For all of Jackie Chan’s success in film his video game “career” has been less than stellar. Over the last few decades there have been close to twenty games starring the martial arts master. But sadly the majority of them have been terrible. Outside of Kung-Fu his other NES outing is obscure as hell. It’s a damn shame that people are probably more familiar with Jackie Chan’s Stuntmaster on PlayStation than this far superior game. Jackie Chan’s Action Kung Fu is a legitimately great game and a hidden gem in the NES library.
Jackie Chan and his twin Josephine are the premier martial artists in China and have taken it upon themselves to protect the land, from robbers to evil magicians. The Prince of Sorcerers kidnaps Josephine, beginning the trek up the mountain to save here. That could easily have been the plot to one of his movies and you’d never bat an eye. There had been many games starring Jackie Chan for numerous Japanese PCs however this would be America’s first taste of what the action star had to offer.
For such a high quality game it is a bit sad that Jackie Chan’s Action Kung Fu doesn’t get the respect it deserves. Even today it has a low profile and is more than likely associated with bad licensed games. It certainly isn’t like Hudson Soft didn’t try; I remember seeing commercials advertising the game back in the day. I also remember wondering who is Jackie Chan. My ignorance to the legendary actor did not blind me to the fact that this is a fantastic game and probably Hudson Soft’s best NES release.
I can’t go on without complimenting the game’s production values. This is one of the best looking NES games in my opinion, all for artistic reasons. The game is very stylized, not super deformed but striking a middle ground next to realism. The sprites are large and while enemy variety is lacking their fluid animation makes up for it. The backgrounds are colorful and detailed, with each new province in China being unique. The only negative I can point out would be the heavy sprite flickering, which mostly occurs when fighting the massive bosses.
Jackie Chan’s Action Kung Fu has all the markings of a standard action game. Jackie kicks and punches his way through hordes of enemies on his way to saving his sister. Where it truly excels is in its variety. Aside from your standard attacks you have a Psycho Wave (it’s a hadoken!) for distance attacks. More important are the large number of special moves you get by punching frogs. These attacks are very powerful and also grant temporary invincibility while active. They appear often enough that you can play around with them and it really helps the game from being stale.
The level variety is incredibly high with each one focusing on a different element. Stage two delves underground and is dense with enemies. The waterfalls of stage three and the slow movement while in water leave little time to focus on combat. As you ascent the mountains of stage four the game takes on a platforming bent.
Sadly the game is only five levels long and could easily have done with one or two more. That being said each stage is pretty long as is and the game does feel satisfying once it ends. It’s a conclusion that comes too soon as overall this is an easy game. Most enemies have predictable patterns and your moves are way overpowered. Special moves and life restoring ramen are spread out evenly which also helps. If that weren’t enough the frequent bonus rounds will refill your health, special attacks or grant extra orbs which at thirty will also refill your life bar. It is obvious the game has accessibility in mind but I wish it had a little more teeth.
In Closing
Jackie Chan’s Action Kung Fu is a fantastic game and a total blast. This is one of the NES’s best action games yet most don’t realize it. Hudson Soft took what could have been a lame brawler and crafted video game gold. There is no excuse not to buy it at the rock bottom price it goes for.
