When I wrote a review of Street Fighter 2, I incorrectly set the bar from which it would be worth starting to discuss the development of the fighting game genre and its popularization in the gaming (and not only) community. The contribution of SF2 is undoubtedly immeasurable, but is it the first fighting game that laid the foundations of the massacre genre that have become classic for us?? It turns out that no. And the popularity of this very fighting game, even if it has long been lost in the sand of time of a bygone era, still glimmers in our hearts. Not everyone remembers the legends, this also happens. But 1985’s Yie Ar Kung-Fu is a classic on the level of Karate Champ and Karateka. A true icon of video games, as well as the fighting game genre. It was released by the masters from Konami on arcade machines, personal computers, consoles and even, ultimately, on mobile devices. And it was this game that was considered the best in 1985 (read – Best Game of the Year) according to the entire gaming community. It was in it that combos, characters with interesting features, various martial arts, techniques performed by key combinations, etc. first appeared.d. Of course, the Karate Champ I mentioned above (which is not 100% a fighting game) and Karateka from 1984 were pioneers, but they were just as not absolutely perfect as the first part of Street Fighter. It’s interesting that I had already reviewed this kind of game in the form of Exploding Fist + from 1985, but somehow then I completely forgot about its founding fathers. Let’s try to find out once and for all with the help of my review whether Yie Ar Kung-Fu deserves the title of icon of fighting games or let it continue to rest on the periphery of the gaming community.
ME VS YIE AR KUNG-FU
(There was a Flash player, but since https://nogamstop-casinos.co.uk/live-casinos/ 2020 Flash is not supported by browsers)
By plot the main character named Oolong (Oolong) must defeat all the martial arts masters at the tournament and take revenge on the tournament champion for the death of his father. Battles take place one on one according to tournament rules. I cannot say that this is definitely a tournament, because after Oolong defeats the tenth opponent, the game does not end there, but only returns us to the very first battle, but with increased difficulty (maybe this is a nightmare in which the main character endlessly and forever fights with the main villain). Translated from Chinese, the name of the game sounds something like this: “One Two Kung Fu” (One Two Kung Fu).Gameplay the game is incredibly addicting and, at the same time, quite simple. There is a button responsible for punching and kicking, as well as jumping. The latter, by the way, can also be performed by holding down the up button and another direction button, in which case the hero will fly in an arc to the other end of the arena. But if you just press the jump button and hold down the direction button, he will jump over the opponent and go behind his back. The main character—by the way, we only have him and no one else to choose from—performs after pressing the strike button and one of eight direction combinations (left, left-up, etc.).d). For example, by holding the up button and punching, the main character will try to attack the enemy from above with his fist, aiming for the head. The system is learned quite quickly, and the player will not experience any hitches. For me, the most important thing is that this is a fighting game, and not its distant relative dedicated to sports competitions, in the style of judo or karate, which were Karateka and Karate Champ. Yie Ar Kung-Fu has given birth to new massacres where being a master of sports is not necessary to kick your opponent’s ass. There is a combo system in the game, which is only such because there is no block and because of the high speed of techniques that can hit the enemy several times in a row until he decides to jump to the side. The only disappointing thing is the lack of a time limit and the high complexity of the last battles (I would even say not the complexity, but their cheating).
Techniques that the main character can perform
Different versions of the game for different platforms: The version of the game that stood out the most was the version of the game on Famicon (Nes), where a mechanic appeared with jumping off walls (which in the future the character Vega from Street Fighter 2 will delight us with), the ability to hit while jumping, simplified combat mechanics (much less complex techniques), as well as a new location for fighting. However, the number of opponents was sharply reduced to five (but with one exclusive one that had not appeared anywhere before). Next comes the Game Boy Advance version with a new backdrop, high quality graphics and two completely new (but secret) characters. The third most important port will be the 2007 Xbox 360, which added HD textures and new redrawn backgrounds. There is also a mobile version of the game, but it’s a quiet horror with an incredibly cheating opponent and disgusting graphics.
This is what the game looks like on Xbox 360
Graphic the game component is at a decent level. Thanks to Konami (it’s not often that anyone ever says that) for remembering and re-releasing this wonderful fighting game. Previously, Konami could compete with Capcom and SNK, but that time has long passed. Long before the millennium. If we take Karateka as an example, then at the time of its release Yie Ar Kung-Fu greatly lost in animation quality. On the other hand, a small number of animation frames made it possible to increase the pace of the game, and added a combo system. The graphics could have been an unnoticeable feature of the 1985 project, if not for the beautiful backdrops and wonderful characters with whom the main character fights throughout the game. These are not standard karate guys 1 and 2, but real original characters both visually and gameplay. Music and sounds: Nothing special. Standard music tracks with Chinese themes. By the middle of the game they begin to irritate, but, in general, they correspond to the surroundings of the game.
(There was a Flash player, but since 2020 Flash is not supported by browsers)
(There was a Flash player, but since 2020 Flash is not supported by browsers)
(There was a Flash player, but since 2020 Flash is not supported by browsers)
Oolong (Oolong) – the main character of the game. In the NES version his name is Lee.
Buchu is the first enemy in the original arcade game. In addition to standard kung fu techniques and a thick belly, he has the ability to fly at the enemy with a torpedo. Obviously, the creators of Street Fighter 2 were inspired by him when they created the famous sumo wrestler E.Honda.
Star is the first female character in a fighting game. Uses stars as her main weapon (it’s not for nothing that she’s called Star) and wears traditional Chinese clothes. They were inspired by her when they created Chun Li.
This is Nuncha and he has nunchucks. Dangerous for the player as it can slow down the main character with its blow. You have to fight him from a distance. The fight with him, as well as with the next enemy, is eerily similar to what usually happens in Samurai Shodown and Soul Calibur. It’s clear what game these two weapon fighting games were inspired by.
Pole uses a long stick in battle. Fighting him is even more difficult than fighting a guy with nunchucks. It is best to try to get as close as possible by jumping and from behind. The creators of Fatal Fury were inspired by this character when creating Billy Kane.
Feedle is a bonus level in a game like One Finger Death Punch. There is a lot of it and it comes from all sides, but falls after the first blow.
Chain – fat man to the chain. Yes, but with a difficult one. He doesn’t just hit with it, but tries to set a trap and catch an unsure player. As soon as he attacks, the chain begins, like a snake, to lengthen and approach the player, and only a jump to another part of the arena will save the hero from losing health.
Club is another fat character, but with a club and a shield. This bastard can block and counterattack. When I first came across it, I was incredibly amazed by the original idea of the developers.
Fan is the second girl in the game. Uses a fan in battle just like Star uses stars. But she was damn stunning for her time (look at those pixels! stunningly!). Noticing such an interesting combination of a fighting lady and a beauty, the creators of Fatal Fury produced the icon of female fighting game characters Mai Shiranui.
Sword, as you might guess, uses a sword in battle. Dangerous and calculating. I advise you to jump behind him more often to avoid his attacks and try to attack.
Tonfun is a very difficult opponent that uses tonfas in battle. Incredibly lightning fast. To defeat him you have to jump around the arena like a bunny, stopping for one hit and continuing to jump further until one of us falls to the ground.
Blues (apparently referencing Bruce Lee) Taekwondo master. Attacks only with legs. Almost invincible due to the fact that at the moment of losing more than half of his lives, he will begin to use lightning-fast kick attacks, which remove a huge amount of lives. Incredibly difficult to attack and even escape. As you can see, this is the first representative of a disease called SNK Boss Syndrome (this is a subspecies of bosses that are known for their incredible cheating and dishonesty towards the player. Mostly found in SNK games, which is why they refer to it in the title).
Tao from the Nes version of the game. Shoots fire at the player that comes out of their mouth. Maybe Capcom was inspired by him when they created Dhalsim for Street Fighter 2.
Bishoo is the third and final girl in this fighting game. He is a secret character in the GBA version of the game. To open it you need to enter the famous Konami code. Like other girls in this game, she also throws something dangerous at her opponent, in this case it’s something knives.
Clayman – a huge Chinese golem with a large sword. Just like Bishoo is a secret character that must be unlocked using the Konami code.
1 – terrible (something on the level of Superman 64)
2 – bad (big problems, most likely in mechanics and gameplay)
3 – average (balances on the edge. The cons help the pros and vice versa)
4 – OKAY (graphics, music or something else prevents the game from taking off)
K.O.: I would love to give this game the highest rating, but unfortunately it has not stood the test of time 100%. Too complex in places, sometimes not responsive enough in terms of control, and also lacking in interesting music tracks. But it’s still a classic and a legend. Even though time has not been kind to it, any fan of the genre should definitely play it.
My last battle: Heavy Metal Geomatrix
Latest review of Beat em up: Crisis Beat
Latest review of Shoot em up: Die Hard Trilogy
Latest Best of the Best: Fighting Game Girls
Let’s talk about fictional video games