P.O.W.: Prisoners of War (1989). Play online

Summary

Even though P.O.W.: Prisoners of War started as an SNK arcade brawler in 1988, the NES version that landed in North America in September 1989 kept the gritty escape‑from‑enemy‑base vibe while condensing the action to a solo mission. I’m always struck by how the original two‑player beat‑’em‑up turned into a single‑player affair, trading the blue‑and‑red duo for one lone operative navigating a POW camp, a warehouse, a jungle, and the enemy’s headquarters.

The control scheme feels retro‑centric: an eight‑way stick plus three buttons for punch, kick and jump, with special moves created by pressing two buttons together. On the NES the head‑butt combo disappears, but you can still execute a jump‑kick and a back‑punch, and you even get hand grenades for the helicopter and tank boss fights—a twist not present in the arcade.

Beyond the familiar foot soldiers, the NES adds frogmen, shotgun wielders and a hefty strongman, plus hidden rooms where a full‑life recovery, brass knuckles or armor can be found. The title resurfaced in the SNK 40th Anniversary Collection in 2018 and in Hamster’s Arcade Archives for Switch and PS 4 in 2020, showing that its modest legacy still attracts retro fans.

Storyline

P.O.W.: Prisoners of War drops you into a tense Cold War setting where two captured soldiers, Snake and Bart, stage a daring breakout from their cell. The duo fights through a series of guarded corridors, using limited weapons and clever tactics to survive. Their ultimate goal is to reach the enemy’s main base and take down the hostile general who ordered their capture. After the final confrontation, they must find a way to escape with their lives.

The game’s side‑scroll action emphasizes teamwork, letting players coordinate attacks or tackle the mission solo. Each level ramps up the difficulty with tougher guards and tighter time limits, reinforcing the urgency of the escape. The storyline stays focused on the prisoners’ relentless push toward freedom, culminating in a climactic showdown that decides their fate.