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Crime Fighters

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Crime Fighters is a beat-em up arcade game where your job is to rescue several women that have been kidnapped by a crime boss and clean up the streets by pummeling as many gang members as possible with your bare hands, as well as anything else you might possibly discover. You will travel through ...

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Developer
Konami

Released on
1989

Size
1–4 Players

Version
Arcade

Requirements
Arcade

Downloads
Beat 'em Up

ESRB Rating
Not Rated

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Description

Crime Fighters is a beat-em up arcade game where your job is to rescue several women that have been kidnapped by a crime boss and clean up the streets by pummeling as many gang members as possible with your bare hands, as well as anything else you might possibly discover. You will travel through eight levels throughout the city, in locations that range from subways to the docks.

At the end of every stage is a fight with a boss character, many of whom happen to be knockoffs of famous horror movie antagonists like Freddy Kruger and Jason Voorhees. Scoring is handled by a system wherein you simply get a point for every enemy you kill. Occasionally examples of cartoon physics pop up, such as when your character gets squashed flat by a moving steamroller or a falling billboard.

Crime Fighters

Overview & History

Released by Konami in 1989, Crime Fighters is a gritty, four-player cooperative beat-'em-up that paved the way for arcade legends like The Simpsons and *TMNT*. Set in a neon-lit, crime-ridden metropolis, the storyline kicks off when a corrupt mob syndicate kidnaps the daughters of influential city officials. Four undercover vigilantes step out of the shadows to tear through wave after wave of ruthless thugs, knife-wielding punks, and towering bosses to rescue the hostages. While the original cabinet famously supported four simultaneous players with distinct, color-coded trench-coated heroes, the two-player conversion remains the most widely encountered version. Konami infused the game with authentic gritty exploitation cinema aesthetics, featuring gratuitous animations of enemies writhing in pain and humorous audio cues that made it stand out in crowded arcades of the late '80s.

Gameplay Features & Mechanics

Unlike standard linear brawlers, Crime Fighters introduces a unique health and knockdown system where enemies crawl on the floor, grab your ankles, or require a specialized stomp finisher to keep them down permanently. Combat relies heavily on a three-button setup—Attack, Jump, and a dedicated Pickup/Weapon button. Players can unleash brutal combos, flying kicks, and execute grounded ground-and-pound attacks. Throughout the levels, players can pick up and wield destructive melee armaments, including iron pipes, wooden planks, knives, and even a deadly submachine gun with limited ammo. Boss battles test cooperative positioning and timing, often forcing players to manage massive crowds of minions while chipping away at resilient syndicate leaders.