The first NES western launch game: Thomas the karate fighter against ninjas. Simple and foundational. Still briefly playable. Historical document of the NES launch.
Your verdict
Category
Action1 player7+
Description
Side-scrolling beat-'em-up featuring Thomas battling enemies in the streets, founding the genre. Published by Nintendo, released in Europe and Hong Kong in 1985. Thomas in side-scrolling view with punches and kicks, street and dungeon levels and varied bosses. NES port of Irem's Kung Fu arcade classic.
Kung Fu review
3/5
Art direction
★★★★★
"Polished"
3/5
Music
★★★★★
"Memorable"
2/5
Story
★★★★★
"Classic"
Gameplay
"Solid"
Fun
"From the very first seconds"
Climbing a tower bare-handed, dishing out punches and kicks to waves of attackers to save your beloved: this side-scrolling beat-'em-up lays the genre's foundations with fearsome efficiency. The simple controls and the rising intensity grab you from the first floor. Direct, snappy and fiercely replayable, an arcade classic that electrifies.
The European PAL NES edition of the R&D1 beat'em up originally from Irem's arcade, also distributed via Nintendo Hong Kong as a regional version. PAL in the original cardboard box is rarer than the Japanese Famicom version, and the Hong Kong sub-variant with specific markings draws regionalist collectors. The cote climbs consistently, sustained by the piece's Black Box NES status.
Is Kung Fu still worth playing in 2026?
Kung Fu is one of the first NES launch titles in the West: Thomas the karate fighter takes on a horde of ninjas in side-scrolling corridors. Simple, foundational, Irem's title stands today as a historical document of the NES launch. Controls are rudimentary but readable, and each session stays short. A relevant cart to know today to understand what the console looked like at its Western debut.
