Renegade

Unlike Technos' later game Double Dragon, the playing field is limited to a two-screen-wide area (a subway platform, a harbor, an alley, a parking lot, and a gang's hideout) and does not scroll continuously. In the first, second, and third of the four game stages, the player fights a group of two different types of small enemies: one with fewer hit points and a stronger attack (usually armed with a gun), and one with more hit points but a weaker attack and the ability to grab the player from behind, leaving him vulnerable to the other enemies' attacks. When there are only three minions left (in any combination), their boss comes from the side and joins the fight. When the boss is defeated, all remaining enemies retreat from the bottom of the screen and the phase ends. The second phase follows the same formula, but starts with a series of enemies on motorcycles trying to run over the player. The third phase is about a gang of women; their boss is a very large woman who is not so easy to take down. In the fourth phase, there is a single knife-wielding enemy that can kill the player with one blow. After the player defeats this first wave of enemies, the main character goes into a building on the far right of the level. There he will encounter three more knife-wielding enemies and the final boss, a mobster whose shots are also deadly with one hit. Once the final boss is defeated, the main character exits the building and is greeted by his rescued girlfriend, who gives him a kiss. The game then starts the next cycle with increased difficulty. In addition to a joystick with eight directions, there are three buttons: attack left, attack right and jump. If you press the attack button in the direction the character is facing, you'll strike, while if you attack in the opposite direction, you'll perform a backward kick. When you jump, you immediately press one of the attack buttons to perform a jump kick in the direction of the attack. If you press the joystick twice quickly to the left or right, the player will run. Then if you attack in the direction you are running you will get a running kick, if you jump you will automatically get a flying kick, and if you attack in the opposite direction you will come to a sudden stop and get a back kick. When you press down over a downed enemy, you sit on top of the enemy and attack to beat them up. You can only sit on the bosses after all the normal enemies have been defeated, and if the boss's energy level isn't low enough, it will throw the player off.