Retro Replay Review

Gameplay

There is something immediately pleasing about walking up to an enemy and planting a kick in its face. Jackie Chan’s Action Kung Fu keeps its basic controls straightforward: one button jumps, the other attacks, and direction inputs let you vary what Jackie does. Getting close enough to land a hit without taking one back is where those simple controls start to earn their keep.

The fighting takes place along a side-scrolling route, so there is more to each encounter than winning a little exchange of blows. You have to think about the edge of the platform, the gap beyond it, and whatever is waiting where you intend to land. An enemy standing on solid ground is one problem. An enemy sharing a narrow ledge with you is rather more interesting.

Special attacks give Jackie a more extravagant set of answers. Spin kicks and a tornado move suit the cheerful martial-arts fantasy, while energy pickups offer a welcome reprieve after a clumsy encounter. The extra moves are a good excuse to experiment instead of settling into the same punch-and-jump routine for the entire journey.

Close-range attacks do mean that you spend plenty of time getting within reach of things that want to hurt you. That can make a mistimed approach irritating, especially when a jump is involved. The most satisfying stretches are the ones where a clean hit leaves you in a good position for the next piece of platforming, rather than forcing you to scramble back into place.

Graphics

Jackie is a wonderfully round-headed little hero, with a red outfit and a face large enough to give the action a friendly, comic-strip look. In the opening area, bright blue and white waterfalls fill the spaces between gray stone columns. The red and gold platforms are chunky, colorful things, and the whole scene has much more warmth than a gloomy martial-arts corridor.

The indoor scenery keeps that strong color scheme. Red pillars and gold beams frame a room above a blue spiked floor, with stone ledges giving Jackie and his opponents somewhere precarious to stand. Some surfaces are built from very obvious repeated blocks, but the bold colors and large characters make an appealing picture on the NES.

Story

Jackie and his twin sister Josephine have trained under a kung fu master, but their day takes an unfortunate turn when the Sorcerer arrives. He wants to rule China and sees the twins as an obstacle. A spell makes Josephine disappear, leaving Jackie to go after her.

That is a fairly direct invitation to start kicking things, and the game does not need a complicated explanation for every creature in the way. Ninjas, birds, and frogs all become part of the obstacle course. The combination is more playful than the kidnapping plot initially suggests.

The cartoon version of Jackie is the main attraction. His large head and eager fighting poses give the rescue a lighthearted feel, even with a sorcerer threatening the country. Anyone expecting a close recreation of a particular film will find a much broader fantasy adventure instead.

Overall Experience

Action Kung Fu makes a good first impression with its bright scenery and the simple pleasure of a well-placed kick. Giving Jackie both fighting moves and platforms to negotiate makes each small stretch more engaging than a flat procession of enemies. There is usually a landing to think about as well as an opponent.

The appeal depends on enjoying that mixture. If getting close enough to strike while staying clear of a gap sounds like a pleasant little problem, there is plenty here to like. If you would rather stand back and fire across the screen, the hand-to-hand approach can feel less forgiving.

This is an easy NES adventure to warm to. The cheerful character art gives it charm, and the special moves help the fighting feel appropriately showy. Take a moment to learn the controls in the original instruction booklet, then see how neatly you can turn the next enemy into the start of a good run.

Retro Replay Score

7.6/10