Untouchables, The

The Untouchables brings the world of Prohibition-era Chicago to the NES in a side-scrolling action game based on the 1987 film. Released in 1991 by Ocean, it puts you in the role of Eliot Ness as he takes on Al Capone’s criminal operation. The setting gives the game a distinctive period feel, with gangsters, police action and dangerous city locations replacing the usual fantasy enemies found in many NES adventures.

Most of the gameplay focuses on moving through horizontally scrolling stages while dealing with armed opponents. Ness uses a pistol to shoot gangsters, and careful movement is just as important as quick reflexes: enemies can appear from different positions, shots travel across confined spaces, and hazards make reckless progress costly. The action is direct and challenging, with a distinctly arcade-like rhythm that rewards learning enemy placements and approaching each section patiently.

The game draws on the film’s crime drama atmosphere without trying to reproduce every scene in detail. Its appeal comes from the combination of a recognizable movie setting, straightforward run-and-gun mechanics and the demanding difficulty associated with many licensed action games of the era. It is a relatively focused experience, best suited to players who enjoy short bursts of tense shooting and classic 8-bit challenge rather than elaborate exploration or complex character systems.

The NES version has the rough edges typical of early licensed adaptations, but it remains an interesting snapshot of how Ocean translated a serious gangster film into a compact console action game. If you enjoy movie-based NES titles or want to revisit a gritty alternative to the platformers that dominated the system, The Untouchables is worth a look. You can play online on your browser through RetroCloud and experience its old-school pursuit of Capone’s empire.