BEAT IT, SCUM!
We’re taking a real trip down memory lane this week, courtesy of Hamster and the Arcade Archives range, as Taito’s 1986 brawler, Renegade, is now available to download on Nintendo Switch.
One of my favourite games as a kid, Renegade launched in Japan as Nekketsu Kouha Kunio-kun (or Hot-Blooded Tough Guy Kunio) and sees a school student, Kunio, taking down gangs of youths to avenge his bullied friend. When the title came West, the visuals were almost entirely re-skinned, relocating the action to America, and dressing the sprites in clothes more relevant to street-gang culture.
Each stage features our hero facing down weapon-toting gang members, with unique bosses joining the fight once the player starts getting the upper hand. A legitimately difficult game, Renegade requires a lot of A.I manipulation and tricky screen maneuvering to clear each stage. Expert timing, frame-triggering and crowd control are far, far more important than merely smashing folk in the bollocks.
The screenshots supplied in Hamster’s press release are all taken from the Japanese version of Renegade, whereas the screens on the Nintendo eShop itself are taken from the re-skinned U.S. edition, so it looks as if your purchase will bag you whichever edition of the game is localised to your continent.
Renegade is available to download now on Nintendo Switch. Good luck, kid.