718 - Kung-Fu Master
What would you do if you were suddenly attacked by several unknown guys?
Since I played Kung-Fu Master, I know what Thomas, the kung-fu master would do. He would punch and kick his way through a lot of unknown guys. Way more than several. It’s a full regiment of unknown guys. Way more guys than would ever fit in the Devil’s Temple.
A KUNG-FU MASTER, THOMAS AND
SILVIA WERE SUDDENLY ATTACKED
BY SEVERAL UNKNOWN GUYS.
Now that I read that again, maybe Thomas isn’t the kung-fu master. It might be that the kung-fu master is a completely different person in that list. Or even more interesting, Thomas and Sylvia might, collectively, be a singular kung-fu master. A sort of Dragon Ball fusion dance situation.
No. It’s just awkwardly written. Thomas is the master of kung-fu.
Thomas is also Jackie Chan.
Well that was the plan, anyway.
Kung-Fu Master (also titled Spartan X in Japan) was intended as an adaptation of the 1984 Sammo Hung/Jackie Chan action comedy Wheels on Meals (Food Truck in Chinese) (also titled Spartan X in Japan).
At some point during development the game deviated pretty wildly from the movie. For games, that’s a good thing.
As Thomas, you march either left or right punching and kicking every unknown guy that comes close. Most of the guys will try to grab hold of you in some sort of rugby scrum until you get so tired you fall off the world. A few of them will throw knives at you. A few of the guys are actually snakes that leap out of baskets. And then you get to the bosses.
There is a guy (unknown, it has to be assumed) who hits you with a stick, a guy who throws a boomerang, a big guy, a wizard (maybe?), and another kung-fu master named X. X, it seems, is the one known guy.
All of this might seem like standard fare. Of course, in 1984, it wasn’t. The one-two shot of Kung-Fu Master and Karateka kicked off the long history of characters walking in one direction while punching and kicking. The Beat-em-up or belt scroller starts here. And it already has all the features in place.
Health bars, different high and low punches and kicks, end of level bosses. The only thing Kung-Fu Master is really missing is the ability to block. You do have to dodge knives though, so that’s something. Spartan X is even cited as one of the inspirations for Super Mario Bros. continuous scrolling.
A Jackie Chan licensed game spin off that really didn’t happen and a blue sky attitude made for one of the longest lasting genres in video games. Not only that, but Kung-Fu Master is still a fun game to play.
Kung-Fu Master is simply one of the Best Games.