Menu
Home
People
Places
Arts
History
Plants & Animals
Science
Life & Culture
Technology
Reference.org
Kung-Fu Master (video game)
open-in-new
<p><i>Kung-Fu Master</i>, known as <i>Spartan X</i> in Japan, is a 1984 <a href="/facts/Beat_%2527em_up/4Sq9w9qb">beat 'em up game</a> developed and published by <a href="/facts/Irem/IcuaHWHE">Irem</a> for <a href="/facts/Arcade_video_game/dCRltFVF">arcades</a>. It was distributed by <a href="/facts/Data_East/a9bencl5">Data East</a> in North America. Designed by <a href="/facts/Takashi_Nishiyama/pwUPFqU0">Takashi Nishiyama</a>, the game was based on <a href="/facts/Hong_Kong_martial_arts_films/QveGUtK3">Hong Kong martial arts films</a>. It is a loose adaptation of the <a href="/facts/Jackie_Chan/9P10nhSV">Jackie Chan</a>, <a href="/facts/Sammo_Hung/8JFNfd2n">Sammo Hung</a> and <a href="/facts/Yuen_Biao/CLdPnFIY">Yuen Biao</a> film <i><a href="/facts/Wheels_on_Meals/dDIBnAt0">Wheels on Meals</a></i> (1984), called <i>Spartan X</i> in Japan, with the protagonist Thomas named after Jackie Chan's character in the film. The game is also heavily inspired by the <a href="/facts/Bruce_Lee/2yoY2eL6">Bruce Lee</a> film <i><a href="/facts/Game_of_Death/JQ4a3oL9">Game of Death</a></i> (1972), which was the basis for the game's concept. Nishiyama, who had previously designed the <a href="/facts/Side-scrolling_shooter/dyAgF51H">side-scrolling shooter</a> <i><a href="/facts/Moon_Patrol/3S6EFUbD">Moon Patrol</a></i> (1982), combined fighting elements with a <a href="/facts/Shoot_%2527em_up/dyAgF51H">shoot 'em up</a> gameplay rhythm. Irem and Data East exported the game to the West without the <i>Spartan X</i> license. </p><p>The player controls Thomas, a <a href="/facts/Kung_fu/KuosrvwT">kung fu</a> master, as he fights his way through the five levels of the Devil's Temple to rescue his girlfriend Sylvia from the crime boss Mr. X. As he ascends the tower, he has to fight many enemies along the way and five end-of-level <a href="/facts/Boss_battles/0emjxCls">boss battles</a>, a concept inspired by <i>Game of Death</i>. Thomas and each boss have a <a href="/facts/Health_meter/YYEzz8oU">health meter</a>, and the game temporarily becomes a one-on-one <a href="/facts/Fighting_game/7Y7FaQTK">fighting game</a> during boss battles. </p><p>The game was a major commercial success, topping the Japanese arcade charts and becoming America's second highest-grossing arcade game of 1985, while receiving critical acclaim for its fast-paced, side-scrolling gameplay and detailed, colorful graphics. A port for the <a href="/facts/Nintendo_Entertainment_System/YD59GCQQ">Nintendo Entertainment System</a> (known as the Famicom in Japan) was developed by <a href="/facts/Nintendo/dMrLpaHu">Nintendo</a> under the direction of <a href="/facts/Shigeru_Miyamoto/xYoBgNnb">Shigeru Miyamoto</a>, released as <i>Spartan X</i> in Japan and <i>Kung Fu</i> in the West, selling 3.5 million copies worldwide. It was also one of the top five best-selling <a href="/facts/Commodore_64/3TPcKDbb">Commodore 64</a> games of 1986. It spawned the sequel <i><a href="/facts/Spartan_X_2/UhIM8gja">Spartan X 2</a></i> (1991) and the spiritual successors <i><a href="/facts/Trojan_(video_game)/FfNR5eX0">Trojan</a></i> (1986) and <i><a href="/facts/Vigilante_(video_game)/Y0997jvx">Vigilante</a></i> (1988). </p><p><i>Kung-Fu Master</i> was a highly influential game. It is regarded as the first beat 'em up video game, and an early example of the side-scrolling character <a href="/facts/Action_game/nKkAcggC">action game</a> genre, which became popular during the mid-to-late 1980s. Miyamoto's work on the NES port inspired his development of the side-scrolling <a href="/facts/Platform_game/KJnmd0Il">platform game</a> <i><a href="/facts/Super_Mario_Bros./ryoTeTg7">Super Mario Bros.</a></i> (1985), while Nishiyama was hired by <a href="/facts/Capcom/XBPVAyhV">Capcom</a> where he used the game's boss battles as the basis for the fighting game <i><a href="/facts/Street_Fighter_(video_game)/VrQl5e6e">Street Fighter</a></i> (1987), before working for <a href="/facts/SNK/SJ95qGKk">SNK</a> on fighting games such as <i><a href="/facts/Fatal_Fury%3a_King_of_Fighters/UfNN9NW0">Fatal Fury</a></i> and <i><a href="/facts/The_King_of_Fighters/4t2MNfT3">The King of Fighters</a></i>. <i>Kung-Fu Master</i> also influenced other media, such as the <a href="/facts/Red_Ribbon_Army/YILxcs7H">Red Ribbon Army</a> saga (1985–1986) of the <a href="/facts/Manga/DPkkyHos">manga</a> and <a href="/facts/Anime/d5j1by0m">anime</a> series <i><a href="/facts/Dragon_Ball/beDqYtcb">Dragon Ball</a></i>, as well as the French film <i><a href="/facts/Kung_Fu_Master_(film)/JwoG2k9C">Kung Fu Master</a></i> (1988). </p>