The Combatribes

Nintendo exclusivePort

The Combatribes is a 1990 beat 'em-up game released for the arcades by Technos Japan Corp (the developers of Renegade and Double Dragon). A home version for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System was also released in 1992. The game centers around three vigilantes (identified as cyborgs in the SNES port) who must fight against numerous street gangs in futuristic New York City. The SNES version was released for the Wii Virtual Console in North America on November 30, 2009.

Released: 1990
Platforms: SNES Virtual Console Wii
Genres: Action Beat 'em up Science
Developers: Technōs Japan
Publishers: Technōs Japan
Modes: Co-op Single-player
Perspective: Side view
Themes: Action Science fiction
Country: Japan
Age ratings: ESRB E10+
Languages: English, Japanese

About

The Combatribes is a 1990 beat 'em up video game developed and published by Technōs Japan for arcades. A home version of the Super Nintendo Entertainment System was also released in 1992. The game centers on three vigilantes (identified as cyborgs in the SNES port) who must fight against numerous street gangs in futuristic New York City. The SNES version was released for the Wii Virtual Console in North America on November 30, 2009.

›Story

The Combatribes puts you and a friend in the shoes of combat cyborgs Berzeker, Bullova and Blitz (yes those are their real names) as they attempt to defeat the evil crime ring "Ground Zero" (renamed to "Guilty Zero" in later NA versions), led by the cybernetically enhanced Martha Splatterhead and her minions.

Keywords

organized crime
brawler
side-scrolling
time limit
crime
boss fight
spiritual successor
clowns
virtual console
evil organization
button mashing
crime fighting

Media

The articlegameplay, story, development, reception

Gameplay

The player controls either Berserker, Bullova or Blitz. In addition to the standard punch and kick combos such as stomping on an enemy, the player can swing them by their ankles, kick them on the ground, slam their faces into the pavement and even the ability to slam the heads of two opponents together. The player can also pick up certain large-sized objects (parked motorcycles, go-karts or pinball machines) and toss them over enemies.

The game can be set up so that it can be played by up to two or three players simultaneously. In the two-player version of the game, the players are asked to select their characters at the character select screen, whereas the three-player version has each player already assigned a corresponding character.

Reception

In Japan, Game Machine listed The Combatribes on their August 1, 1990 issue as being the second most-successful table arcade unit of the month. In the United States, it had a high-earning test market performance around May 1990. Power Unlimited gave a score of 50%, criticizing the game for its story, characters, and controls.