As an action movie junkie, I grew up watching the classic 1970s kung fu movies on the BBC and enjoying every campy minute of the badly dubbed, high-kicking and high-flying action that was Kung Fu Theater.  So you can imagine the smile Kung Fu Chaos put on my face when I first heard of this game that spoofs these movies in all their badly filmed glory. 

Kung Fu Chaos allows gamers to be the star of a 70s kung fu action film under the direction of Hong Kong action director Shoa Ting who just so happens to be shooting his latest big-budget blockbuster.  You can choose to be any of the available nine characters such as Ninja Fu Hiya to the mad kung fu fighting primate Monkey.  As an action star, your job is to give the performance of your life and grab the spotlight before the other performers steal your thunder.

Initially a party game that allows up to four players at a time, the game’s most entertaining and strongest point is the single player mode.  Ninja Challenge, the game’s main playing mode, takes gamers through a slew of levels that have you knocking ninja warriors about as well as fighting that obligatory level boss.  To top it all of you are competing for star status so following Shoa Ting’s direction is essential to increase the star meter--a meter that fills up due to your performance and opens up new levels. The levels are designed as sets, many of them taken from actual films such as Titanic to Jurassic Park and finally to films such as Independence Day or Night of the Living Dead.  There’s also Miniseries, a mode that unlocked for every successful completion of specific Ninja Challenge levels.

Kung Fu Chaos plays very much like Infograme’s Loons: The Fight for Fame in that the variety of characters battle it out on the particular set while the director shouts either words of encouragement or throws in new challenges like poisonous gas.  You are given a specific number of lives in this game.  Gamers will often get killed by either the set itself that always seems to be falling apart around you or during the more trickier levels that have you trying to jump the spinning crane that threatens to toss you into the sea.  Many of these levels are indeed highly fun--such as the Princess rescue level--and often comical--such as the level where you’re trying to catch falling stuntmen while trying to avoid getting flattened by falling cows.

Since this is a party game, there are a large number of multiplayer modes such as Battle Game--where you select a character and fight against co-stars.  Championship has you fighting against friends through twelve rounds of fights and where the player with the highest points wins the championship.  There’s also an open area battle royal known as Freestyle where you can practice your moves.  The problem with the multiplayer mode, though, is the fact that on a single screen gamers will often find themselves overwhelmed by the number of obstacles on screen at once.  With everyone moving at once, it is very easy to lose track of what going on . . . especially if the set is breaking apart during the intense action.

The other major fault this game possesses is the fact that the fighting mechanics lack that true kung fu feeling.  Your character kicks and punches fine, but the combo moves are very limited.  To top it all off, each character doesn’t really feel very different even though each character has his or her individual martial arts style.  Monkey, for example, has his Mad Monkey Kung Fu style while Master Sho-Yu has Agile Panda.  These moves would have been a lot more impressive if they were used in a combo.  Instead your characters learn similar fighting techniques such as the taunts that work as a move (the string of insults literally keeps an enemy pinned down) and the Super Attack that results in making three successful taunts.

The graphics in Kung Fu Chaos are actually not that bad looking at all, although it’s not overly impressive as well.  Most of the environments look amazing--especially those sets that add multiple props such as the Jurassic Park-inspired set or the Titanic set with it’s amazing water effects.  The fighters themselves are designed rather strangely and move about somewhat stiffly, particularly when they’re being knocked down.  One visual highlight, though, comes from watching a replay of a battle.  The replay uses different camera angles and camera editing tricks that look wonderfully cinematic.

At least Carl Douglas’ “Kung Fu Fighting” is put to good use in a brawler as is the theme from the Bruce Lee film “Enter the Dragon.”  It’s rather amusing to hear the retro 70s soundtrack that playing during the action, but it is stifled by the cartoon-like special effects of things breaking and the sounds of the hurt you’re currently inflicting on a lowly ninja.  Another reason you won’t hear much of the soundtrack is due to the director’s constant direction and insults aimed at your performance.  Shao Ting isn’t an incredibly annoying director; in fact, he’s rather amusing at times and has better dialogue than your fighter’s almost incoherent taunts.

Like the campy 70s kung fu movies it so lovingly spoofs, Kung Fu Chaos has its share of outrageously fun moments but, in the end, it’s also a forgettable experience.  For a party game, the multiplayer scheme really works against the gamer and will have your friends and yourself wondering what’s going on.  Still, there’s fun to be had here so you can’t go wrong with a rental.

Gameplay: 6.4
The game’s true weakness, unfortunately, is directed at the kung fu itself.  The move set is limited to a few punches, kicks and blocks that really do not feel like kung fu at all.  The string of combos each character knows is very limited, but if done right is highly satisfying to see . . . especially during the neatly edited replay.  It’s also unfortunate that each character doesn’t really distinguish themselves through their own unique styles.  Monkey does grab his opponents and plants a kiss, but this really does not make up for some great-stylized moves.

The levels found in this game are really fun, particularly if you decide to play this game as a single player game.  There are levels that are fun to go through more than once too.  One of the most entertaining levels is where you throw a princess at ninja to knock them off the pole they’re standing on while trying not to get knocked off yourself if the ninja just so happens to catch the princess and toss her back at you.

Graphics: 8.0
Visually the game is sharp looking and contains a great deal of eye-catching details.  The environments are filled with things such as waterfalls and plenty of props that break into dozens of pieces when you toss them at your enemy.  Many of the sets practically fall apart as you move your character and the special effects found here--such as the poisonous gas in one stage--really works nicely.

The characters themselves are the perfect homage to this genre and you’ll find everything from the old kung fu master to the sexy female fighter and her deadly fan.  Some of the characters really don’t work well here, such as the girl with the rollerblades or the Mexican wrestler-type.  They’re also pretty stiff when it comes to movement.

Sound: 6.8
The 70s soundtrack works wonderfully here and oddly enough gamers won’t get tired of hearing “Kung Fu Fighting” almost in every stage.  However, you do have the option to rip your own tunes and use them here just as easily.  Still, much of what you’ll hear in this game are the special effects that can be heard over the music.  The sound effects are done right and listening to the breakable props shatter or crumble is better than listening to the kicks and wild kung fu cries.

The voice acting found in this game are minimal, as it should be considering that this particular genre of film isn’t exactly very chatty.  Director Shoa Ting can be heard throughout the level and the voice acting is done in a stereotypical Asian manner (almost exactly like the Asian character in the cartoon King of the Hill).  The rest of the characters have voices of their own and they are mostly taunts that are hardly understandable.

Difficulty: Medium
Many of the challenges found in this game are not very difficult to get through but the true challenge is in increasing your star meter in Ninja Challenge.  You’ll also find a large number of ninjas that range from some pretty weak fighters to ninja warriors that are really hard to knock down.  Some of the ninjas even come three at a time, making it difficult for you to keep from overpowering you.  There are also the Miniseries games that have their own different challenges.

Concept: 8.0
Kung Fu Chaos contains all the right elements for a good brawler big enough for multiple players; it also has a large number of actual movies inspired levels that are quite entertaining and outrageously funny.  There are also a nice amount of gameplay modes that also include the Miniseries games gamers unlock while playing the Ninja Challenge mode.  The biggest disappointment, though, comes with the fighters themselves that don’t have really unique fighting styles.

Multiplayer: 6.0
One of the game’s weakest points, strangely enough, is the multiplayer aspect.  While up to four players are allowed to be on the screen at once, the game becomes an uncontrollable mess thanks to the camera angles.  Certain levels throw various obstacles at you and making heads of tails of what exactly is going on is nearly impossible.

Overall: 6.6
Kung Fu Chaos possesses a number of things that work against it, but the game is still fun and amusing enough to keep a gamer busy.  Those expecting a highly addictive party game in the same vein as Nintendo’s Super Smash Brothers will find nothing but disappointment, but all is not entirely bad.  There are single-player levels that are just too fun to pass up so it’s worth a weekend rental.