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Box artwork for Cloud Master.
Box artwork for Cloud Master.
Cloud Master
Developer(s)Taito Corporation
Publisher(s)Taito Corporation
Year released1988
System(s)Arcade, MSX2, Sega Master System, NES, Sharp X68000, TurboGrafx-16
Genre(s)Shooter
ModesSingle player
LinksCloud Master ChannelSearchSearch

Chuuka Taisen (中華大仙?), released internationally as Cloud Master, is a horizontally scrolling shooter released for the arcade by Taito in 1988. The game features the literary character Sun Wukong, better known as the Monkey King and the deuteragonist of the Chinese novel Journey to the West. In the English localization of the game, the main character's name is changed to Mike Chen.

The player controls Mike Chen floating on a cloud, maneuvering around the screen and shooting balls of energy at flying enemies. Powerups can be collected for stronger and faster firepower. Some parts of the game stage have doors that give the player the opportunity to buy special bomb types with collectible credits. Each stage has its own mini-boss and big boss. The player restarts at certain checkpoints after losing a life.

Home versions were released for the MSX2 and Sharp X68000 home computers, as well as the Famicom, Sega Master System, and [[PC Engine. Only the Master System version was ever released outside of Japan. The PC Engine version of the game is titled Gokuraku! Chuuka Taisen (極楽!中華大仙? lit. Paradise! Chinese Taisen). Most versions of the game contain 5 stages, just like the original arcade game. The Famicom version has one extra stage, and one hidden stage, for a total of 7 stages. To reach the hidden stage, one must play through the fourth level until a flashing dragon is seen along the bottom of the screen. Destroy it, and occupy the space it was in. As the screen scrolls to the right, your player will get squeezed by the rock formation, but instead of dying, you'll be transported to the hidden stage.

In 2008, Starfish SD, a company founded by former Hot-B employees, bought the rights from Taito and developed a remake for the Nintendo Wii. It was released under the title The Monkey King: The Legend Begins, dubbed Shin Chuuka Taisen: Michael to Meimei no Bouken in Japan. A Nintendo Switch port, titled Chuuka Taisen, was released on September 6, 2018. A version of the arcade game with HD HUD and menu elements was released for Switch, Steam, and PlayStation 4 by UFO Interactive as Monkey King: Master of the Clouds.

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