Cloud Master
From Sega Retro
Cloud Master | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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System(s): Sega Master System | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Publisher: Sega | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Developer: HOT-B, Opera House | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Distributor: Tonka (US) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Licensor: Taito | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Original system(s): Arcade boards | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Peripherals supported: FM Sound Unit | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Genre: Action[1] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Number of players: 1-2 (alternating) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Cloud Master is a 1989 shoot-'em-up for the Sega Master System. It was originally released for the arcade by Taito in 1988. The game was ported by Opera House and published by Sega. The game uses a fantastical Chinese theme based on the classic novel Xiyouji.
Contents
Story
The mysterious hermit Michael Chen has been meditating deep in the mountainous regions of China for years, hoping to earn the title of Cloud Master. Dark forces have conspired to attack him and interrupt his study.
Gameplay
The game is a horizontally scrolling shooter where the player controls Michael Chen floating on a cloud. He maneuvers around the screen in any direction with the D-Pad. His normal shot is shooting balls of energy at enemies by pressing . This attack has unlimited ammunition and does not have rapid-fire unless an item is found. It can be upgraded multiple times by collecting power-ups.
Each round contains special enemies riding on clouds that, when defeated, leave behind a magic door. Some of these enemies appear more than once in the same round. If Michael Chen enters this door, the player is taken to a Power-Up Chamber to select a weapon for an optional secondary attack. This secondary attack can be used by pressing . Like the normal shot, it is unlimited, and Michael Chen keeps this attack until he loses a life or replaces it with another weapon at another Power-Up Chamber. Enemies fly in the sky as well as shoot up from the ground, so many of the secondary weapons are bombs that are especially useful for attacking ground targets.
Michael Chen loses a life if he is hit by an enemy. He does not lose a life from touching obstacles unless he is crushed between one and the screen as it scrolls. He restarts at certain checkpoints after losing a life. He loses his secondary attack when he loses a life. He has a limited number of lives, and the game ends if he runs out of lives.
When the game is completed, it starts over from the first round at a higher difficulty.
Items
Power-up items are sometimes released when the player destroys a formation of gyoza (dumplings) or shumai (shrimp dumplings).
Power | |
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Upgrades the power of Michael Chen's normal shot by one level, up to a maximum level of six. | |
Special | |
Upgrades the power of Michael Chen's normal shot by two levels, up to a maximum level of six. | |
Fast | |
Increases Michael Chen's movement speed. | |
Auto | |
Upgrades Michael Chen's normal shot to have rapid-fire. | |
Extra | |
Gives the player an extra life. |
Weapons
Secondary weapons are selected in Power-Up Chambers. Some weapons only become available if the player already has a weaker version of it.
Four-Circle Guard | |
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Four fireballs encircle Michael Chen. They dissipate when they destroy an enemy and can be replenished when all of them have been used. It has an attack power of 6. | |
Two-Way Guard | |
Shoots two fireballs, one directly above and one directly below Michael Chen. It has an attack power of 4. | |
Three-Way Guard | |
Shoots three fireballs, one directly above, one directly below, and one directly behind Michael Chen. It has an attack power of 4. | |
Dragon Fire | |
A trail of flames circles around Michael Chen, shoot forward, make another circle, and then shoot forward toward the end of the screen. It has an attack power of 10. | |
Four Images | |
Small images of Michael Chen shoot out in the ordinal directions. It has an attack power of 4. | |
Two Crescents | |
Two crescent-shaped shots shoot from behind Michael Chen and then curve forward. It has an attack power of 4. | |
Four Crescents | |
Four crescent-shaped shots shoot from behind Michael Chen and then curve forward. It has an attack power of 4. | |
Bomb | |
A bomb falls and detonates when it hits an enemy or hits the ground. It has an attack power of 10. | |
Bouncing Bomb | |
A bomb falls and bounces off the ground, detonating when it hits an enemy or obstacle. It has an attack power of 10. | |
Search Bomb | |
A bomb falls and shoots forward when it hits the ground, detonating when it hits an enemy or obstacle. It has an attack power of 10. | |
Super Bomb | |
A bomb falls and bounces off the ground, penetrating through enemies and obstacles. It has an attack power of 10. | |
Scatter Bomb | |
A bomb falls and splinters into multiple smaller fragments. It has an attack power of 10 if the bomb directly hits an enemy or 5 if a fragment hits an enemy. |
Rounds
Mt. Gogyo | |
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Map: 1️⃣ | |
The boss is a Phoenix. | |
The Koh River | |
Map: 1️⃣ | |
The boss is a Kappa. | |
The Great Wall | |
Map: 1️⃣ | |
The boss is a Giant Buddha. | |
Mt. Tai | |
Map: 1️⃣ | |
The boss is a Dragon. | |
The Buddha's Heaven | |
Map: 1️⃣ | |
The boss is a Shogun. |
History
It was originally released in arcades by HOT-B and Taito in 1988 under the Japanese name Chuka Taisen (中華大仙). Running Cloud Master on a Japanese console produces this title, though the game was developed and released just after Sega stopped releasing titles for the Master System in Japan. The Master System version is the only home version of the game to be released outside of Japan as well as the only version of the game to use a title other than Chuka Taisen.
Legacy
Insector X, released for the arcade in 1989 and ported to the Mega Drive in 1990, is a sequel to this game in design, though not in theme.
In 2008, Starfish-SD, a company founded by former HOT-B employees, bought the rights to the property from Taito and developed a remake of the original arcade game for the Nintendo Wii. It was released under the title The Monkey King: The Legend Begins, dubbed Shin Chuuka Taisen: Michael to Meimei no Bouken in Japan. A Nintendo Switch port, titled Chuka Taisen, was released on September 6, 2018.[6]
Magazine articles
- Main article: Cloud Master/Magazine articles.
Promotional material
also published in:
- Computer & Video Games (UK) #98: "January 1990" (1989-12-16)[7]
also published in:
- Casper (PL) #4/95 (1995-xx-xx)[8]
- X-men (PL) #34: "12/95" (1995-xx-xx)[9]
- The Amazing Spider-Man (PL) #66: "12/95" (1995-xx-xx)[10]
- G.I Joe (PL) #30: "6/1995" (1995-xx-xx)[11]
- Batman (PL) #61: "12/95" (1995-xx-xx)[12]
- The Adventures of Superman (PL) #61: "12/95" (1995-xx-xx)[13]
- Tom & Jerry (PL) #12/95 (1995-xx-xx)[14]
- Gry Komputerowe (PL) #24: "3/1996" (1996-xx-xx)[15]
Physical scans
Sega Retro Average | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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61 | |
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Based on 14 reviews |
Master System, EU |
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Error creating thumbnail: convert: pixel cache allocation failed `/tmp/magick-W8vPbGHgIIx0ZIP0f44Co3muICoRhVu6[0]' @ error/cache.c/AcquireCacheNexusPixels/5133. convert: Insufficient memory (case 4) `/home/sonicret/domains/segaretro.org/public_html/images/temp/transform_b557e6f7d2b2.jpg' @ error/jpeg.c/JPEGErrorHandler/338. Manual |
Master System, EU misprint with Wanted text |
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Technical information
ROM dump status
System | Hash | Size | Build Date | Source | Comments | |||||||||
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256kB | Cartridge (EU/US) |
References
- ↑ File:Cloud Master EU Cover.jpg
- ↑ Computer Entertainer, "August 1989" (US; 1989-08-18), page 13
- ↑ File:BristolEveningPost UK 1989-12-21 Page 39.jpg
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 ACE, "December 1989" (UK; 1989-11-xx), page 79
- ↑ Computer & Video Games, "December 1989" (UK; 1989-11-16), page 36
- ↑ https://store-jp.nintendo.com/list/software/70010000011222.html
- ↑ Computer & Video Games, "January 1990" (UK; 1989-12-16), page 115
- ↑ Casper, "4/95" (PL; 1995-xx-xx)
- ↑ X-men, "12/95" (PL; 1995-xx-xx)
- ↑ The Amazing Spider-Man, "12/95" (PL; 1995-xx-xx)
- ↑ G.I Joe, "6/1995" (PL; 1995-xx-xx)
- ↑ Batman, "12/95" (PL; 1995-xx-xx)
- ↑ The Adventures of Superman, "12/95" (PL; 1995-xx-xx)
- ↑ Tom & Jerry, "12/95" (PL; 1995-xx-xx)
- ↑ Gry Komputerowe, "3/1996" (PL; 1996-xx-xx), page 32
- ↑ Complete Guide to Consoles, "Volume IV" (UK; 1990-11-xx), page 94
- ↑ The Complete Guide to Sega, "" (UK; 1991-05-xx), page 54
- ↑ Console XS, "June/July 1992" (UK; 1992-04-23), page 139
- ↑ Computer & Video Games, "December 1989" (UK; 1989-11-16), page 139
- ↑ Electronic Gaming Monthly, "December 1989" (US; 1989-xx-xx), page 46
- ↑ Gamers, "Dezember/Januar 1993" (DE; 1992-11-19), page 103
- ↑ The Games Machine, "January 1990" (UK; 1989-12-11), page 82
- ↑ Mean Machines Sega, "October 1992" (UK; 1992-09-xx), page 133
- ↑ Power Play, "12/89" (DE; 1989-11-13), page 78
- ↑ S: The Sega Magazine, "January 1990" (UK; 1989-11-xx), page 11
- ↑ Sega Power, "October 1991" (UK; 1991-09-05), page 55
- ↑ Sega Pro, "December 1991" (UK; 1991-11-21), page 21
- ↑ Sega Pro, "April 1993" (UK; 1993-03-11), page 70
NEC Retro has more information related to Gokuraku! Chuuka Taisen
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