Rush'n Attack
1985 · Beat 'em up · Arcade
Overview
Rush'n Attack (1985), Green Beret in Europe, is Konami's Cold War side-scroller: a knife-wielding commando raids an enemy base to free prisoners.
Deep Dive
A lone commando infiltrates an enemy base armed only with a knife, fighting through soldiers who leap, charge and fire from every direction. Defeating certain enemies drops a flamethrower, rocket launcher or grenades with a few shots, a brief respite from close-quarters combat. The four stages lead to the rescue of prisoners of war. Its Cold War setting was explicit, and the title's pun on 'Russian attack' was dropped in Europe in favour of Green Beret.
Developer Story
Rush'n Attack (known as Green Beret in Europe) was developed by Konami in 1985. Players used a knife as the primary weapon — unusually close-range for a military action game — and had to disarm enemies to collect their weapons temporarily. The Cold War theme, pitting an American soldier against Soviet forces, was direct and unsubtle by the standards of any era.
Did You Know?
- Rush'n Attack's name was a deliberate pun on "Russia and Attack" — Konami's Cold War theme was explicit.
- The knife as the primary weapon was deliberately unusual — close-range combat in a side-scroller required different player behaviour than shooting.
- Collecting enemies' weapons temporarily added variety: rocket launchers, flamethrowers, and grenades were all available briefly.
- The European title "Green Beret" was considered more marketable than the pun, which didn't translate.
Sources & further reading
- Rush'n Attack — Wikipedia
