Editing Kung-Fu Master (video game) (section)

===Beat 'em up and fighting games===
''Kung-Fu Master'' is regarded as the first [[beat 'em up]] video game (also referred to as brawlers) in the world.<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=FdMnDwAAQBAJ&q=beat+em+up+kung+fu+master&pg=PT51|title=The A-Z of Atari 2600 Games: Volume 1|first=Kieren|last=Hawken|date=16 February 2017|publisher=Andrews UK Limited|isbn=9781785386428|access-date=2 March 2018|via=Google Books}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=EtEnDwAAQBAJ&q=beat+em+up+kung+fu+master&pg=PT29|title=The A-Z of Atari ST Games: Volume 1|first=Kieren|last=Hawken|date=6 June 2017|publisher=Andrews UK Limited|isbn=9781785387005|access-date=2 March 2018|via=Google Books}}</ref><ref name="Mott">{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=olpPoAswgHoC&q=beat+em+up+kung+fu+master+1984&pg=PT152|title=1001 Video Games You Must Play Before You Die: You Must Play Before You Die|first=Tony|last=Mott|date=5 December 2011|publisher=Octopus|isbn=9781844037155|access-date=2 March 2018|via=Google Books}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/world-records/first-side-scrolling-beat-em-up|title=First side-scrolling beat-em-up|access-date=2 March 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.racketboy.com/retro/beatem-ups-101-all-you-need-to-know-about-brawlers|title=Beat'em-Ups 101: All You Need to Know About Brawlers - RetroGaming with Racketboy|date=10 August 2010|access-date=2 March 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=xzMYYrsDaAEC&q=beat+em+up+kung+fu+master+1984&pg=PA162|title=The Video Games Guide: 1,000+ Arcade, Console and Computer Games, 1962-2012, 2d ed.|first=Matt|last=Fox|date=3 January 2013|publisher=McFarland|isbn=9780786472574|access-date=2 March 2018|via=Google Books}}</ref> According to ''[[Retro Gamer]]'', ''Kung-Fu Master'' invented the genre.<ref name="RG"/> It distinguished itself from ''Karate Champ'' by simplifying the combat system and featuring multiple opponents along a side-scrolling playfield.<ref name="CGW">Kunkel, Bill; Worley, Joyce; Katz, Arnie, [http://www.cgwmuseum.org/galleries/issues/cgw_52.pdf#page=48 "The Furious Fists of Sega!"], ''Computer Gaming World'', Oct 1988, pp. 48-49</ref> It established the "walk forward and beat up dudes" trend that influenced many games after it.<ref name="HG101"/> It also established the end-of-level [[boss battle]] structure used in the beat 'em up genre, with the player character progressing through levels and fighting a boss character at the end of each level; in turn, this end-of-level boss battle structure was adapted from the Bruce Lee film ''Game of Death'', where Lee's character fights a different boss character on each floor as he ascends a pagoda.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Stuart |first1=Keith |title=Bruce Lee, UFC and why the martial arts star is a video game hero |url=https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2014/apr/09/bruce-lee-ea-sports- |access-date=20 July 2020 |work=[[The Guardian]] |date=9 April 2014}}</ref>

According to Matt Fox, it "one hundred percent defined" the beat 'em up genre, with variations of its plot structure used in virtually every scrolling beat 'em up since.<ref name="Fox"/> There were numerous imitators, such as ''[[Black Belt (1986 video game)|Black Belt]]'' (1986) and ''[[Kung Fu Kid]]'' (1987) on the [[Master System]].<ref name="CGW"/> Other beat 'em ups that followed its single-plane side-scrolling format include arcade games such as [[Sega]]'s ''[[My Hero (video game)|My Hero]]'' and ''[[Flashgal]]'' (1985), [[Taito]]'s ''[[The Ninja Warriors]]'' (1987), Data East's ''[[Bad Dudes Vs. DragonNinja]]'' (1988) and [[Namco]]'s ''[[Splatterhouse]]'' (1988).<ref name="Hero">{{cite web |last1=Plasket |first1=Michael |title=My Hero |url=http://www.hardcoregaming101.net/my-hero/ |website=Hardcore Gaming 101 |date=May 4, 2017 |access-date=8 May 2021}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=The Unconverted |url=https://www.pressreader.com/uk/retro-gamer/20200123/281676846862054 |access-date=29 July 2021 |work=[[Retro Gamer]] |via=[[PressReader]] |date=23 January 2020}}</ref> Other titles such as [[Technōs Japan]]'s ''[[Renegade (video game)|Renegade]]'' (1986) and ''[[Double Dragon (video game)|Double Dragon]]'' (1987), [[Capcom]]'s ''[[Final Fight (video game)|Final Fight]]'' (1989) and Sega's ''[[Streets of Rage]]'' (1991) evolved the beat 'em up formula established by ''Kung-Fu Master'' with a belt-scrolling format.<ref name="Hero"/><ref>{{cite web |last1=Spencer |first1=Spanner |title=The Tao of Beat-'em-ups - Part 2: A fight is not won by one punch or kick. Fighting from '85 to '93. |url=https://www.eurogamer.net/articles/a_taoofbeatemups_pt2_retro |website=[[Eurogamer]] |access-date=14 April 2021 |date=12 February 2008}}</ref><ref name="Mott"/>

The boss battles had [[health meter]]s for the player character and each boss, which led to the game temporarily becoming a one-on-one [[fighting game]] during boss battles.<ref name="Lendino"/><ref name="Williams"/> The ''Kung-Fu Master'' boss battles became the basis for the 1987 fighting game ''[[Street Fighter (video game)|Street Fighter]]'', which was directed by ''Kung-Fu Master'' designer Takashi Nishiyama after leaving Irem for Capcom.<ref name="polygon">{{cite web |last1=Leone |first1=Matt |title=Street Fighter 1: An oral history |url=https://www.polygon.com/2020/7/7/21270906/street-fighter-1-oral-history-takashi-nishiyama |website=[[Polygon (website)|Polygon]] |publisher=[[Vox Media]] |access-date=July 16, 2020 |date=July 7, 2020}}</ref><ref name="Williams"/> Following the release of ''Kung-Fu Master'', Capcom was interested in hiring Nishiyama, who then led the development of ''Street Fighter''. Nishiyama later left Capcom to run [[SNK]]'s video game development division, creating the [[Neo Geo (system)|Neo Geo]] [[arcade system board]] and fighting games including ''[[Fatal Fury]]'', ''[[Art of Fighting]]'', ''[[Samurai Shodown]]'' and ''[[The King of Fighters]]''.<ref name="1up"/>