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Controls[edit]

  • Neutral dpad: Use the direction pad to guide Rambo through the game. Press left or right to make him run in either direction. Press down to squat. Press up to enter a building, or access a North/South layer change.
  • A button: Press the A button to jump. Rambo will jump the same height regardless of how long the jump button is held. Press A while running to jump in either direction. Hold Down dpad on the direction pad while jumping to drop through a platform and land on the next one below.
  • B button: Press the B button to attack. If you're not using the regular knife, you may only attack if you have ammunition for the desired weapon. Press B to utilize medicine as well. As soon as you use it once, you will be automatically returned to the knife.
  • Start button: Press the Start button to begin a new game, or to pause the action mid-game. Press the Start button during a conversation with another character to bring up the status screen which shows you your inventory, as well as providing you with a password to continue with.
  • Select button: Press the Select button during the game to change which weapon or item is highlighted at the top of the screen. Except for the regular knife, you may only activate a weapon or item if you have at least one of that item.

Rambo[edit]

Rambo NES player.png

You control Rambo throughout the game. A battle-hardened war hero, he is a natural warrior, someone who can be counted upon to complete a mission, no matter how crazy the odds are. However, he can't always be counted upon to follow orders. At the end of the first Rambo movie, he is thrown in prison for crimes committed when he returned to the States. Colonel Trautman offers him a chance to redeem himself by accepting a mission in Vietnam. He is to photograph POWs at a camp, but not to rescue them or engage the enemy. Rambo is more than capable for the mission. He can run and jump through rugged terrain. He has a health meter that starts at 100, and counts down whenever he is injured. If the meter ever reaches 0, Rambo dies, and you are offered the opportunity to continue from the last moment you spoke to someone. Higher levels of health can be obtained by collecting hearts from defeated bosses, and health can be fully restored by utilizing a supply of medicine. He has training with several weapons including knives, bows, guns and grenades. A regular knife is available at all times throughout the game, while ammo is collected by defeated particular enemies. When enemies are defeated, they provide Rambo with experience points. By reaching certain amounts of experience points, his combat level increases, indicated by the number below the knife at the top of the screen. This level starts at 0 and rises to a maximum of 7. Your combat level affects the amount of damage you cause with your knife.

Equipment[edit]

Knife Throwing Knife
Rambo NES item knife.png
The knife is the only weapon that you carry with you throughout the entire game, and can never run out of. It is also a particularly useful weapon, as it can often defeat many enemies with one strike, while ranged weapons may require more hits. The only draw back is that it is very short and can only be used at close range.
Rambo NES item throwing knife.png
A throwing knife is a small step up from a regular knife. It is not as strong as the regular knife, but it does permit you to attack from a distance, allowing you to briefly freeze an attacking enemy in their tracks so that you can attack again. Throwing knives will only travel a short distance.
Arrow Concussive Arrow
Rambo NES item arrow.png
Unlike throwing knives, arrows are capable of traveling much farther across the screen. Unfortunately, they don't appear to be any stronger than throwing knives, so they only advantage they provide is distance.
Rambo NES item explosive arrow.png
Concussive arrows pack an explosive at the tip that triggers when it hits an enemy. They are only marginally stronger than arrows, although they are significantly better when used against particular enemies.
Machine Gun Grenade
Rambo NES item machine gun.png
The machine gun weapon fires bullets which travel quickly across the screen. They can also be fired at a much faster rate than arrows. They aren't necessarily stronger than arrows, but they are often better at keeping an enemy at bay.
Rambo NES item grenade.png
Unlike the maximum 99 ammunition for the other five weapons, you can only hold a maximum of 9 grenades. They are very powerful, however, often killing most enemies with one hit. Use them to attack enemies that are a bit far off and too dangerous to get close to.
Medicine Icon
Rambo NES item medicine.png
Medicine is the ultimate survival tool throughout the game. Whenever you are close to dying, the text at the top of the screen will begin to flash. This is your cue to use one of your vials of medicine if you have one. It will completely restore all lost health.
At certain points very late in the game, you will notice a small icon resembling Rambo fall from the ceiling to the floor. Collecting this icon before it disappears grants you one of two effects. It will either restore 100 lost health points, or grant you temporary invulnerability, signified by a flashing aura around Rambo.
Speed Jump
A certain enemy in the game will release a big red and white S when defeated. This will grant Rambo with great speed, allowing him to run far faster than usual until you leave the screen where you collected it. Another enemy will provide you with a big red and white J when defeated. It gives Rambo the ability to jump much higher than normal. This is particularly useful when you fall through a bridge and would have to find another means to get back up to the top of it.