Hey Arcaders!
Next game up has quite a pedigree- it has Bruce Lee and Jackie Chan attached to it! Like Karate Champ before it, this game was also was a first- the first side scrolling beat em up!
lets get into the action in Kung Fu Master!
With Data East having a firm foothold in the US, lots of Asian game developers looked for companies in the states to release their games. Like Technōs (who made Karate Champ), Irem came to Data East for a way into the US with their game Spartan X, knowing they had a hit on their hands. Data East took a chance and released it as Kung Fu Master. The game is based on the Bruce Lee movie “Game of Death”, then it was changed and marketed as a tie-in based on the Jackie Chan film “Wheels on Meals” which came out the same year. 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 the title.
Kung Fu Master uses the same Data East cabinet as Karate Champ.
Lets take a look at some gameplay!
As you can see, Spartan X looks exactly the same, except the title screen, of course.
Home ports? there were a ton of them!
Now, the one port I played the most- was the amazing NES port. Programmed by Nintendo themselves, it sets the bar very high as the best home port!
And now the fever dream that is KUNG FU REMIX!!!! This is a re-imagined parody of the 1985 NES port of “Kung Fu” (known in Japan as Spartan X). Developed by Ironclaw, the player fights as Thomas, and must rescue his girlfriend Sylvia from the nefarious Mr. X. Like the original, it features 5 stages with a boss fight at the end of each. Unlike the original, it features power-ups, special moves, and Super Famicom music and enemy characters from other NES games. It has a rather T-rated tone, featuring a heavy dose of blood, gore, and a goofy sense of humor. Check this insanity out!
Sadly- Kung Fu Master hasn’t been ported to modern systems- so- emulation is your friend.
So- have you played Kung Fu Master? The Hunchback level is my favorite- try to defeat him to see what I mean!
Keep Playin’ Like it’s 1981!
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