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M.I.A.: Missing in Action

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M.I.A.: Missing in Action is a sequel to Rush'n Attack (or Green Beret), featuring the same type of action. You control a nameless soldier on a mission of rescuing prisoners of war. Armed only with a knife the soldier navigates five stages of hostile territory overcoming countless enemies. Like i...

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Developer
Konami

Released on
1989

Size
1–2 Players

Version
Arcade

Requirements
Arcade

Downloads
Platform

ESRB Rating
Not Rated

Cooperative
Yes

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Description

M.I.A.: Missing in Action is a sequel to Rush’n Attack (or Green Beret), featuring the same type of action. You control a nameless soldier on a mission of rescuing prisoners of war. Armed only with a knife the soldier navigates five stages of hostile territory overcoming countless enemies. Like in the original game, most areas are divided into three horizontal planes and you can move up and down using ladders. This game introduces underground areas containing detours and hidden weapons. Weapons are dropped by certain enemies as well. Your soldier can pick up and use grenades, a flame-thrower, an assault rifle, and a bazooka, all with very limited ammo supply. The game features simultaneous two-player co-op.

The game was released in several slightly different versions, the most notable difference being that on some stages the scrolling is changed to right-to-left, and the order of stages is randomized.

M.I.A.: Missing in Action

Overview & History

Released by Konami in 1989 as a direct arcade sequel to the iconic 1986 run-and-gun shooter Green Beret (known as Rush'n Attack in North America), M.I.A.: Missing in Action pushes the military combat genre into the late-80s hardware era with vivid, gritty pixel art and high-octane action. Set deep within hostile jungle territory, the storyline casts the player as an elite, unnamed commando on a solitary, high-stakes rescue mission behind enemy lines to liberate captured prisoners of war. While retaining the core thematic DNA of its predecessor—sneaking past heavily fortified enemy encampments armed with only a combat knife and specialized weaponry—this arcade cabinet introduced simultaneous two-player cooperative gameplay, allowing soldiers to team up against relentless waves of guerrilla fighters, attack dogs, landmines, and heavily armored boss units across diverse stages ranging from dense bamboo forests to underground munitions factories.

Gameplay Features & Mechanics

Mechanically, M.I.A. refines the side-scrolling platform-action formula by giving players a wider arsenal and more verticality. Starting with a standard knife optimized for stealthy close-quarters combat, your commando can pick up powerful, limited-ammo specialty weapons dropped by high-ranking officers, including a flamethrower, a bazooka, and hand grenades capable of clearing out entrenched bunkers. A defining feature of the gameplay loop is the constant tension between maintaining speed and carefully timing your strikes against erratic enemy patrol patterns. Players must rescue caged POWs scattered throughout each sector to earn bonus points and temporary invincibility shields. The environmental hazards are relentless, featuring dynamic elements like exploding bridges, sudden mortar shell barrages, and electrified fences that demand precise reflexes and memorization of enemy spawn points.