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While it was always my impression that Jackie Chan’s Action Kung Fu was better known on the TurboGrafx-16, it was in fact released a year earlier, in 1990, for the Nintendo Entertainment System. Needless to say, the NES release was not quite as graphically impressive as the TG-16 release. On either system I don’t think it was a huge seller but the TurboGrafx-16 had fewer games so it was more easily noticed on that platform. Part of the problem of popularity had nothing to do with the game itself but with the fact that in North America, most people didn’t really know who Jackie Chan was until the movie Rush Hour came out in 1998 so the name itself probably didn’t really do much to help sell the game.
Jackie Chan’s Action Kung Fu plays as a fairly typical side-scrolling beat-’em-up. There are a total of five levels, each with a boss at the end, plus some bonus levels in which extra continues may be earned. You have only one life but you start out with five continues. Health may be restored by collecting rice bowls and power-ups can be earned by hitting the occasional frog that comes along carrying one. There are a variety of martial arts moves and special moves that can be used (e.g. the Psycho Wave). The game is quite challenging. Whether it is timing the jump between a barrier, navigating moving platforms while in combat or just moving fast enough to stay ahead of the continuously scrolling screen, this game will keep you on your toes. The ultimate goal is to rescue Jackie’s twin sister Josephine from his enemy, The Sorcerer.
Jackie Chan’s Action Kung Fu was generally well reviewed and it really is a pretty good game. But in a sea of martial arts games, this one probably didn’t get the notice it deserved. NES gamers by and large were not necessarily connoisseur’s of Asian martial arts films as much of its audience was fairly young at the time so Jackie Chan’s name didn’t help much. It probably would have been a massive seller had Rush Hour come out a few years sooner or this game been released later.
While the graphics aren’t quite as impressive on the NES as they are on the TurboGrafx-16, they are still quite good for that system and the game play also compares very favorably. On both systems, the larger than typical sprites gives the game a unique look. Unfortunately, if you want to play this one, emulation or tracking down an original NES or TG-16 copy are probably your only options. Licensed games rarely ever get re-released or make it to later compilations for various legal reasons.
All screen shots above are from the NES version of the game.
