Kung Fu Master
| Kung-Fu Master | |
|---|---|
North American arcade flyer of Kung Fu Master.
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| Developer(s) |
Irem (arcade) Nintendo (NES) |
| Publisher(s) | Irem (JPN arcade) Data East USA (NA arcade) Nintendo (Worldwide NES) |
| Designer(s) | Takashi Nishiyama |
| Composer(s) | Koji Kondo (NES version) |
| Series | Spartan X / Kung-Fu Master |
| Platform(s) | Arcade (original) Amstrad CPC, Apple II, Atari 2600, Atari 7800, C64, MSX, NES, ZX Spectrum |
| Release date(s) |
Arcade version:
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| Genre(s) | Beat 'em up |
| Mode(s) | Up to 2 players, alternating turns |
| Cabinet | Upright, mini-upright, and cocktail |
| Arcade system |
Specifications
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| Display | Raster (Horizontal) 4:3 |
Specifications
Kung-Fu Master is a side-scrolling beat 'em up game produced by Irem as arcade game in 1984 and distributed by Data East in North America. The game was initially released in Japan under the title of Spartan X (スパルタンX Suparutan X?) as a tie-in based on the Jackie Chan film Wheels on Meals (which was distributed under the same title in Japan); however, the game has no bearing on the plot of the film outside the names of the protagonist and his girlfriend, allowing Irem to export the game without the license by simply changing title.
The players control Thomas, the titular Kung-Fu Master, as he fights his way through the five levels of the Devil's Temple in order to rescue his girlfriend Sylvia from the mysterious crime boss Mr. X.
The player controls Thomas with a four-way joystick and two attack buttons for punching and kick. Unlike more conventional side-scrolling games, the joystick is used not only to crouch, but also to jump. Punches and kicks can be performed from a standing, crouching or jumping position. Punches award more points than kicks and do more damage, but their range is shorter.
Underlings encountered by the player include Grippers, who can grab Thomas and drain his energy until shaken off; Knife Throwers, who can throw at two different heights and must be hit twice; and Tom Toms, short fighters who can either grab Thomas or somersault to strike his head when he is crouching. On even-numbered floors, the player must also deal with falling balls and pots, snakes, poisonous moths, fire-breathing dragons, and exploding confetti balls.
The temple has five floors, each ending with a different 'son of the devil' or boss who must be defeated before Thomas can climb the stairs to the next floor. Thomas must complete each floor within a fixed time; if time runs out or his energy is completely drained, he loses one life and must replay the entire floor. If a boss defeats Thomas, the boss laughs. Although there are five bosses, the game only uses two different synthesized laughs. (The NES version uses a third, high-pitched synthesized laugh for the Black Magician, the fourth boss.)
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Wikipedia