''Kick Master'' (sometimes ''KickMaster'') is an

action game An action game is a video game genre that emphasizes physical challenges, including hand–eye coordination and reaction-time. The genre includes a large variety of sub-genres, such as fighting games, beat 'em ups, shooter games, and platform gam ...

developed by

KID Kid, Kids, KIDS, and K.I.D.S. may refer to: Common meanings * Colloquial term for a child or other young person ** Also for a parent's offspring regardless of age * Engage in joking * Young goats * The goat meat of young goats * Kidskin, leath ...

and published by

Taito is a Japanese company that specializes in video games, toys, arcade cabinets and game centers, based in Shinjuku, Tokyo. The company was founded by Michael Kogan in 1953 as the importing vodka, vending machines and jukeboxes into Japan. It b ...

for the

Nintendo Entertainment System The Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) is an 8-bit third-generation home video game console produced by Nintendo. It was first released in Japan in 1983 as the commonly known as the The NES, a redesigned version, was released in America ...

1992 File:1992 Events Collage V1.png, From left, clockwise: 1992 Los Angeles riots, Riots break out across Los Angeles, California after the Police brutality, police beating of Rodney King; El Al Flight 1862 crashes into a residential apartment buildi ...

. The game has some

role-playing game A role-playing game (sometimes spelled roleplaying game, RPG) is a game in which players assume the roles of player character, characters in a fictional Setting (narrative), setting. Players take responsibility for acting out these roles within ...

elements, such as leveling up.

Gameplay

''Kick Master'' resembles early games in the ''

Castlevania ''Castlevania'' (), known in Japan as is a gothic horror action-adventure video game series and media franchise about Dracula (Castlevania), Dracula, created and developed by Konami. It has been released on various platforms, from early system ...

'' series.''Kick Master'' instruction booklet (Nintendo Entertainment System, US) Enemies are fought using martial arts kicks and

magic spell An incantation, a spell, a charm, an enchantment or a bewitchery, is a magical formula intended to trigger a magical effect on a person or objects. The formula can be spoken, sung or chanted. An incantation can also be performed during ceremo ...

s. Defeated enemies drop three items that will either help or hurt the player character Thonolan. When Thonolan gains a level, his maximum MP is increased and new moves are learned.

Plot

The castle of Lowrel is attacked and burned by the monsters and magic of the powerful witch Belzed (curiously, Western sources such as ''

Nintendo Power ''Nintendo Power'' was a video game news and strategy magazine from Nintendo of America, first published in July/August 1988 as Nintendo's official print magazine for North America. The magazine's publication was initially done monthly by Ninten ...

'' described Belzed as a male). In the attack, the King and the Queen are slain and their only child, Princess Silphee, is kidnapped. The king's guards were all killed, except for the knight Macren. He and his younger brother, Thonolan, an aspiring

martial artist Martial arts are codified systems and traditions of combat practiced for a number of reasons such as self-defense; military and law enforcement applications; competition; physical, mental, and spiritual development; entertainment; and the preserv ...

, take off on a long journey to free the princess. As the fight against Belzed's minions commences, Macren is mortally wounded by a skeleton. With his dying breath, he pleads his brother to use his "great kicking skills" to avenge him. There are a total of eight destinations that Thanolan must bravely journey through before confronting and defeating Belzed: #Witches' Forest - A small forest that exists just outside of the Castle Lowel. The skeletal forces that attacked the kingdom came from this area and are led by the witch Druilla serving under Belzed. #Caverns of No Return #Belzed's First Stronghold - A stronghold that was once used by Belzed but is now abandoned. Left in her stead as a guardian is the lightning-wielding

gargoyle In architecture, and specifically Gothic architecture, a gargoyle () is a carved or formed grotesque with a spout designed to convey water from a roof and away from the side of a building, thereby preventing it from running down masonry walls ...

. #Bottomless Crevasse - Beyond the stronghold is a series of crevasses along a mountainside. A fire-breathing chimerae seeking to end Thonolan's quest awaits him here. #Aboard the Ship of Strife #Across the Swamps #Long Way From Home - What appears to be a dungeon of sorts within Belzed's castle. Not being satisfied with the all of the destruction that she has caused, Belzed even used magic to create evil doppelgangers of both Thanolan and his brother - which lurk about this dungeon. #Sector 8: Belzed's Haunted Tower If the player manages to complete the game, the evil Belzed is destroyed and Thonolan rescues the princess Silphee. He then torches down Belzed's Tower and disappears, never to be heard from again. The player is then given an opportunity to try to beat the game again on a higher difficulty level. There are a total of three difficulty levels in this game. Once the third difficulty level is complete, the credits will roll. Level codes Level 2: F (diamond) ?LGZ-BFKQ (spade) G Level 3: L3DlS (sapde)-5G?S9F Level 4: 8MQ (diamond) JQ-RV6G6 (diamond) Level 5: DJ8 (heart) RQ-P5DKTZ Level 6: K51PS4-SMD?S6 Level 7: 9TZWMF-X (heart) F3G9

Development and release

Reception

GamePro Gamepro.com is an international multiplatform video game magazine media company that covers the video game industry, video game hardware and video game software in countries such as Germany and France. The publication, GamePro, was originally la ...

'' gave ''Kick Master'' a positive review upon the release.

References

External links

''Kick Master''
at

GameFAQs GameFAQs is a website that hosts FAQs and walkthroughs for video games. It was created in November 1995 by Jeff Veasey and was bought by CNET Networks in May 2003. It is currently owned by Fandom, Inc. since October 2022. The site has a databa ...

''Kick Master''
at Giant Bomb
''Kick Master''
at

MobyGames MobyGames is a commercial website that catalogs information on video games and the people and companies behind them via crowdsourcing. This includes nearly 300,000 games for hundreds of platforms. The site is supported by banner ads and a small ...

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kick Master 1992 video games Action video games Fantasy video games KID games Nintendo Entertainment System games Nintendo Entertainment System-only games North America-exclusive video games Platform games Single-player video games Taito games Video games about witchcraft Video games developed in Japan