Konami wins the award for the cleverest title. I was too young when Rush ‘n Attack released to get the clever wording of the title and what it meant. All I knew of Russia came from…..Rocky IV. That movie doesn’t exactly paint the country in a good light either. Cold war propaganda or not Rush ‘n Attack is a pretty good port and only loosely associated with the arcade game it is based on. Good action and a measured pace make for an excellent coop game as well.
Rush ‘n Attack has an interesting story. America decides to drop a lone serial killer behind enemy lines to wreak havoc and hopefully end the war. Alright I made that up but it sounds cool doesn’t it? In actuality you are air dropped into Russia in order to destroy their secret weapon and save the world. My version of events sounds cooler though.
For the majority of the game the knife is your only weapon. Despite its short attack range it makes for an effective weapon. You can stab rapidly and if you have a turbo controller it becomes truly lethal. The hit box is pretty large and you can kill multiple enemies in one swipe. In every level are designated enemies who will drop either a rocket launcher or grenades with limited ammo. The rare handgun has infinite bullets but only lasts a brief period; don’t want the game to turn into Contra. The controls are functional but weird. There are separate buttons for stabbing and special weapons; you press up to jump. To those of us conditioned to B=attack, and A=jump it’s a head scratcher but works.
While Rush ‘n Attack is not your typical run and gun shooter it certainly has the pacing of one. You will rarely ever have a moment of peace as soldiers spawn nonstop. You can’t move and attack which makes every enemy potentially deadly as well. Rush ‘n Attack does a lot with very little to great effect. There are only a few soldier types but the game does an excellent job mixing them up to create tense moments. The jump kicking bad asses seem to be grouped up at the worst possible times but that keeps the game exciting. The deeper you progress the more frantic the game gets, making it just as action packed as any Contra style title despite wielding a paltry knife.
The NES version of Green Beret differs from the arcade in a number of ways. In the arcade the goal was to rescue the POWs at the end of the game. This version gets rid of the prisoners and has a final battle where you destroy an enemy rocket. The flamethrower is replaced by the pistol and invincibility star although they are rare. Two additional levels have been added which improves the game’s flow and are slotted in perfectly. The most important addition is two-player coop. Coop mode avoids the checkpoint system for an instant respawn, lessening the difficulty somewhat. Last but not least, there is actual music in the game. The arcade game featured atmospheric drums that were a mismatch for such a game. The soundtrack is limited but certainly better than non-descript drum beats ticking away in the background.
To take it a step further there were a few changes made between the US and Japanese versions. The American version was made more difficult in a number of ways. You had actual continues in the Japanese game but here it is over once you die. Although you start with more lives that it is little compensation. You can only carry three rounds of ammo instead of nine. At least you aren’t relegated to acquiring them one by one.
I question why some of these changes were made as the game itself presents enough of a challenge as is. A frequent number of deaths will come from the various gameplay quirks. Aside from adapting to pressing up to jump you will automatically grab ladders if you move slightly in their direction. You are left vulnerable unintentionally which can be annoying. The “boss” battles become increasingly difficult but in a good way. As a whole the game can be tough but for the most part is fair. I only wish they had kept the limited continues in to make the game less frustrating.
In Closing
I still really like Rush ‘n Attack. It isn’t often that I revisit early Nintendo games so I’m glad to say this one has held up. Rush ‘n Attack is good fun for an afternoon either solo or with a friend.
