You start out in an abandoned warehouse in the grimy city of Las Sombras ready to make a drug deal and then all hell breaks loose. You have been double-crossed by your current cartel and now you seek revenge. In this beat-em up with light RPG elements, you get to choose one of the five characters: Beat Down: Fists of Vengeance , whose names are Raven, Jason G, Gina , Lola and Aaron. You walk through the city with two optional allies getting into fights with other gang members, Some gang members are able to be recruited if you best them in a one on one fight. You also have a crime level which makes gang members and police able to identify you. You can lower your crime level by purchasing and then wearing different outfits. You can also level up your characters attack, stamina and technique by gaining experience from fighting,
Gameplay-wise, the game is fast-paced with an emphasis on combo attacks and special moves. Each character has their unique abilities, so you'll need to experiment to find what works best for you. The combat system is relatively straightforward, but the addition of light RPG elements means that leveling up your characters will give you a noticeable boost in power.
The game features two multiplayer modes: VS mode and VS mode custom. In VS mode, you can select up to three characters and choose from player vs CPU, player vs player, or CPU vs CPU. The custom mode allows you to load a pre-made party of three characters that you've recruited during single-player.