Play Target: Renegade Online

Summary

Target: Renegade arrived in the late‑80s as Ocean’s first home‑computer‑only sequel to the arcade hit Renegade, later getting a Nintendo Entertainment System version from Taito. The game was spread across the Amstrad CPC, Commodore 64, ZX Spectrum and NES, each version tweaking enemies and weapons while keeping the core beat‑’em‑up feel. The box art shows a bare‑chested street fighter in a leather vest launching a flying kick through a window – an image lifted from martial‑arts legend Joe Lewis’s book cover and re‑styled to match the game’s protagonist, who is usually depicted in jeans and that same vest. Players battle through five distinct stages, confronting a crime boss named Mr. Big after avenging their brother Matt. While most releases support one or two players, the NES and C64 editions drop the co‑op mode, and the NES version leans more toward Double Dragon’s style than its computer counterparts. Critics praised the title, with scores ranging from Crash’s 90% to Sinclair User’s perfect 10/10, and the ZX Spectrum version even earned a spot at #13 in Your Sinclair’s Readers’ Top 100. A 2006 fan remake expanded the Spectrum version to six‑player action, proving the game’s lasting appeal among retro enthusiasts.

Storyline

Target: Renegade drops you into a gritty city where the crime boss Mr. Big has seized your brother, Matt, and locked him away in the Big’s Pig Pen on the town’s upper side. Every gang in the streets is out hunting you, so you must fight your way through side‑scrolling levels armed only with your fists at first, picking up improvised weapons like baseball bats and garbage cans as you go.

The game lets one or two players control the lone streetfighter – or a pair of identical fighters – known simply as Renegade, who are driven by revenge against Mr. Big. Depending on the version, Matt is either murdered by the kingpin or held hostage, and the player’s mission is to rescue him while battling the city’s thugs.