Kung-Fu Master

Kung-Fu Master is a side-scrolling beat 'em up developed by Irem and released for arcades in December 1984 . Known as Spartan X in Japan, it is loosely based on the Jackie Chan film Wheels on Meals and inspired by Bruce Lee's Game of Death . You control Thomas, a kung fu master fighting through five floors of the Devil's Temple to rescue his girlfriend Sylvia from the crime boss Mr. X . Each floor is filled with waves of enemies including knife throwers, snake fighters, and fire-breathing wizards . At the end of each floor, you face a boss: the Stick Fighter, Boomerang Thrower, Wizard, Giant, and finally Mr. X himself . Thomas can move left and right, jump, duck, punch, and kick. Enemy projectiles like knives can be kicked back toward the attacker . The game was designed by Takashi Nishiyama, who previously created Moon Patrol, and combined fighting elements with a shooter's gameplay rhythm .

Arcade

Released in Japan on November 24, 1984 as Spartan X, in North America in March 1985, and in Europe in early 1985 . The arcade hardware uses a Z80 CPU running at 3.072 MHz, with an M6803 audio CPU and two AY-3-8910 sound chips . The display is a horizontal raster with 256x256 resolution at 55 Hz . Controls use a 4-way joystick and two buttons for punches and kicks . The game supports up to two players taking turns . Kung-Fu Master became the second highest-grossing arcade game of 1985 in North America and is widely regarded as the first true beat 'em up, influencing later classics like Double Dragon and Final Fight . The NES port, titled simply Kung Fu, sold 3.5 million copies .