Kung Fu Strike: The Warrior's Rise (XBLA)

When I first watched the preview trailer to Kung Fu Strike: The Warrior's Rise months ago I couldn't really make heads, or tails of it. To me it looked like a an old school 3D brawler with slightly dated graphics. Regardless of my obvious biased opinions of the game I went forth with my request, and 7Sixty accepted it. I'm definitely grateful that they gave me the opportunity to review their game. As a reviewer there's nothing more exciting than venturing into uncharted territory such as a pre-release game offers. After getting the game, and doing as much of the playthrough as I could I found myself stuck between a rock and a hard place. I wanted so much to like the game, but there were some issues that aggravated me to no end. As a result this review will likely reflect some of that frustration, but in a calm manner. Before I get into those details though, please allow me to tell you more about this game.

KFS (Kung Fu Strike) is a unique 3D martial arts brawler that revolves around a simple story about a prince/general, and his quest to warn an elder Kung Fu master about an incoming attack involving a rebel alliance. This fantasy-like oriental tale is told through painted manga style art that features verses of onscreen dialogue, and brutal battles that pit the unlikely hero against insurmountable odds. As each chapter/level in the story unfolds bits, and pieces of the protagonist's story are brought to light. After each artistically visual intro the true action sets in as General Loh faces both his enemies, and allies in intense martial art driven combat. As the gamer you take on the role of Loh (the protagonist) whose odds seem to be stacked against him. This one man army is capable of awe-inspiring feats, but is he capable of thwarting a twisted plot against his own kingdom? Ultimately it is you who will control Loh's destiny in this war torn tale of epic proportions.


As odd as this is going to sound I found that KFS features one of the most simple controller layouts that I've seen in a game of this genre. You basically have two attack buttons. One of the buttons (X) is for basic attacks/combos while the other is for air attacks (A). Combining the two attack buttons in various strings (X, X, X, A, ...) will allow the player to perform different types of attack combos on the enemies around Loh. Pressing (X + A) on the other hand will result in a Chi Attack. This devastating special move will trigger a powerful automatic combo that will knock enemies back as well as take away more of the enemy's life bar than a normal melee combo. Your Chi meter must be built up in order to execute such a move though. As you play through the first couple of stages in the game there will be onscreen instructions aiding you in all the button function uses, and various techniques that the game has to offer. During these tutorial style stages you'll find that Loh not only has three types of attacks, but that he can also deflect attacks from enemies using a parrying style move (B/Left Trigger). When it comes to evading your enemies Loh can also perform a roll (Right Trigger), and other purchased evasive maneuvers as the game goes on. Movement in the game is as simple as pushing the (Left Thumbstick/D.Pad) in the direction you want Loh to face/move. Most stages feature a 3D area, so movement in all cardinal directions is possible.

The levels within KFS are divided into three stages, and a a final boss fight. On the level select screen you will see the available levels placed on an unfolded scroll with images from each stage displayed within a squared off section. The actual stage designs in the game vary in details, but all seem to have the same square/rectangular layout with only a few exceptions.. You'll encounter a unique variety of enemy filled arenas that have ancient Asian scenery as well as other fantasy-like oriental locales. Aside from the visual aesthetics of the game you'll find that each stage/level carries with it a ranking system (A, B, C, D, ...) that bases your final performance on how well you completed each given stage/level. Things like remaining health, and the time it took you to defeat all of the enemies are factored into that final rating. For each level/stage you'll have a rank that corresponds to the three available difficulty settings the game has to offer (Easy, Normal, Hard). Defeating all the enemies/bosses within a stage is required in order for you to advance.

Combat in KFS is quite an involved ordeal. Aiding Loh in his quest for retribution is a variety of different purchasable skills, obtainable allies (army), and equipment that boosts Loh's attacks, and defenses. During the stage fights you will earn money, gems, gold, and items from fallen enemies that can help you unlock all of the previously mentioned extras. When you first click on a stage you wish to play you will be taken to a menu screen that doubles as a store, and equipment setup station. At this menu you can purchase new pieces of equipment that you collected on the battlefield as well as purchase new technique scrolls that will effect the combos/maneuvers Loh is able to perform. An army sub-menu is also available that allows you to turn on, and off the assist characters that Loh can summon to the battlefield with with earned currency. In a way it's sort of like hiring mercenaries.

The visuals in KFS are a little less polished than what you'd expect from an XBLA game. The character graphics seem to be the most lacking while the in-game scenery seems to be geared more towards next-gen quality. It's an odd mixture to say the least, but considering how the game operates such minor details can be overlooked. When it comes to the soundtrack KFS offers an interesting mix of old grindhouse style music, and more traditional oriental tracks. The sound effects such as Loh's brutal screams, and yells really add that extra edge to the onscreen combat. The only real flaw in the game though is the lag that can be pretty severe at times. In fact during some fights the lag can be so severe that defeating bosses like "The Shadow" (Level 4) is near impossible even on the easy setting.

All in all KFS is a solid game with an aggravating Achilles heel (mythology reference). That "Achillies Heel" I speak of is the lag. While I enjoyed playing through the stages, and fights that weren't lag heavy the boss fight in level 4 just ground my progress to a dead standstill. Aside from this valid complaint (that is currently being seen about by the developer) I found that the in-game features, and combat system in KFS were very noteworthy. Both Qooc Soft, and 7Sixty managed to properly combine a simple control layout with an easily understandable yet complex combo oriented fight system. I can't even fathom the level of thinking it would take to come up with game setup such as the one this one has. It's sheer brilliance. With that being said I do have to remind you that the flaws I experienced were significant, and that they did keep me from completing the game. This may, or may not affect you. According to the developer they haven't had any other complaints about lag. I'm sure however that they will look into the matter properly, and fix what needs to be fixing if there are any problems. The question now is do I think the game is worth buying. I'd have to say it would be worth it if it worked properly. At this point I'm not confident enough to give the game my stamp of approval. It's up to you if you want to take a chance.