The Switch is having a good year for animal-based beat-'em-ups (Kaiju! Turtles! Uh... Girls?), and Jitsu Squad, the upcoming release from ININ Games, looks set to add to it.

Combining the classic beat-'em-up mechanics of old-school brawlers with some of the fun game modes that have defined newer releases, Jitsu Squad will see you playing as one of four pumped-up animals looking to take on a wicked sorcerer and his army of goons.

With solo or multiplayer co-op modes available, the game boasts a fast-paced style of gameplay which appears initially chaotic but promises to be accessible nonetheless. What's more, the game's shredding soundtrack comes from Johnny Gioeli — the singer behind some of Sonic the Hedgehog's classic themes, like Open Your Heart from Sonic Adventure:

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Check out the full list of features below to get an idea of what this frantic fighter has in store:

  • Fight lightning-fast, adrenaline-tingling battles
  • 4 playable characters – Turn your warrior into a real legend with the upgrade system and unique secondary weapons that open up new combos
  • Slay your enemies in style with 100+ chain-combos, infinite juggles and Epic Super Specials that will make your heart beat faster
  • Powerful in-game character transformations will get your blood boiling
  • Tons of unique enemies to slay and 8 different planets to save
  • Up to 4-player local couch co-op fun
  • Team up with a friend in 2-player tag-team mode, where each player can choose up to 2 characters
  • Enter the battlefield while blasting original tunes by Crush 40 singer Johnny Gioeli, famous for iconic SONIC The Hedgehog music
  • Fighting game input commands provide a nice 90s throwback

Looking at the character designs of the four playable fighters (Hero the racoon, Jazz the frog, Baby the rabbit and Aros the jacked hog) we feel that this game deserves some quality time in couch co-op, with all the necessary combos and cheers to follow.

Whether Jitsu Squad will make it onto out list of the best Switch beat 'em ups remains to be seen, but what is for certain is that this is rapidly becoming one of the console's true heavyweight genres.

The game will receive both a digital and physical release later on this year.

What do you make of Jitsu Squad? Let us know in the comments!