The Untouchables on the NES is a gritty, multi-genre adaptation of the 1987 Brian De Palma film that attempts to capture the cinematic tension of Prohibition-era Chicago. Developed by Ocean, the game eschews a singular gameplay style in favor of several distinct modes, including shooting galleries, side-scrolling action, and top-down perspectives. Players step into the shoes of Eliot Ness and his legendary team, navigating iconic scenes such as the border raid and the tense railway station shootout. While the 8-bit visuals do a commendable job of translating the film's moody aesthetic, the sheer variety of playstyles often results in a "jack of all trades, master of none" experience that lacks technical refinement.
The gameplay is notoriously difficult, characterized by stiff controls and a punishing lack of health pick-ups. The shooting gallery stages, reminiscent of Operation Wolf, require twitch reflexes but are often hampered by a sluggish cursor that struggles to keep up with the overwhelming number of mobsters on screen. Side-scrolling segments fare slightly better but are still plagued by awkward hit detection and repetitive enemy patterns. However, the game is elevated significantly by its atmospheric soundtrack; Jonathan Dunn’s driving, melancholic score is a highlight of the NES library, providing a sense of urgency and drama that the mechanical gameplay sometimes fails to deliver.
As a late-era NES title released in 1991, The Untouchables represents the peak of Ocean’s cinematic ambitions on 8-bit hardware before the industry fully pivoted to the Super Nintendo and Mega Drive. It remains a fascinating piece of software for those who appreciate the era's trend of genre-mashing movie tie-ins, even if it lacks the polish of contemporary classics.
