Kung-Fu Master/Gameplay

Controls

Movement

• or : Press left or right to walk in either direction. Which direction is forward depends on your current level. Levels 1, 3, and 5 require the player to walk left in order to advance, while levels 2 and 4 are the opposite.
• : Press up to jump, unless you are being held by an opponent.
• ( or ) + : Jumps in the direction you have been walking for at least three floor boards.
• : Press down to crouch.

Attacks

• : Press to throw a standing punch. Press repeatedly for stationary rapid-fire punches.
• +: Press up to jump, then press punch in mid-air for one jump punch. (Only hits very rare targets that are too high for jump kicks).
• +: Press to throw a crouching punch. Press repeatedly for stationary rapid-fire crouching punches.
• : Press to perform a standing kick. Press repeatedly for stationary rapid-fire kicks.
• +: Press up to jump, then press kick in mid-air for one jump kick. Usually hits most but not all targets that get hit by standing kicks.
• +: Press to perform a crouching kick. Press repeatedly for stationary rapid-fire foot sweeps.

Characters

Thomas

Thomas, the hero of the game, must advance through the five floors of the Devil's Temple and rescue his girlfriend Sylvia from the clutches of Mr. X on the top floor. Thomas is an accomplished martial artist capable of taking on the massive army of grunts that Mr. X unleashes at Thomas. Besides regular enemies, there are four bosses that must be defeated, before Thomas can face Mr. X. Thomas must punch and kick his way to the top of the Temple.

Sylvia

Sylvia, Thomas' girlfriend, gets kidnapped while Thomas is busy defending himself, and is used to bait Thomas into the Devil's Temple, where she sits helplessly bound to a chair behind Mr. X at the very top of the temple. She can only be freed after Thomas defeats Mr. X in hand-to-hand combat.

Enemies

Gripper

Kick: 100 points. Punch: 200 points. Jump Kick: 200 points.
Grippers, the most common enemy in the Devil's Temple, approach Thomas from both directions. If they get close enough to grab him, they begin to strangle him and drain his energy. The more Grippers surrounding Thomas, the faster his energy drains. To free Thomas, shake the joystick to shake them off and they will fall away harmlessly. No more than four Grippers will appear at once.
Up to three Grippers can be knocked down with one jump kick, if Thomas is coming at them and they are also close enough. In this case, the second Gripper awards 400 points and the third awards 800 points.

If the twelfth enemy you've consecutively knocked down is a Gripper, successfully jump kicking him awards 5000 points.

Knife Thrower

2nd Kick: 500 points. 2nd Punch: 800 points. 2nd Jump Kick: 1,000 points.
Knife Throwers have an infinite supply of knives to throw at either Thomas' neck or thigh. High knives must be ducked, low knives must be jumped. Knife Throwers tend to keep away from Thomas, and often run away if Thomas approaches them. They will only stay in place if Thomas gets closer to them while they were throwing a knife. If you try to retreat, they always give chase. One Knife Thrower alone isn't so bad, but he's not always alone. Getting surrounded by two knife throwers can be tough. Focus on the one that threw a knife most recently and keep your eye on the other thrower to avoid getting hit with his knives. Just hope one doesn't throw high when the other one throws low. They must be struck twice to be beaten. If the second strike does not immediately follow the first, he will throw another knife very soon after.

Tom Tom

Kick: 200 points. Punch: 300 points.
Like Grippers, Tom Toms (usually) try to grab Thomas and drain his energy, but Tom Toms are too short to be hit by standing attacks, only crouching attacks. However, every so often, a random Tom Tom will leap into the air. If you remain crouched, he will stomp your head, which costs you some energy. If you stand up or jump, he will bounce off your trunk harmlessly. It is possible to jump straight up clean over a single Tom Tom, or even forward jump over two Tom Toms, but only if perfectly timed and spaced.

Snakes

Kick Pot: 100 points. Punch Pot: 200 points
Snakes first appear in the first half of the 2nd Floor of the Devil's Temple from green pots that fall from the ceiling. They can be punched or kicked before landing. Any green pot that avoids Thomas will crash open on the floor, freeing an invulnerable snake who immediately goes after you, and must be jumped over so as to avoid its bite.

Dragons

Kick ball: 500 points. Punch ball: 600 points.
Kick or Punch Dragon: 2,000 points.
Dragons first appear in the first half of Floor 2 from inside yellow striped balls that drop from the ceiling, which can also be destroyed before landing. Once landed, a motionless dragon appears, waits a moment, then spits hot fire at your face.
If you cannot punch or kick its mouth in time, duck under the fire, or stay out of range. Once its breath weapon is depleted, it disappears.

Confetti Ball

Jump Attack: 1,000 points.
Confetti Balls also drop from the ceiling in the first half of Floor 2, but unlike Snake Pots and Dragon Balls, they hover in the air for a few seconds, then explode in three dangerous shards, any of which will harm Thomas if they hit him.
Destroy them with a jump attack, get out of range, or evade the pieces, before they explode.

Poisonous Moth

Kick: 500 points. Punch: 600 points.
Poisonous Moths first appear in the first half of Floor 4 from holes in the wall. They hover in the air and fly through the hallway, getting in the way. They can be punched or kicked, but they often change their level, sometimes making them challenging to hit. Generally, ignore moths behind you unless they catch you up for any reason. Moths in front of you should be avoided if possible, or attacked if necessary.

Bosses

Floor 1

2,000 points
The first boss of the Devil's Temple is the Stick Fighter. He wields a staff with long reach, but won't punch or kick.
Thomas is safe inside his staff's range, from where Thomas should punch then kick the Stick Fighter.
Thomas' punches and kicks push them away from each other, but the stick does not.

Floor 2

3,000 points
The second boss is the Boomerang Fighter. Much like the Knife Thrower, he tends to stand in place and toss boomerangs at Thomas, which must be avoided like knives, and then also again as they swerve back. There is no way to predict if he will throw one or two boomerangs, if he will throw either of them high or low, or if either or both will change level or not for their round trip. He has no other attacks, and generally waits for both boomerangs to return before moving, giving ample time to defeat him.

Floor 3

3,000 points
The third floor boss is gigantic, making him an easy target, but his kicks hit harder than anything else, and his punches hit almost as hard. If he connects while you are in mid air, you'll also fly backwards a bit. Even at full health, any two of his kicks is enough to knock you out. If you are not out of range, the only other safe spot is crouched tight up against his leg.

Floor 4

5,000 points
The fourth floor boss, The Black Magician, is deceptively difficult. He casts fireballs at your head which must be punched kicked or ducked, or toward your feet which must be punched kicked or jumped. Often, the fireballs transform into snakes, dragons, or even moths that swerve back from the extent of their travel. Defeating the Black Magician requires guesswork and luck. Between his face and his chest, only one target is undefended. Hitting the wrong one allows the Black Magician to freeze you while he teleports a short distance away. Occasionally, the Black Magician will conjure a fully functional double on Thomas' other side, but only one can be hurt, and it's not always the one on the right. Quick attacks and good judgment are your best bet against the Black Magician.

Floor 5

10,000 points
Mr. X is your ultimate opponent. His initial defense is impenetrable, plus he has a longer range than Thomas, and lightning fast attacks. The trick to fighting Mr. X is to keep him on defense. Attack relentlessly with rapid successions of kicks, either high or low, switching up randomly so some of your attacks might slip past his defense. Even if you can't land a hit on him, pressing your attack will push him away from you so that he can't attack. Wait for the right moment to change your attack, and remember that he can block, but you cannot. Once you knock him out, Sylvia can be safely rescued.