Undercover Cops

Nintendo console exclusive

Undercover Cops is an arcade-style beat 'em up video game developed and published by Irem, originally for the arcades in 1992. It is Irem's first attempt in the modern beat 'em up genre that was founded by Data East’s Kung-Fu Master. Players control "city sweepers", a police agent-like group who fight crime by taking down thugs in New York City in the year 2043.

Released: 3 March 1995
Platforms: Arcade SNES
Genres: Beat 'em up Fighting Post-apocalyptic Science
Developers: Irem
Publishers: Irem
Modes: Co-op Multiplayer Single-player
Perspective: Side view
Themes: Action
Country: Japan
Languages: Japanese

About

Undercover Cops (アンダーカバーコップス, Andākabākoppusu) is a 1992 beat 'em up video game developed and published by Irem for arcades. It was the company's first attempt at the modern beat 'em up genre, which had been established with their previous game Kung-Fu Master (1984). Players control "city sweepers", a police agent-like group who fights crime by taking down thugs in New York City in the year 2043. The game was ported to the Super Famicom exclusively in Japan in 1995.

›Story

Dr. Clayborn and his henchmen have taken control of the city and Commissioner Gordon (no, Batman is not in the game) made one last plea for help and called three of New York's Finest undercover cops : Bubba, an ex-professional football player; Flame, a former Miss America; and Claude, a retired philosophy teacher. They must fight every lackey and vanquish Dr. Clayborn in order to restore law and order to the city. Very fun beat-em-up where almost anything can be used as a weapon; fish, rocks, i-beams, cars, etc

Keywords

female protagonist
brawler
multiple protagonists
multiple endings
crime
japan only

Media

The articlegameplay, story, development, reception

Gameplay

Undercover Cops is notable for its detailed backgrounds and grimy futuristic setting. For its time, it was relatively gory, featuring crow-pecked skeletons in the midst of its urban wastelands and forcing players to lose a life by being crushed by a garbage compactor during the first boss battle. While the gameplay is inspired by Final Fight, some of the enemies are unique. Besides the usual human thugs, players fight strange mole creatures and mutants with jet packs and blades for hands.

Players can never use enemy weapons, but the stages contain objects that can be picked up and used instead such as burning oil drums, steel girders, long concrete columns that shatter on impact, boxes of hand grenades and fish. The characters eat mice, frogs, birds and snails to restore their health.

Reception

In Japan, Game Machine listed Undercover Cops as the sixth most-successful table arcade unit of August 1992. In North America, RePlay listed it as the tenth most popular arcade game of August 1992.

In 2023, Time Extension included the game on their list of the top 25 "Best Beat 'Em Ups of All Time".

Legacy

Due to its small success in Japan, Undercover Cops also got its own manga by Waita Uziga, which was published in the Gamest Comics series by Shinseisha in 1993. The game was later followed by a Game Boy spin-off titled Undercover Cops: Hakaishin Garumaa, and a more accurate translation called Undercover Cops Alpha (アンダーカバーコップスα), which retains the details of the original arcade version.

A few years later after its release, a lot of the team (artists, programmers, composers, designers, etc.) who made Undercover Cops went on to form the Nazca Corporation, who created the Metal Slug game series. The team have also worked on the Hammerin' Harry series, Superior Soldiers, In the Hunt and GunForce II.