When the PC Engine was first released in Japan, China Warrior (or 'The Kung Fu' as it was known in the Land of the Rising Sun) was put forward as a showcase for its graphical prowess. Technically the first game on the system (it was released as 'Hudsonsoft Volume 1' in Japan), it sent shockwaves worldwide. Screenshots appeared of massive, flicker-free sprites beating the hell out of each other across a variety of landscapes – what was not to like?
Well, quite a lot actually. Yes, the game looks amazing – even today the size of the characters is quite impressive, and they animate pretty well, too. Unfortunately the gameplay is as shallow as a puddle. You have a couple of offensive moves and that’s it. It’s pretty challenging – frustratingly so at times – but also painfully repetitive and things get dull incredibly quickly. The range of enemies and backgrounds tempts you to play further, but once you’ve seen everything you won’t return, as it isn’t actually that enjoyable. It can be best compared to Sega’s Altered Beast – but even that is better, which isn’t saying much.
China Warrior is an interesting tech demo for the PC Engine/TurboGrafx-16, but isn’t worth 600 points. If you feel in the mood for some fighting action, invest in Streets of Rage or Final Fight instead. They both offer more enjoyable gameplay and will have you coming back for more weeks after purchase – China Warrior will only 'entertain' for a fraction of that time.
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1. Mirokunite
28 May 2007, 06:41 GMT
Grand China shall rule all!
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2. eltomo
22 Jun 2007, 08:56 GMT
This looks pants! Does IK come on PC-E?
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3. Damo
22 Jun 2007, 10:02 GMT
IK+ never came out on the PC Engine, I'm afraid.
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4. thelocaluk
22 Jun 2007, 14:04 GMT
Had this on the PC-Engine and it fills me with youthful bliss, but I don't plan in crushing my nostalgia by getting this again....some games are better in your memories.
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5. diablos79
22 Jun 2007, 19:33 GMT
does anyone know if theyre planning on releasing the 8-bit version of Fist Of The North Star? I remember playing it in Japan years ago and thought it was brill.
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6. Demonic S+33V
24 Jun 2007, 04:29 GMT
Looks like the USA will be getting this one the 25th... can't say I'll get it though.
I may be an "old man", but I'm more interested in Pokemon Battle Revolution than nostalgia.
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7. Drake
24 Jun 2007, 18:40 GMT
Yes, I gave this game a 4/5. No, that's not a mistake. I like the game a lot. As said, the graphics are amazing for it's time. The game's got a catchy main theme song and I like the gameplay - It's basically one long gauntlet in which you try to avoid getting hit. It's not meant to be seen as a beat 'm up at all. The bosses provide a nice variety, as each of them requires a different strategy to beat and you've got to experiment. The inclusion of hidden powerups gained by destroying various obstacles you wouldn't normally think of trying to destroy is also a nice bonus.
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8. Dazza
24 Jun 2007, 19:59 GMT
I am glad somebody likes this because like Damo I think this is a pile of old tosh. The music is pretty cool and for it's time the graphics were amazing but the gameplay stinks!
Maybe I missed some hidden genius in this game I just couldn't get past how sluggish the way the character operates. There are very few moves and the gameplay is very limited with bad guys appearing to slide on to the screen followed by some flying debris, and then repeated over and over again!
There really doesn't appear to be a great deal of variety. After 20 minutes of play I was utterly fed up of this. Sorry, it just didn't work for me!
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9. link64
25 Jun 2007, 16:32 GMT
Its pretty bad but not the worst game ever.
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10. Bass X0
28 Jun 2007, 01:13 GMT
Haha... looks like flies are a bigger problem than the cloaked dudes in the video.
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11. steve
29 Jun 2007, 02:53 GMT
The character control is no worse than Splatterhouse which received a 4/5 from this website. you can't deny the similarities between the games.
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12. Johannes
29 Jun 2007, 12:08 GMT
IGN says:
1.5
pretty.
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13. jsney20
01 Jul 2007, 15:18 GMT
China Warrior is basically a Chinese action fighting game that features giant characters killing each other and that's when the fun stops. This is basically a demo that was shown to Japan to get them interested in the TG. Don't gat fooled by the graphics this game gets real old real quick. With only a few offensive moves and only 4 levels this game is easily not worth the $6.
As we all know the other 'Chinese' game we have is Romance of the Three Kingdom IV: Wall of Fire (SNES) and China Warrior is just as bad if not worse. It's at the bottom of the VC heap along with Baseball (NES), J.J. and Jeff (TG16), and Altered Beast (GEN). If you're looking for an action fighting game try Streets of Rage 1 or 2 (Both on GEN) or Legend of the Mystic Ninja (SNES).
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14. link64
04 Jul 2007, 16:05 GMT
Has every one who reviewed this game played it (judging by some of your comments I don’t not think so).
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15. Dazza
04 Jul 2007, 16:11 GMT
Yeah, clearly Drake played a different, much better game!
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