Bruce Lee (video game)

Bruce Lee is a platform game written by Ron J. Fortier for the Atari 8-bit family and published in 1984 by Datasoft.[1] The graphics are by Kelly Day and music by John A. Fitzpatrick. The player takes the role of Bruce Lee, while a second player controls either Yamo or alternates with player one for control of Bruce Lee.

For other uses, see Bruce Lee (disambiguation).
Bruce Lee
Developer(s)Datasoft
Publisher(s)Datasoft
U.S. Gold (CPC, Spectrum)
Comptiq (MSX)
Designer(s)Ron J. Fortier[1]
Artist(s)Kelly Day
Composer(s)John A. Fitzpatrick
Platform(s)Amstrad CPC, Apple II, Atari 8-bit, BBC Micro, Commodore 64, IBM PC, MSX, PC-88, ZX Spectrum
Release
April 1984
  • Atari 8-bit
    Apple, C64, IBM PC, PC-88
    1984
    Spectrum, BBC, MSX
    1985
    Amstrad
    1986
Genre(s)Platform
Mode(s)Single-player, multiplayer

Commodore 64[3] and Apple II versions were released the same year. The game was converted to the ZX Spectrum[4] and Amstrad CPC[5] and published by U.S. Gold. It was the first U.S. Gold release featuring a famous individual.[6] An MSX version was published in 1985 by Comptiq.[7]

Gameplay
Bruce and the Ninja are fighting at the bottom centre. Yamo is preparing to fall from the left-hand platform. (ZX Spectrum)

The plot involves the eponymous martial artist advancing from chamber to chamber in a wizard's tower, seeking to claim infinite wealth and the secret of immortality. There are twenty chambers, each represented by a single screen with platforms and ladders. To progress, the player must collect a number of lanterns suspended from various points in the chamber.

Most chambers are guarded by two mobile enemies; The Ninja, who attacks with a "bokken stick"[8] and The Green Yamo, a large unarmed warrior, visually styled as a sumo wrestler but attacking with punches and "crushing kicks". On platforms with sufficient graphics support, Yamo's skin is actually pictured as green, though in cover art he has a natural human skin tone.

A multiplayer mode allows a second player to control Yamo, or to allow two players to alternately control Bruce. If the player playing Yamo is inactive for a certain time, the computer takes over. The Ninja and Yamo are also vulnerable to the screen's dangers, but have infinite lives so they always return; whereas Yamo is consistently identified as a single person, one version of the manual implies that each reappearance of the ninja is a new individual, replacing the previous one.

Later chambers include more hazards such as mines and moving walls, as well as a "comb-like" surface that has an electric spark racing along it. Skilful walking, climbing, ducking and jumping are required to negotiate them. On the twentieth screen, Lee finally faces the evil Fire Wizard.

Upon completing the game, it "loops" again. From the second loop on, the Ninja and Yamo are replaced as soon as they are killed, and the safe spots in the room with multiple electrified combs are removed.

Commodore 64 title screen

Reception

The game was in the top ten of the UK software charts by May 1985,[16] and topped the Atari chart by July 1985.[17] The following month, it was number-eight on the all-formats chart and number-one on the Atari chart.[18]

The ZX Spectrum version of Bruce Lee received enthusiastic reviews. Computer Gaming World stated that the game "delivers all the foot kicking, kick jabbing, quick ducking action-packed adventure you'd expect from a good grade B, martial arts movie".[19] CRASH magazine awarded 91%, highlighting zesty graphics, enjoyable fighting action and addictivity.[20] Sinclair User also found the game enjoyable, awarding 4 out of 5 stars, but felt that sound was underused and a larger variety of tasks could have been included.[21] Your Spectrum were more critical, pointing out that it only takes a few games to complete all 20 chambers.[22] Home Computing Weekly praised the graphics and movement.[23]

In a 1990 retrospective, Your Sinclair found that Bruce Lee was still too easy to complete and the graphics had not aged well. In addition, it was felt that the fighting moves available to the player lacked impact and were too limited for a beat 'em up. It was described as a historically important game, being the first to combine the platform/collection and beat 'em up genres.[12]

Legacy

The game was included on the 1986 ZX Spectrum compilation They Sold a Million II,[24][25] along with Match Point, Match Day, and Knight Lore.

See also

References
  1. Hague, James. "The Giant List of Classic Game Programmers".
  2. "Year-End Index" (PDF). Computer Entertainer. Vol. 3, no. 10. January 1985. p. 156.
  3. Bruce Lee at Lemon 64
  4. Bruce Lee at SpectrumComputing.co.uk
  5. "Bruce Lee by US Gold". CPCZone. Archived from the original on 2007-08-15. Retrieved 2007-09-26.
  6. "History in the Making: The First Three Years". Computer and Video Games. No. 83 (September 1988). 16 August 1988. p. 51.
  7. "Bruce Lee (1985, Comptiq)". Generation-MSX. Retrieved 2007-09-26.
  8. Bruce Lee game manual
  9. "Crash". worldofspectrum.org.
  10. "Reviews". Computer & Video Games. No. 43 (May 1985). 16 April 1985. p. 100.
  11. "Sinclair User". worldofspectrum.org.
  12. "The YS Complete Guide To Beat-'em-ups". Your Spectrum (53). May 1990. Archived from the original on 2007-09-29. Retrieved 2007-09-26.
  13. "Bruce Lee" (PDF). Computer Entertainer: The Video Game Update. Vol. 3, no. 1. April 1984. p. 3.
  14. "Sinclair Programs". worldofspectrum.org.
  15. "World of Spectrum - ZX Computing". worldofspectrum.org.
  16. "Gallup Chart". Computer Gamer. No. 2. United Kingdom: Argus Press. May 1985. p. 42.
  17. "Gallup Chart". Computer Gamer. No. 4. United Kingdom: Argus Press. July 1985. p. 10.
  18. "Gallup Chart". Computer Gamer. No. 5. United Kingdom: Argus Press. August 1985. p. 10.
  19. Stone, David P. (June 1984). "Bruce Lee" (PDF). Computer Gaming World. Vol. 4, no. 3. pp. 31–32. Retrieved 2016-04-17.
  20. "Bruce Lee review". CRASH (16). May 1985. Retrieved 2007-09-26.
  21. Edgely, Clare (May 1985). "Spectrum Software Scene 2". Sinclair User (38). Archived from the original on 2007-11-05. Retrieved 2007-09-26.
  22. "Joystick Jury". Your Spectrum (14). May 1985. Retrieved 2007-09-26.
  23. "Home Computing Weekly". worldofspectrum.org.
  24. "They Sold a Million II - World of Spectrum". worldofspectrum.org. Retrieved 2015-09-05.
  25. "They Sold a Million II for Amstrad CPC (1986) - MobyGames". mobygames.com. Retrieved 2015-09-05.
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