Rush’n Attack
System: NES
Release Date: April 1987
Developer: Konami
Publisher: Konami
Genre: Action
Did I just get two good games in a row? 1987 has now given me Rush’n Attack! I hadn’t played this one before, despite having a copy in my basement. I’m kind of sad that I didn’t play this before. You’re on a mission to go deep behind enemy lines to save some American POWs. There are six levels to rush through and attack all the bad guys.
The controls are pretty simple. Run right and left with the d-pad. Jump by pressing up (and a direction) on the d-pad. Lie down by pressing down (and a direction) on the d-pad. The B button is your knife attack. The A button allows you to use your collected bazookas and grenades. You get the special weapons by killing yellow enemy soldiers.
Enemies show up from the sides of the screen. Plain enemies just run at you and are easy to stab. Red enemies will jump at you, so you have to jump and stab them before they kill you. Some yellow enemies will climb ladders in order to reach you. Ladders can be jumped into, which can create some problems for you if you aren’t expecting or paying attention to that. There are also mines on the ground that you have to jump over.
This game is all about timing. If you are paying attention and don’t try to rush it, the game is pretty easy. If you’re trying to constantly move forward, you will die and with prejudice. The end of each level pits you against a boss fight of sorts. Most of them are pretty easy, as enemies take one hit to kill, until the final boss. Here, you have to shoot several spots many times in order to destroy them.
Graphics: 2.5
The backgrounds all look nice. The sprites aren’t super detailed, but they also aren’t plain.
Sound: 3.5
I’m going out on a limb and very much praising the sound. This is the best sound track we’ve heard yet. Yup, even better than Super Mario Bros. and Gradius.
Gameplay: 3.0
The controls are very good. The only downside is because jumping is done by pressing up, you might accidentally jump when you didn’t want to. This could be because of my new controller, though.
Difficulty: 3.0
The game is hard until you learn the patterns of the enemies and the levels. Then it becomes an exercise in memory. I think that’s just right for the NES.
Fun Factor: 3.0
I like this game a lot. I wish I would have played it twenty years ago.
Overall Grade: 3.0
Rush’n Attack earns a B. Is this game as good as Kung Fu and Super Mario Bros? Yes. It’s a good game. Thumbs up!