Hammerfist

Hammerfist is a sci-fi action/puzzle game developed by Vivid Image and published by Activision Limited. It was released in 1990 for the Amiga, Commodore 64, ZX Spectrum, Amstrad CPC, and Atari ST. This was the premier game for Vivid Image, founded by the team that created Last Ninja 2: Back with a Vengeance at System 3.

In a dystopian future, an evil corporation (shocker, right?) is replacing humans with holographic versions to control everything and everyone. Two such creations transcend their programming and decide to do what’s right. Enter Hammerfist himself and his counterpart Metalisis, who share a body. You control the pair, which you can switch back and forth between at will as they fight for liberation. Both have skills that make them useful in different situations and their health bar. The pair will have to kill enemies and destroy computers to get to the next section. This is not always straightforward since you will need to solve a puzzle.

Hammerfist uses his hammer fist (duh), piston-powered fist, and a laser gun for good measure. Metalisis uses a high kick, a headbutt, and her flipping ability. There are also a plethora of power-ups for the pair to collect, but any missed will add to The Master’s power. Should The Master’s power bar fill up, all power-ups will have harmful effects.

Hammerfist received very positive reviews upon release for every version. It’s definitely a beat-’em-up with an exciting twist.