Kung Fu Kid (Master System) Playthrough - NintendoComplete
166A playthrough of Sega's 1987 beat 'em up for the Sega Master System, Kung Fu Kid.
It was known as 魔界列伝 (Makai Retsuden) in Japan, it got a reskin under the name "Sapo Xulé O Mestre do Kung Fu" in Brazil, and it is the direct sequel to the 1985 Sega SG-1000 game "Dragon Wang" (https://youtu.be/PKxDjcdO23E ).Yes, it was actually called that. I'm not kidding.
So, I guess Kung Fu Kid is Kid Wang? That's so awkward.
Kung Fu Kid is one of Sega's many attempts to capitalize on the trending popularity of the gameplay style established in Irem's Kung Fu Master (released on the NES as Kung Fu, https://youtu.be/IQjzFt8Sqpk ), and it plays quite similarly to Black Belt (https://youtu.be/CwwuIcgnG5k ) and My Hero, both also released in the early days of the Master System.
Wang takes up the role of the hero once again, determined to avenge the death of his "Kung Fu Master Tayron" at the hands of "Madanda, the unnatural evil one." But first, you'll have to "defeat hordes of his loyal demonic servants." Quite the noble cause, sounds like.
The game itself is super simple - you run along kicking everything that moves into submission. Remember that episode of Family Guy when Peter becomes obsessed with Road House and starts roundhouse kicking everything like he was Patrick Swayze? The idea here is not so different.
You have a regular kick, a sweep, and a jump kick, along with your "talisman" (a Shinto ofuda) that can be flung as a projectile capable of wiping out big groups of enemies. The action is straightforward and surprisingly easy for a game of its vintage, but in the case of Kung Fu Kid, I don't mind.
It's never frustrating - there are quite a few bonus items to grab if you know where to look - and it doesn't outstay its welcome. The seven stages are all unique and interesting to look at - not to mention garish in a way that few games (save Alex Kidd and the Lost Stars) can rival! I loved the look of it despite its determination to melt my eyes, and it paints an impressively colorful scene for an 8-bit home game in 1987.
It's not in the slightest bit original, but Kung Fu Kid is one of those games that is fun to pop in for a short bit of mindless fun, and it marks a huge improvement over its predecessor. If you like this sort of game, I totally recommend it.
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No cheats were used during the recording of this video.
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