Rush’N Attack Ex-Patriot

Rush’N Attack: Ex-Patriot is the sequel to Rush’n Attack and the third main game in the series, following the arcade-only game M.I.A.: Missing in Action. As a run-and-gun platformer it stays true to the spirit of the original game, but with a 2.5D perspective; the game visuals are in 3D but the player is able to move only over the horizontal and vertical plane, with occasional close-ups for certain kills. The player controls Sid Morrow who secretly infiltrates Russian territory fifteen years after the Cold War. His mission is to retrieve Rory Gibson, a member of team Harvest who was originally sent in during the war to investigate a material called Ulyssium that would be used to power nuclear missiles. As the war eventually ended without a confrontation, the team was extracted but Gibson was left behind. Not only is Morrow on a rescue mission fifteen years later, also needs to verify intelligence that the Russians may have reinstated the nuclear program and if that turns out to be true, he needs to sabotage it.

Just like the original game there is a focus on melee combat. Morrow moves at a high speed and uses his trusty knife to take out enemies, based on the Russian martial arts technique Systema. He can perform a slide attack, use brutal finishers, push buttons, climb platforms to attack enemies there, slide down ladders, use elevators, and jump. Many enemies can still be taken out with a single hit, but the one hit death for the player has been replaced with a health bar and health pick-ups. Next to the knife Morrow can also temporarily use ranged weapons such as rocket launchers, grenades and rifles. The top right corner holds a mini-map where an abstract lay-out of the environment is shown with enemies. The story is often furthered through short scenes. Certain parts have different level paths and stealth can be applied to sneak past enemies or to hide in a dark passage. Certain kills, especially when using stealth, are rewarded with more points. Once discovered however, an alarm may be sounded and Morrow needs to rush the rest of the level. While progressing different combos can be unlocked. The game is saved automatically at certain checkpoints. The game takes place in three environments: a prison, a laboratory and a nuclear base, and there is always a boss at the end to defeat.