Kung-Fu Master
Kung-Fu Master, known as Spartan X in Japan, is a 1984 beat 'em up game developed and published by Irem for arcades. It was distributed by Data East in North America. Designed by Takashi Nishiyama, the game was based on Hong Kong martial arts films. It is a loose adaptation of the Jackie Chan, Sammo Hung and Yuen Biao film Wheels on Meals (1984), called Spartan X in Japan. The protagonist Thomas is named after Jackie Chan's character in the film. It is also heavily inspired by the Bruce Lee film Game of Death (1972), which was the basis for the game's concept. Nishiyama, who had previously designed the side-scrolling shooter Moon Patrol (1982), combined fighting elements with a shoot 'em up gameplay rhythm. Irem and Data East exported the game to the West without the Spartan X license.
Summary from Wikipedia, available under CC BY-SA, read 5 September 2026.
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- Released
- 1984
- Developer
- Irem
- Platforms
- 3 systems
- Critics
- Not scored
- Steam Deck
- Unknown
- Download
- Not stated
The record
| First released | 1 December 1984 |
|---|---|
| Developer | Irem |
| Publisher | Data East, Irem |
| Platforms | Nintendo Entertainment System, Game Boy, Steam Deck |
| Genres | beat 'em up |
Source. Catalogue facts from Wikidata Q1319139, seeded 30 August 2026.
How long is Kung-Fu Master? How long to beat it
Total play time for Kung-Fu Master is about 1.6 hours to do everything, and around 0.5 hours to reach the end of the main story. These are player-submitted times from HowLongToBeat, not our own, shown with the number of players behind each.
| How you play | Hours | Players logged |
|---|---|---|
| Just the main story: straight through the critical path | 0.5h | 88 |
| Main + the extras: story plus the side content most people do | 0.9h | 4 |
| Completionist: everything: 100% the game | 1.6h | 5 |
Source: HowLongToBeat community submissions, read 2026-10-19.
Where Kung-Fu Master sits on the grid
The grid places every game in the catalogue on measured axes rather than on an opinion. This is where Kung-Fu Master lands on each map it has the data for, with the share of the catalogue it beats on each axis.
- Year
- 34ahead of 1% of the catalogue
- Reach
- 32ahead of 74% of the catalogue
Percentiles are against the games that carry a reading on that axis, not the whole catalogue: counting a game with no figure as a zero would flatter everything that has one. How the grid works.
What readers say about Kung-Fu Master
Reviews written by people who have played it. These are separate from the GamingPickz Score and are never averaged into it: that score comes from thousands of Steam reviews with a sample-size correction, and a handful of unverified ratings would distort it rather than improve it.
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Where Kung-Fu Master appears
The ranked lists and finder pages Kung-Fu Master qualifies for, from its own genre and platform to what it takes to run.
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Common questions about Kung-Fu Master
What platforms is Kung-Fu Master on?
Kung-Fu Master is available on Nintendo Entertainment System, Game Boy, Steam Deck. It first released in 1984.
Who made Kung-Fu Master?
Kung-Fu Master was developed by Irem and published by Data East, Irem.
How long does it take to beat Kung-Fu Master?
about 0.5 hours for the main story, 0.9 hours with the main extras, 1.6 hours to complete everything, from HowLongToBeat's player-submitted times. These are community medians, so your own run may be shorter or longer.