Play Mustafa and 40 Thieves Online

Konami released Mustafa and 40 Thieves in arcades in 1982, a time when side-scrolling action games were still finding their footing. It was a straightforward title, not as flashy as some of its contemporaries, but it had a clear, focused idea. You played as Mustafa, a thief trying to reclaim stolen treasure from a fortress full of guards and rival bandits.

You control Mustafa through a series of single-screen rooms, each filled with patrolling enemies and piles of gold to collect. Your main objective is to grab all the treasure in a room before the exit unlocks, then move on to the next. You have a short-range sword to defend yourself, but combat is risky; it's often smarter to just avoid the guards entirely. The pacing is relentless, with new thieves frequently spawning to chase you down, and the difficulty ramps up quickly as the rooms get more crowded. It feels like a tense game of cat and mouse where every decision matters.