The Way of the Exploding Fist
Encyclopedia
The Way of the Exploding Fist is a 1985 fighting game
by Gregg Barnett of Beam Software. Originally developed on the Commodore 64
and published in June 1985 by Melbourne House
, ports were made for Amstrad CPC
, ZX Spectrum
, BBC Micro
, Acorn Electron
and Commodore 16
. It was one of the first games to include realistic graphics
and movements and borrows heavily from the Data East
arcade game Karate Champ
which was released the previous year. An NES
version was developed by Beam Software but it was never released.
The name of the game is probably a play on Bruce Lee's fighting system Jeet Kune Do
, which can be translated to "Way of the Intercepting Fist".
Karate champion Jeoffrey Thompson was signed to promote the game but was not sufficiently well known to have the game named after him.
matches, all overseen by a wise old expert who appears somewhere in the background. Once the player defeats an opponent they move up to the next stage and a more difficult adversary. Fights were not won using the energy bar style found in modern fighting games but instead the player needed to get two complete yin-yangs. Any move that connected with the opponent would end the round, a loosely timed or borderline kick or punch would obtain half a yin-yang icon, while a well executed move would obtain a full icon. Two complete icons ends the bout and the player progresses to the next level.
This system of scoring, known as shobu nihon kumite
, is used in real life in many traditional styles of karate
. A half yin-yang represents a waza-ari (a committed but not decisive technique) and a full yin-yang represents an ippon score (full point, decisive finishing blow).
Control works using joystick or direction keys and a "fire" key. You can achieve up to 16 different movements, including jumping kick, roundhouse kick and a variety of punches and kicks, high and low. There are also defensive moves including blocks and somersaults.
The game features a variety of backgrounds against which the fighting takes place.
After completing a number of progressively harder stages, the player would be charged at by a bull in a (often short-lived) bonus style round. (This was not present on the Spectrum version and some of the early Commodore 64 versions.) The player must knock the bull out with a single hit. The bonus round mirrors the feats of Mas Oyama, a renowned karate expert who actually killed bulls with a single strike.
, two adventures from Beam Software, to the Commodore 64. Barnett also ported Exploding Fist to Spectrum and Amstrad CPC.
The Commodore 64 version uses over 600 sprite images to animate the player's movements.
The game's soundtrack is based on the 1952 orchestral piece, Dance of the Yao People
.
, though in this case it is possible for players to control the three characters simultaneously.
version was a Sizzler in Zzap!64
magazine, scoring 93% overall. The games sound and graphics were acclaimed.
The ZX Spectrum version was placed at number 67 in the Your Sinclair official top 100, with reviewers praising the visceral sound effects.
Fighting game
Fighting game is a video game genre where the player controls an on-screen character and engages in close combat with an opponent. These characters tend to be of equal power and fight matches consisting of several rounds, which take place in an arena. Players must master techniques such as...
by Gregg Barnett of Beam Software. Originally developed on the Commodore 64
Commodore 64
The Commodore 64 is an 8-bit home computer introduced by Commodore International in January 1982.Volume production started in the spring of 1982, with machines being released on to the market in August at a price of US$595...
and published in June 1985 by Melbourne House
Melbourne House
Krome Studios Melbourne, originally Beam Software, was a video game development studio founded in 1980 and based in Melbourne, Australia. The studio operated independently from 1987 until 1999, when it was acquired by Infogrames, who changed the name to Melbourne House...
, ports were made for Amstrad CPC
Amstrad CPC
The Amstrad CPC is a series of 8-bit home computers produced by Amstrad between 1984 and 1990. It was designed to compete in the mid-1980s home computer market dominated by the Commodore 64 and the Sinclair ZX Spectrum, where it successfully established itself primarily in the United Kingdom,...
, ZX Spectrum
ZX Spectrum
The ZX Spectrum is an 8-bit personal home computer released in the United Kingdom in 1982 by Sinclair Research Ltd...
, BBC Micro
BBC Micro
The BBC Microcomputer System, or BBC Micro, was a series of microcomputers and associated peripherals designed and built by Acorn Computers for the BBC Computer Literacy Project, operated by the British Broadcasting Corporation...
, Acorn Electron
Acorn Electron
The Acorn Electron is a budget version of the BBC Micro educational/home computer made by Acorn Computers Ltd. It has 32 kilobytes of RAM, and its ROM includes BBC BASIC along with its operating system....
and Commodore 16
Commodore 16
The Commodore 16 was a home computer made by Commodore with a 6502-compatible 8501 CPU, released in 1984. It was intended to be an entry-level computer to replace the VIC-20 and it often sold for 99 USD...
. It was one of the first games to include realistic graphics
Computer graphics
Computer graphics are graphics created using computers and, more generally, the representation and manipulation of image data by a computer with help from specialized software and hardware....
and movements and borrows heavily from the Data East
Data East
also abbreviated as DECO, was a Japanese video game developer and publisher. The company was in operation from 1976 to 2003, when it declared bankruptcy...
arcade game Karate Champ
Karate Champ
Karate Champ, known in Japan as is a arcade game developed by Technos Japan Corporation for Data East. It is one of the first fighting games, and has been believed to be the first to use today's common side-perspective...
which was released the previous year. An NES
Nintendo Entertainment System
The Nintendo Entertainment System is an 8-bit video game console that was released by Nintendo in North America during 1985, in Europe during 1986 and Australia in 1987...
version was developed by Beam Software but it was never released.
The name of the game is probably a play on Bruce Lee's fighting system Jeet Kune Do
Jeet Kune Do
Jeet Kune Do is a hybrid martial arts system and life philosophy founded by martial artist Bruce Lee with direct, non classical and straightforward movements. Due to the way his style works they believe in minimal movement with maximum effect and extreme speed. The system works on the use of...
, which can be translated to "Way of the Intercepting Fist".
Karate champion Jeoffrey Thompson was signed to promote the game but was not sufficiently well known to have the game named after him.
Gameplay
The player takes part in a series of one-on-one karateKarate
is a martial art developed in the Ryukyu Islands in what is now Okinawa, Japan. It was developed from indigenous fighting methods called and Chinese kenpō. Karate is a striking art using punching, kicking, knee and elbow strikes, and open-handed techniques such as knife-hands. Grappling, locks,...
matches, all overseen by a wise old expert who appears somewhere in the background. Once the player defeats an opponent they move up to the next stage and a more difficult adversary. Fights were not won using the energy bar style found in modern fighting games but instead the player needed to get two complete yin-yangs. Any move that connected with the opponent would end the round, a loosely timed or borderline kick or punch would obtain half a yin-yang icon, while a well executed move would obtain a full icon. Two complete icons ends the bout and the player progresses to the next level.
This system of scoring, known as shobu nihon kumite
Kumite
Kumite means sparring, and is one of the three main sections of karate training, along with kata and kihon. Kumite is the part of karate in which you train against an adversary, using the techniques learned from the kihon and kata....
, is used in real life in many traditional styles of karate
Karate
is a martial art developed in the Ryukyu Islands in what is now Okinawa, Japan. It was developed from indigenous fighting methods called and Chinese kenpō. Karate is a striking art using punching, kicking, knee and elbow strikes, and open-handed techniques such as knife-hands. Grappling, locks,...
. A half yin-yang represents a waza-ari (a committed but not decisive technique) and a full yin-yang represents an ippon score (full point, decisive finishing blow).
Control works using joystick or direction keys and a "fire" key. You can achieve up to 16 different movements, including jumping kick, roundhouse kick and a variety of punches and kicks, high and low. There are also defensive moves including blocks and somersaults.
The game features a variety of backgrounds against which the fighting takes place.
After completing a number of progressively harder stages, the player would be charged at by a bull in a (often short-lived) bonus style round. (This was not present on the Spectrum version and some of the early Commodore 64 versions.) The player must knock the bull out with a single hit. The bonus round mirrors the feats of Mas Oyama, a renowned karate expert who actually killed bulls with a single strike.
Production
Before creating Way of the Exploding Fist, designer Gregg Barnett converted The Hobbit and SherlockSherlock (video game)
Sherlock is a 1984 text adventure developed under the lead of Philip Mitchell by Beam Software. It was published by Melbourne House. Five programmers worked for 18 months on the title and a Sherlock Holmes expert was employed full-time for a year to advise the team on accuracy.Technically, the...
, two adventures from Beam Software, to the Commodore 64. Barnett also ported Exploding Fist to Spectrum and Amstrad CPC.
The Commodore 64 version uses over 600 sprite images to animate the player's movements.
The game's soundtrack is based on the 1952 orchestral piece, Dance of the Yao People
Dance of the Yao People
Dance of the Yao People is one of the best known and most popular Chinese instrumental compositions of the second half of the 20th century...
.
Sequels
There were two sequels: Fist 2: The Legend Continues (1986) and Exploding Fist +. Of these two, Fist 2 is not a fighting game, but a scrolling action game. Exploding Fist +, on the other hand, returns to the style of the first game. It features combat with three characters, an idea followed from International Karate +International Karate +
International Karate +, often abbreviated as IK+, is a karate fighting video game published in 1987 by System 3 for the ZX Spectrum, Commodore 64 and Amstrad CPC. The Commodore version was released in the USA under the title Chop N' Drop.-Gameplay:In the game, three karateka fight against each...
, though in this case it is possible for players to control the three characters simultaneously.
Critical reaction
The Commodore 64Commodore 64
The Commodore 64 is an 8-bit home computer introduced by Commodore International in January 1982.Volume production started in the spring of 1982, with machines being released on to the market in August at a price of US$595...
version was a Sizzler in Zzap!64
Zzap!64
Zzap!64 was a computer games magazine covering games on the Commodore International series of computers, especially the Commodore 64 . It was published in the UK by Newsfield Publications Ltd and later by Europress Impact....
magazine, scoring 93% overall. The games sound and graphics were acclaimed.
The ZX Spectrum version was placed at number 67 in the Your Sinclair official top 100, with reviewers praising the visceral sound effects.