The Combatribes

A side scrolling beat-em-up, much like Double Dragon (but without the depth of plot we've come to expect from arcade games of the period).

This games supports up to three players at the same time. The player-characters are different from each other in a rather predictable way. One is a slow powerful guy. One is a quick, but not-quite-as-powerful guy. One is a middle of the road guy.

The fighting is pretty simple. There are two buttons: punch and kick. With them, you can punch and kick. If you double-tap the joystick you will begin running. If you punch or kick while running, you will do your special move, which varies depending on which of the three characters you are playing: The big guy does a running super punch. The fast guy does a flying kick. The balanced guy does a flying knee drop. The punch button also lets you pick up things to throw.

The most amusing part of the game is the things you can do to you opponents while they're stunned or knocked down. You can grab a prone foe by the ankles and swing him around, knocking down surrounding foes. You can pick them up and heave them at people. You can grab two enemies who are on either side of you and bash their heads together with a satisfying "clunk." Or you can simply kick the crap out of a downed opponent. This ain't fencing.

Your enemies range from a bike gang to some sort of elite military force. They all seem to have interchangeable personalities, with a couple exceptions (below).

The levels are really predictable. They all take place in a small area. More enemies appear as you finish off the ones you're fighting. For some reason, the "levels" are referred to as "Acts".

Act 1: The Motorcycle Nuclear Warheads. A downtown night setting. Beat up a bunch of bikers who carry chains or tire irons. Throw their motorcycles at them. Then, beat up a bunch of bikers on the other side of the screen, along with their boss (a slightly larger biker, wielding a log).

Act 2: The Demon Clowns. A carnival in "Technos Land." (This game has a few self-references and plugs) Beat up clowns and carnies. Throw go-carts. The boss is a large shirtless man with a pony tail who breathes fire.

Act 3: The Slash Skate Screamers This takes places in a roller rink. On the walls are arrays of monitors which show the Technos logo, and an advert for Blockout. You are attacked by a vicious roller derby team with field hockey sticks (?). Throw pinball machines at them. The boss is a punk with a sledge hammer.

Act 4: The Stadium Barbarians. This takes place in a baseball stadium. Your enemies are nondescript thugs. The boss is a really tall Native American with a huge hatchet.

Act 5: The Slaughter Troops Takes place in an office building called the "1990 Building." Your enemies are military troops with knives or guns (which they only rarely fire). The boss is a larger uniformed fellow with metal claws, and guns concealed in his chest. In this level, we see a large businessman appear briefly.

Act 6: The Final Battle.Takes place on the waterfront, with the circa 1990 New York City skyline in the background. Fight all the bosses you've seen to date, along with their associated subordinates. Then (what passes for) a cut scene occurs. The large businessman appears in front of a limousine. A gun shot is heard. The passenger window of the limo breaks, and the businessman's guts go flying. He collapses. The final boss appears. It's (gasp!) a woman! She's wearing a pink 80's power suit, and is somehow electrically charged.

After the spectacle is over, we are treated to some lovely text:

The battle is over. They've disappeared and nobody knows where they went. But if the shadow of violence again falls on the city, they will return. They are "The Combatribes"!

The End.