Jackie Chan's Action Kung Fu (NES) Playthrough

A playthrough of Hudson Soft's 1990 license-based action game for the NES, Jackie Chan's Action Kung Fu.
I may as well disclose my bias upfront: Jackie Chan's Action Kung Fu is one of my favorite third-party NES games. It's funny, it looks and sounds great, and the gameplay is sharp as a tack.
It's actually the second NES game to feature the likeness of Jackie Chan's action star persona. The first was Kung Fu ( • Kung Fu (NES) Playthro... ), Nintendo's conversion of Irem's 1984 arcade game Kung Fu Master which was originally based on the movie Wheels on Meals.
Jackie Chan's Action Kung Fu is a platformer dressed up as a beat 'em up. Over the course of five stages, you wander across China in search of your kidnapped sister, punching tigers and flinging Hadoukens at demon-possessed statues all the way.
It's an absolute blast to play. It feels distinctly late-gen for an NES game: the action is smooth, the controls feel fluid, the sprites are huge, and there are a lot of animated graphical flourishes that give it a level of polish that you didn't often see in 80s era Nintendo games. The gameplay is simple, but all the elements click together perfectly.
It reminds me a great deal of a couple other NES favorites of mine, Yo! Noid and Adventure Island II. The big character sprites, the level design, the sense of humor, and the feel of the controls are all quite similar. As a kid I picked up on the similarities, but I never had any idea that there was an actual link between the three. It turns out that all three were developed by Now Production, a Japanese development house that created several well-regarded titles for Capcom, Hudson, and Namco in the 8 and 16-bit eras.
The only potential problem I could see someone having with it is that it's ridiculously easy. I remember beating it the first time I played it as a kid, and all these years later, it's still a cakewalk. That hasn't ever gotten in the way of my being able to enjoy it, though.
It also got a version released for the TurboGrafx-16 ( • Jackie Chan's Action K... ). It looks and sounds far better than the NES game did, but I still prefer the NES game. I didn't like the Turbo version's revised stage designs as much.
So yeah, Jackie Chan's Action Kung Fu. Two enthusiastic thumbs up!
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No cheats were used during the recording of this video.
NintendoComplete (www.nintendocomplete.com/) punches you in the face with in-depth reviews, screenshot archives, and music from classic 8-bit NES games!

[@NintendoComplete]

Jackie Chan is one of those games that just seems to get everything right. I love it.

[@TeamBlueToad]

I'll never be able to look at this game without remembering that one Mario bootleg.

[@rjcupid]

Jackie Chan just makes the world a better place. This game is a joy to play.

[@erikc.9167]

I love how expressive Jackie’s character Sprite is.

[@_WOR]

One of my first intros to lifelong Jackie Chan fandom. Can we all appreciate the determination in his character sprite’s run cycle? 😂

[@MatthewTheWolf2029]

Its funny how when Jackie is standing still, he has a happy smile on his face. But when he's walking or jumping, he looks fierce.

[@19sunbeamalpine67]

What a good hack of Barve Boy Kung Fu Pokechu.

[@jamesconnolly1201]

Just look at that face he's a happy little guy.😊😊😊

[@LPetal86]

Wow, I'm really impressed with this game's fluid animation and plethora of bonus games. His sprite is really cute and him getting hit on the spikes or the lava is funny to see. Hudson really did make a lot of great games, back in the day on NES.

[@erickmaia]

The first game I've ever completed in my life. 2006, I was 8 yo and had just hurt my leg falling from the stairs. The pain distracted me from feeling anxious in each new scenario or enemy, and I finally did it. This is my favorite game from my childhood.

[@RetroPiero]

Jackie had a great animated cartoon series, now I learn he had a great nes game about him.

[@MarshallFlores]

One of my most wanted NES carts. Great game!

[@dwinandanugroho9645]

I must thank both youtube and the uploader. What a priceless childhood memory. Although nothing can turn back time, at least I can get rest for a while.

[@SuperKokuJin916]

This was an incredible game!! I remember renting it back in 1990. Me and my brothers had a blast with this one! I actually prefer this version to the PC Engine version! The OST is so much fun to play on the piano!! One of Hudson Soft's best!

[@wisnusanjaya6948]

Its been more than 20 years since i saw this game for the last time. I cannot remember the name of this games, maybe because i played the japanese title. Suddenly this playthrough bring back so many memories. I remember the animations, the musics, the enemy, the moves. This is fun game. Cannot remember i’ve finished it or not. But this game is JOY!

[@messerspiel]

Oh boy, had this game and beated it. For me being child that was quite an accomplishment)

[@Ging_Freecss700]

This game got great soundtracks

[@Zaxares]

I absolutely loved this NES game as a kid. As you said, it's simple, but very very well polished and a joy to play. :)

[@royalkumar795]

Super Mario Bros 10 ,(bootleg mod version) my favourite childhood game

[@021881mt]

What a great looking game for NES from 1990 that I never knew about till now.