Play The Combatribes Online

Summary

The Combatribes is a gritty arcade beat‑‘em‑up that lets you pick one of three street‑wise strongmen. Berserker in blue balances speed and power, Bullova in yellow trades quickness for raw strength, and Blitz in red darts around with the highest agility but the lowest muscle. Each fighter comes with a toolbox of over‑the‑top attacks – stomps, ankle‑swing throws, ground‑kicks and even head‑slams that can crush two foes at once. The game feels like a love‑letter to Double Dragon, but the moves feel heavier and more theatrical.

The six acts take you from a neon‑lit street corner to a circus‑filled amusement park, a roller‑skating rink, a baseball stadium, a high‑rise security tower and finally a dockside pier. Every stage is populated by a themed gang, and the environment itself becomes a weapon: you can grab parked motorcycles, go‑karts or even a pinball machine and hurl them at enemies. Some levels split into multiple sub‑areas, keeping the pacing fresh as you clear waves of thugs before the boss appears.

Up to three players can team up, with the two‑player mode letting you choose your characters while the three‑player version assigns each hero automatically. In the final showdown the game throws all previous gang leaders at you, then pits you against the crime boss Martha Splatterhead, who spawns extra clones to match the number of players. The soundtrack, released on a Pony Canyon album alongside Double Dragon 3, adds a synth‑heavy backdrop that matches the arcade’s chaotic energy.

Storyline

The Combatribes follows three street‑wise vigilantes, led by the tough‑talking Berserker, as they clean up a futuristic New York City overrun by rival gangs. Their former teammate, Martha Splatterhead, is kidnapped by a powerful crime syndicate and forced into a cyborg body, prompting the trio to hunt down the syndicate’s big boss and rescue—or at least locate—her. In the SNES version the heroes themselves are labeled as cyborgs, emphasizing the high‑tech, gritty setting.

The climax is a frantic boss‑rush stage set in the harbor, where the Combatribes must battle every gang they’ve faced before confronting the crime lord. After the gang leaders fall, the crime boss is slain by Martha herself, who then turns on the player for a final showdown. If two or three players are present, extra Martha clones appear to match the player count, and every clone must be defeated to finish the game.