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Kung-Fu Master

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Arcade

Loosely based on a movie, Kung-Fu Master is a side scrolling action game for one or two players, who alternate turns. Mr. X has captured the pickpocket Sylvia and it is up to Thomas, a kung-fu master who owns a restaurant, to get her back. She is located on the top floor of Mr. X's castle and ...

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Developer
Irem

Released on
1984

Size
1–2 Players

Version
Arcade

Requirements
Arcade

Downloads
Beat 'em Up

ESRB Rating
Not Rated

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Description

Loosely based on a movie, Kung-Fu Master is a side scrolling action game for one or two players, who alternate turns.

Mr. X has captured the pickpocket Sylvia and it is up to Thomas, a kung-fu master who owns a restaurant, to get her back. She is located on the top floor of Mr. X’s castle and Thomas will need to fight his way to the top. Of course, this won’t be easy as each floor has many opponents to get past and a floor boss at the end of each level.

Thomas is able to move left and right, jump, duck, and punch and kick. Enemy projectiles such as knives can be kicked in the air to rebound them towards the enemy. On the top floor resides Mr. X himself.

Kung-Fu Master

Overview & History

Released by Irem in late 1984 (and famously ported to various home systems by Data East and U.S. Gold), Kung-Fu Master is widely credited as the pioneer of the side-scrolling beat-'em-up genre. Loosely based on classic martial arts cinema—specifically drawing heavy inspiration from Bruce Lee’s Game of Death and Jackie Chan’s Wheels on Meals—the game drops players into the saffron trousers of Thomas, a master of martial arts. The storyline is a high-stakes, single-minded rescue mission: Thomas must ascend the ominous five-level "Devil's Temple" to save his kidnapped girlfriend, Sylvia, from the clutches of the villainous Mr. X. Each floor of the pagoda acts as a gauntlet of increasing difficulty, forcing Thomas to plow through waves of distinctive thugs, exotic weapons, and bizarre bosses before he can finally reach the top and claim victory.

Gameplay Features & Mechanics

At its core, Kung-Fu Master relies on relentless pacing and precise positioning. Thomas possesses two primary attack heights: high punches and kicks, and low crouching punches and kicks, allowing him to deal with standard grunts as well as crawling or jumping enemies like pygmies and knife-throwers. Additionally, players can execute a leaping kick to clear distance or knock down advancing hordes. The action takes place on a single-plane side-scrolling stage where enemies spawn from both sides of the screen. Some foes, such as the infamous "Grippers," latch onto Thomas and rapidly drain his life meter unless shaken off by frantic joystick wiggling and punching. Health is represented by a diminishing energy bar that also serves as a strict countdown timer; if time runs out before clearing the floor, Thomas loses a life. Each of the five levels culminates in a unique, pattern-based boss fight—ranging from the boomerang-wielding Booska to the agile martial artist Mr. X himself—requiring players to memorize enemy attack intervals and strike windows to survive.