The Combatribes

The Combatribes
Promotional leaflet for the arcade version (due to an error the colors for Blitz and Bullova are switched in this artwork)
Developer(s)	Technos Japan Corp.
Publisher(s)	American Technos Inc.
Director(s)	Yoshihisa Kishimoto
Producer(s)	Noriyuki Tomiyama
Writer(s)	Atsushi Tanimoto
Composer(s)	Kazunaka Yamane
Platform(s)	Arcade, Super NES, Wii Virtual Console
Release	June 1990
Genre(s)	Beat 'em up
Mode(s)	Single-player, co-op
Cabinet	Upright
Display	Raster

The Combatribes (ザ・コンバットライブス^?) is a 1990 beat 'em-up game released for the arcades by Technos Japan Corp (the developers of Renegade and Double Dragon). A home version for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System was also released in 1992. The game centers on three vigilantes (identified as cyborgs in the SNES port) who must fight against numerous street gangs in futuristic New York City. The SNES version was released for the Wii Virtual Console in North America on November 30, 2009.

The player takes control of one of three strongmen, the titular "Combatribes": Berserker, a blond-haired man in a blue outfit who is endowed with a balance of speed and strength; Bullova (who takes his name from an Indian battle axe), a man in a yellow outfit who is the strongest of the trio, but also the slowest; and Blitz (short for "blitzkrieg"), is a long-haired man in a red outfit who has the most agile attacks, but lacks the strength of the other two characters. The heroes boast a variety of unique techniques in addition to the standard punch and kick combos such as stomping on an opponent, swinging them by their ankles, kicking them on the ground, slamming their faces into the pavement and even the ability to slam the heads of two opponents together. The player can also pick up certain large-sized objects (parked motorcycles, go-karts or pinball machines) and toss them over enemies.