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 Historical document of the NES launch.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 Japan 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 Japanese Famicom version of the R&D1 beat'em up from Irem's arcade, the original issue of the scrolling brawler. Widely circulated in Japan as one of the Famicom's first big hits, the small cart stays affordable and easy to find. Appeal lies in its founding role in the scrolling beat'em up and its original-version status; a complete copy in the Japanese box draws the history-minded buyer rather than the rarity hunter.
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 Simple, foundational, Irem's title stands today as a historical document of the NES launch.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.
