Phantom Fighter/Gameplay

Controls

 * : Use the direction pad to control Mr. Kau around the towns and during fights. Press left or right to move Mr. Kau in either direction.  When outside, press up to enter a building.  During a fight, press up to leap into the air, or press down to crouch.
 * : When outside, press A to determine the kind of building you are in front of. When inside, press the A button to execute a kick.  You may also kick while jumping.
 * : When outside, you may also press B to find out about a building. When inside, press the A button to punch.  You may also punch while jumping.
 * : Press the Start button to begin a new game, or to pause the action mid-game.
 * : When walking around outside, press Select to change the speed of the text in the game between slow, medium, and fast.

Mr. Kau
You control Mr. Kau throughout the game. He is a mystic well versed in the lore of the Chinese undead known as Kyonshi. He is also a master martial artist. He uses these martial arts skill to defeat the Kyonshi in hand-to-hand combat. In the beginning of the game, he only knows the most basic moves, but he can learn more advanced moves from the masters of the training halls found in many (but not all) of the towns. In order to learn these more advanced moves, he must collect and exchange scrolls with the training hall masters.

Mr. Kau has a health meter which is shown on the left side of the screen. Every time a Kyonshi hits Mr. Kau, he loses some of his health. If his health meter is ever depleted, Mr. Kau is defeated. The game will end and Mr. Kau's assistant Chou will speak before giving you an opportunity to continue your game. You may continue an unlimited number of times, but when you do, you lose your items, and half of the scrolls you were holding. There are three ways for Mr. Kau to restore his health: visit a temple for healing, collect a Jade orb, or defeat the boss Kyonshi in a town.

Items
There are a few items in the game that will help Mr. Kau in his quest to rid towns of the Kyonshi. Four of them are selectable, but only one may be activated at a time. In order to activate the talisman, mirror, crystal sword, or bell, Mr. Kau must attempt to leave a building. At that time, his assistant Chou will ask what he wants, and you can choose to activate an item. Note that he will offer you the choice of each item even if you are not carrying it at the time, but choosing an item you don't possess results in nothing being chosen.