Beat 'em up is a genre of videogame in which the player melee fights many enemies through a series of scripted encounters. The player typically takes on waves of enemies, any one of which is relatively easy to kill, but form a challenge en masse. He also commonly encounters bosses at the end or mid-point of each level, and the game also provides upgrade paths like special weapons or powers. Some examples include Double Dragon, Golden Axe, Bayonetta and God of War.
Beat 'em ups are also sometimes referred to as brawlers or, more generally, action games (in the sense of action movies). They are considered distinct from martial-arts inspired fighting games.
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