade Launcher also sports absurdly high per-shot damage that can pierce the armor of stronger enemies easily.
The Grenade Launcher’s huge blast radius can also act as a double-edged sword, as many playersmake the common mistakeof hitting themselves along with their opponents when using the Grenade Launcher at close range. As with some of the other powerful one-shot weapons inMidnight Fight Express, the Grenade Launcher’s other weakness is its low ammo count.
2Laser Rifle
Introduced fairly late into the adventure, the Laser Rifle stands tall as the strongest of the automatic rifles. Its key weakness, its slow rate of fire, would make it seem weak compared to the likes of the Russian Rifle or the LMG; but where the Laser Rifle excels is in its ability to shock enemies on hit. Each shot is large enough to hit multiple enemies at once if spaced properly, which when coupled with its above-average per-shot damage makes it a prime candidate for clearing out waves of enemies.
Similar to the Electric Grenade and Stun Baton, its shock attribute allows it to deal damage to robots, which is vital during most late-game encounters.
1Automatic Shotgun
Few weapons inMidnight Fight Expressprove as fierce or as deadly as the Automatic Shotgun. As the name implies,this weapon combinesthe incredible raw damage of the game’s other shotguns with a significantly faster rate of fire, allowing it to tear through waves of enemies of all types with ease. As an added bonus, The Automatic Shotgun can immediately break weak and stronger shields with only a few pellets, making quick work of armed enemies in the game’s more heavily armed encounters.
It shares the same weakness as other shotguns, as its efficacy falls off with further range. Due to its automatic nature, it also tends to chew through ammo fairly quickly; but in spite of these weaknesses, it remains the most consistently powerful tool in Babyface’s arsenal.
Midnight Fight Expressis available on PS4, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, and PC.
