Rush'n Attack

Rush'n Attack, also known as Green Beret in certain versions, is a side-scrolling action game by Konami originally released for the arcades in 1986 in which a U.S. Special Forces soldier must fight his way into a Siberian prison occupied by Soviet soldiers in order to rescue a group of American P.O.Ws that are about to be executed. The player is armed primarily with a combat knife for close range attack, but can acquire a variety of other weapons (a rocket launcher, a flamethrower or grenades) from defeating certain enemy soldiers. Since the weapons acquired from enemies have limited ammo, one button is used for the standard knife attack, while the second button is used for special weapons. Since both action buttons are used for attacks, jumping is done the Kung-Fu Master way, by pressing the joystick up, which is also used for climbing ladders.

An NES version of Rush'n Attack in 1987 and like most NES games that were based on a popular arcade game, it is more of a remixed version than a straight port. In addition to having an entirely different plot (where the objective is now to destroy a top-secret weapon), it also features new stages, enemies, and music, as well as a 2-Players simultaneous mode similar to Contra (which was released for the arcades around the same time).

An arcade sequel was released in 1989 titled M.I.A., which changed the setting from Russia to Vietnam. Aside from the improved graphics and sounds, the play mechanics are pretty much identical to the original, except the player can now crawl on the floor and carry more than one special weapon, switching between them on the fly with a weapon select button. And like the NES version of the original, it can be played simultaneously with a second player as well.

An upcoming sequel is being developed by Vatra titled Rush'n Attack: Ex-Patriot, which is currently scheduled to be released sometime this year.

Tropes used in Rush'n Attack include:
  • Chain-Reaction Destruction: The the NES version, it turns out that the top-secret weapon has more than one explosive charge when destroyed.
  • Check Point: The arcade version uses check point respawns, while the NES version only uses them in 1-Player mode (the 2-Player mode uses instant respawns). Averted in the Famicom version, as well as in M.I.A. (both used instant respawns, regardless of the number of players).
  • Difficulty by Region:
    • The Disk System version has limited continues, instant respawns, hidden underground shortcuts and a maximum ammo capacity of nine rounds instead of just three. To make up for the increased difficulty, the NES version starts the player with more lives and weapon power-ups always give max ammo.
    • The export versions of M.I.A. randomizes the order of the first three stages and mirrored the layouts of all the even-numbered stages, meaning that the player starts from the right and proceeds to the left in those stages (as opposed to the other way around).
  • Market-Based Title: The original game was titled Rush'n Attack in America and Green Beret in Japan. Oddly enough, the European market used Green Beret for the arcade version and Rush'n Attack for the NES version.
  • One-Hit-Point Wonder
  • Pun-Based Title: Rush'n Attack = Russian Attack.
  • Reformulated Game: The NES version, which features different stages and bosses, and more importantly a 2-player co-op mode (rather than just alternating play).
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