NES Action Platformer 1987

Rush'n Attack

Reviewed by Marcus Webb & Elena Castillo · Updated June 2025

Konami's 1987 NES military infiltration game — Rush'n Attack (Green Beret in Japan) follows a US Special Forces soldier infiltrating Soviet bases with a combat knife, grabbing enemy weapons on the fly. Two-player alternating co-op, six stages of increasing difficulty, and the defining knife-combat mechanic of the NES action genre.

🔑 Cheats & Codes 🎲 Trivia 🎮 Games Like This

💡 Rush'n Attack — Key Facts

→ Rush'n Attack was developed by Konami and published by Konami
→ Released in 1987 on NES
→ Genre: Action, Platformer
→ We rate it 8.3/10 — highly recommended
→ Konami's 1987 NES military infiltration game — Rush'n Attack (Green Beret in Japan) follows a US Special Forces soldier infiltrating Soviet bases with a combat knife, grabbing enemy weapons on the fly. Two-player alternating co-op, six stages of increasing difficulty, and the defining knife-combat mechanic of the NES action genre.

Overview

The knife is always the right tool. The question is whether the soldier can get close enough to use it before the enemy fires first.

Rush’n Attack’s combat requires commitment. The player moves toward the enemy, enters the knife range, swings. There is no attack from the safety of distance. The knife’s range is the game’s central design constraint.

The Knife Requirement

Most 1987 NES action games gave the player a gun. Distance was safety. Enemies that fired back could be hit before reaching threatening proximity.

Rush’n Attack inverted this. The knife forces approach. Getting into knife range requires reading enemy patterns, timing the approach to avoid fire, and executing the strike in the brief window of proximity before the enemy can respond.

The result is combat that feels different from gun games — more immediate, more spatially demanding, with no retreating to a safe distance while trading projectiles. Engagement is always close.

The Weapons

When an enemy drops a special weapon, the calculation changes. The Flame Thrower covers the area in front without requiring knife proximity. The RPG Rocket reaches distant targets. The Grenade navigates around obstacles.

Special weapons are finite. Each use depletes a counter; when the counter reaches zero, the knife returns. The question becomes when these are worth spending: save the Flame Thrower for a difficult section, or use it now for guaranteed clearance?

The management is informal but real. Experienced players know which sections require special weapons and hoard accordingly.

Two Players, Taking Turns

Rush’n Attack’s co-op is alternating rather than simultaneous — Player 1 runs until death or stage completion, then Player 2 takes over. The alternation means two players experience different sections depending on where deaths occur. The shared progress but individual turns creates a different dynamic from simultaneous co-op.

The Cold War premise lands differently in retrospect than in 1987. In 1987, Soviet military installations as the enemy setting was mainstream action game territory. The title pun felt topically relevant. The game now exists as both an artifact of its era and a tight arcade-port action game that holds up on its mechanical merits alone.

Our Review

8.3

Excellent / 10

🎮

Gameplay

★★★★★

🎨

Graphics

★★★★★

🎵

Audio

★★★★★

🔄

Replay

★★★★★

Gameplay

Rush'n Attack is a side-scrolling action game where the player controls a Green Beret soldier infiltrating enemy bases across six stages. The soldier's primary weapon is a combat knife — a close-range attack that must be executed at exact enemy proximity. Defeated enemies occasionally drop weapons that can be picked up and used with limited ammo: Flame Thrower (area attack), RPG Rocket (powerful explosion), and Grenade (lobbing projectile). The knife is always available; special weapons deplete and return to knife-only. Two-player alternating co-op allows both players to take turns. Stages alternate between outdoor infiltration and indoor base sections. Enemy soldiers, dogs, and helicopters create varied threat types.

Graphics

Rush'n Attack's NES visuals present the military setting clearly — outdoor base terrain and indoor facility sections with distinct visual character. The soldier and enemy designs are recognizable NES sprites matching the military theme.

Audio

Rush'n Attack's NES soundtrack provides military-appropriate music for the infiltration missions. The stage themes drive the action without overwhelming the focus required for knife-range combat.

Replayability

Six stages with limited-ammo weapon collection and the precision knife combat create replay. Players who master the knife timing and special weapon moment optimization find the game rewards practice.

Historical Significance

Rush'n Attack (Green Beret, 1985 arcade; 1987 NES) is Konami's knife-combat military infiltration game, an early NES Konami arcade port. The game's Cold War military premise — US Special Forces against Soviet installations — was topically resonant in 1987. Rush'n Attack's knife-primary combat was unusual: most NES action games provided ranged attacks as the primary weapon. The close-range engagement requirement created a different combat rhythm than gun-based contemporaries. The NES port was a high-quality translation of the arcade original.

✅ Pros

+ Knife-primary combat creates unique close-range engagement mechanic
+ Three special weapon types create strategic flexibility
+ Cold War military setting with distinct atmosphere
+ Two-player alternating co-op
+ Konami arcade port quality maintained in NES translation

❌ Cons

- Knife range requires extremely close enemy approach
- Alternating rather than simultaneous co-op
- Six stages relatively short
- High difficulty — knife precision against varied enemy types

Also Known As

Rush n Attack NESGreen Beret NESグリーンベレー

Rush'n Attack FAQ

What weapons are available in Rush'n Attack?

Rush'n Attack has four weapons available. The knife is the permanent primary weapon — close-range attack that kills enemies instantly on contact but requires standing immediately adjacent to the target. Defeated enemies with backpacks occasionally drop one of three special weapons: Flame Thrower fires a continuous arc of flame covering a short forward distance — effective against groups of close enemies. RPG Rocket launches a powerful forward projectile that creates an explosion on contact with terrain or enemies — good for distant targets. Grenade is a lobbing projectile that bounces forward and detonates — useful for hitting enemies behind obstacles or at different heights. Special weapons have limited ammo (counted by use) and return to knife-only when exhausted. Managing when to use special weapons versus preserving them for harder sections is the game's resource strategy.

Why is the game called Rush'n Attack?

The title 'Rush'n Attack' is a pun — 'Russian Attack' in a Cold War context, referring to the Soviet military bases the player infiltrates. The game's Japanese title was 'Green Beret,' referring to the US Special Forces soldier protagonist. The Western rename changed the thematic emphasis from the protagonist's identity (Green Beret) to the setting's antagonist (Russian/Soviet). The Cold War context was topically resonant in 1987 — the same year the game released. The US-vs-Soviet military infiltration premise was a common 1980s action game framing. The name pun was likely noticed by American players even if not immediately obvious.

How hard is Rush'n Attack?

Rush'n Attack is challenging primarily because the knife requires precise enemy proximity. Players cannot attack from a safe distance — the knife range means stepping into range of enemy attacks to execute a kill. Enemy soldiers fire guns; dogs move faster than soldiers and require timing; helicopter attacks create downward fire patterns. The game provides limited lives and continues, and later stages increase enemy density and aggression. Many NES players found Rush'n Attack significantly harder than contemporary action games because the knife range forced engagement rather than the ranged attack avoidance possible in gun-based games. The special weapons mitigate this when available, but knife-only sections between special weapon drops require sustained precision.

Is Rush'n Attack available on modern platforms?

Rush'n Attack is available through Nintendo Switch Online's NES library for subscribers. The game appeared on Wii Virtual Console. Original NES cartridges are available through retro game stores at low prices. Konami Arcade Classics compilations have included the arcade Green Beret/Rush'n Attack in some releases. The game has appeared in various Konami compilations over the years. Switch Online provides the most accessible current legal access. The arcade original (Green Beret) can be experienced through MAME emulation for comparison with the NES conversion.