Kung-Fu Master Longplay (Arcade) [60 FPS]
164Developed by Irem and published by Data East in 1984.
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One of the early arcade classics, Kung-Fu Master was one of the cabinets that I remember finding in most arcades as a child and was one of the few that was always ten pence a go even when arcade games reach the stage of charging fifty pence for half a credit...seriously, why would anyone buy half a credit??!
Anyway, the games plot sees a master of Kung-Fu, Thomas, fighting his way through five levels of the Devil's Temple in order to rescue his girlfriend, Silvia. Anyone who has watched the film, "Game of Death", starring the late, great Bruce Lee, will notice the game follows a very similar premise.
Each floor of the temple is guarded by hoards of opponents, each of which must be despatched with a swift punch or kick before they can get too close. Opponents that get close enough will grab hold of Thomas, immobilising him and quickly sapping his energy; the player must quickly waggle the joystick left and right in order to throw off any of these so-called Grabbers.
Other enemies feature throughout the other levels, including knife throwers, exploding bombs, snakes, dragons and what appear to be butterflies. All are equally deadly and should be avoided or killed as quickly as possible. Although the combat is simple, the player can decide to play it safe by relying on the kick to knock out opponents at range, or risk using the punch for additional points.
Before Thomas can ascend to the next floor, he must defeat the a boss who guards the stairway. All of the bosses can require a certain strategy to beat and some are vulnerable only to certain moves.
There's something about the slightly gaudy colour palette, art style and audio that makes the game so memorable. This was an early precursor to the side-scrolling beat 'em up and, despite it's age, is still a fun game to play. If you see this in an arcade, be sure to drop some money in the slot and have a go for old time's sake.
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