Kung-Fu Master

Kung-Fu Master brings to the Atari 7800 the popular arcade concept of a fighter making his way up through the floors of a fortress, where groups of rivals await at every step, attacking with bare hands, knives, and thrown weapons. The player moves only left and right, kicks and punches, ducks or jumps, and must alternate between defensive and offensive moves depending on where and how quickly the enemies come from. The simplicity of the controls is offset by the growing density and speed of attacks on later floors, where a single mistake already means losing a precious life. At the top of each floor a significantly stronger opponent also awaits, one who can't be beaten with the same tactics used against the rank-and-file enemies along the way.

On the console the game offers smoothly animated characters and clear distinctions between the different types of opponents, which is crucial for correct defensive timing given the fast pace of the fights. The sound is sparse, focused on the sounds of punches and kicks, complemented by simple melodic motifs between the individual floors of the tower, giving the player a brief moment to catch their breath. Using the 7800 controller's single button requires combining it with directional movement so the player can perform different types of attacks, which initially demands some getting used to before the player masters the precise timing of individual kicks and punches.

The arcade original was among the most influential titles of the side-scrolling beat 'em up genre in the mid-1980s and inspired a number of later games built on the same principle of fighting through the floors of a building full of rivals. The home version for the Atari 7800 made this established concept available to console owners at a time when the genre was at the height of its popularity in arcades around the world. Today the game works as a straightforward, fast showcase of an early beat 'em up, valued more for its historical significance than for depth of mechanics, but still capable of entertaining for a few short play sessions.

Why play it: For a straightforward, fast showcase of an early beat 'em up, valued more for its historical significance than depth of mechanics, but still capable of entertaining for a few short sessions.