Kick Master

Developer: KID      Publisher: Taito      Released: 1992      Genre: Action

Toward the end of the NES’ life cycle when everyone else had moved on Taito levelled up. I liked Power Blade as much as the next man but before that they were your average video game publisher. That all changed in 1992 as they unleashed a slew of under the radar gems that gamers are still hunting for to this day. Little Samson, Panic Restaurant, Power Blade 2 and this awesome hidden gem all deserve a higher profile. Kick Master is a fantastic mix of genres and one of the best action games on the system.

Kick Master is a hybrid that combines the fisticuffs of a brawler with the magic and action of Castlevania. In look and feel it is like other KID developed titles like Low G Man. You gain experience from defeated enemies which raises your maximum HP and MP. You also learn a new attack. Like Low G Man killing enemies causes them to drop three random items, from hearts to poison to mp. Yup, in addition to flying feet you can also use magic spells.

As goofy as the premise may sound Kick Master has a solid set of mechanics. Thonolan begins the game with a few kicking techniques. These are a standard kick, a sweep kick, and the vertical press to hit enemies directly above you. As you level up you learn new moves, eventually totaling eleven. It’s a lot, and surprisingly they most are easy to perform using simple button combinations. The game even has a brief tutorial to show how to perform each one. Everyone will have their favorites but the knee drop and roundhouse are indispensable.

New spells are earned at the end of each level with a few hidden extremely well. There are a decent range of spells with some being very situational. Healing is obviously the most useful, but you can play around with lightning, creating a clone, and simple fireballs. The problem with magic is that spells are expensive and the game does not refill MP between levels. You’ll either have to be conservative in their use or grind to refill MP. Its worth it though, as some like lightning can be game breaking.

Melee combat in an action game such as this could have been a disaster. It works thanks to the variety of attacks and the game’s pace. Although it may resemble Ninja Gaiden during its more hectic moments Kick Master has more in common with the measured pace of Castlevania. Enemies are deliberately placed and vulnerable to specific attacks. It is up to you to figure it out. For the most part the controls are easy to learn although a few moves are tricky to pull off consistently. The hit detection can also be spotty which doesn’t help with the already high difficulty.

Kick Master has a steep difficulty curve that starts high and only gets worse as you progress. The focus is squarely on combat as platforming is kept to a minimum until the end. Enemies actively defend and counterattack and don’t expose their weak points frequently. The game does not refill your life bar between levels, forcing you to grind hearts or MP. It’s a brutal decision, and one that I don’t particularly like. Losing all of your lives not only sends you back to the beginning of the current stage but resets your level as well. Luckily passwords save your progress but still, yikes.

If you like boss battles than Kick Master has you covered. Nearly every level has multiple mini boss fights before the end stage bad ass. These are simpler fights, with easily distinguishable patterns. The problem is they wear you down, leaving few resources for the end bosses. The last level in particular has one of the biggest difficulty spikes I can remember. Not only is it long but it features some of the most dastardly arranged platforming on the system, not to mention multiple boss battles. I wish I could say the ending makes up for it but, no. Better that you go in prepared.  Love the journey, not the destination.

Developer KID were underrated when it came to pushing the NES. Although their titles used similar tile sets and sprite design they were all high quality and Kick Master is the apex of that work.  Kick Master has some of the highest production values on the system. The level of detail in the environments rivals and at times surpasses Castlevania III. The game is atmospheric as hell and coated in minute details that make excellent use of the NES’ limited color palette. Most levels feature one or two layers of parallax scrolling on top of that too. Throw in massive, beautifully designed bosses and you have a game that is a visual treat.

In Closing

Kick Master is a fantastic game and an absolute gem in the NES library. As much as I like to bring attention to lesser known titles like this it is also bittersweet. Excellent games like this deserve a higher profile.