The story sets the game at the end of the Qing Dynasty, where the government was weakened by corruption and attacked by foreign influences. The people were flung into misery and became unsatisfied with their situation. They did not believe in the government anymore and turned their faith back to religion.
The White Lotus Sect saw this as an opportunity and took over. They claimed to help the government to defeat foreigners and bring peace to the world. Their Ideology was quickly adopted. Everything related with the Western world was killed or destroyed. Anyone against this principal was considered an enemy and accused of being bound with the devil. Dragon of Martial Master and Master Huang of Po Chi Lam could not accept these outrageous actions so they band together in order to prevent much bloodshed.
One day the leader of White Lotus Sect sent an invitation to Dragon and Master Huang but Dragon's disciples saw this as a trap and recommended that they wait for Master Huang, who was out of town collecting medicine. The Master did not want to miss this opportunity to make peace and went alone. Unfortunately, he was captured and put in prison. Both parties started confrontations and have struggled since then.
Now dangers are hidden all over the place. Who is capable of resolving the situation? Let's find out!
After 2 decades since its arcade-only release, Martial Masters is now available on modern platforms as part of the IGS Classic Arcade Collection on Nintendo Switch, released April 13, 2023.
Not to be confused with Konami's fighting game Martial Champion.
Tropes present in this game:
- Animal Motif: Tiger, Crane, Red Snake, Monkey Boy, and Scorpion.
- Arranged Marriage: Black Scorpion and Red Snake, the former not as willing as he doesn’t want to give up his womanizing ways yet.
- Assist Character: Saojin san summon two men to rush in and stomp her opponent before taking a picture of them.
- The Casanova: Black Scorpion is a total womanizer, much to Red Snake’s annoyance.
- Cast of Expies: Almost half of the cast is borrowed from the Once Upon a Time in China series: Master Huang, Saojin, Ghost Kick and the Lotus Masters are clearly based on Wong Fei-hung, 13th Aunt, Ghostfoot Seven and the White Lotus master (even sharing their exact same names in the Taiwanese version), while Tiger seems to be a mix of the first film's jesuit priest and the American bodyguard Tiger. Some of the other characters are also clear references to classic Hong Kong martial arts films, too, like Drunk Master (Beggar So from Drunken Master) or Scorpion (Sonny from Operation Scorpio
).- The Lotus Masters are an interesting example: while in-game they share sprites, the fake Lotus Master seems to be based on the main villain from White Lotus Cult (sharing the exact same title and interest in mystical scrolls, according to his ending), while the True Lotus Master seems to be more influenced by the High Priest Gao Kung from Once Upon a Time in China II (having an interest in recruiting unusual children, as seen in Reika's ending).
- The Lotus Masters are an interesting example: while in-game they share sprites, the fake Lotus Master seems to be based on the main villain from White Lotus Cult
- Dance Battler: Red Snake, who is a fighting belly dancer.
- Death from Above: Master Monk can somehow cause giant ceremonial pots to drop from the sky on his opponent's head.
- Drunken Master: There's a standard one in this game, and Drunk Master is his name.
- Dub Name Change: Every character has a different name in the Taiwanese version (most noticeably, the expies from the Once Upon a Time in China series have the movies' names, as detailed under Cast of Expies). The western name is usually a reference to their fighting style, while the Cantonese name is has some sort of poetic reference to their characters:
- Master Huang is "Wong Fei-Hung" / "Huáng Fēihóng".
- Ghost Kick is "Gwai Goek Cat" / "Guǐ Jiǎo Qī", "Ghostfoot Seven".
- Saojin is "Sap Saam Yi" / "Shísān Yí", "13th Aunt".
- Crane is "Gei Wanzau" / "Jǐ Júnxiù". Her name loosely translates to "cloud-sleeve".
- Scorpion is "Baak Suiting" / "Bái Shǎotíng". It loosely translates as "white little palace", reflecting his rich status.
- Red Snake is "Kuk Jinhung" / "Qū Yānhóng", which loosely translates as "curved gorgeousness" — "Jinhung" / "Yānhóng" can also be translated as "red beauty", since she's a Fiery Redhead.
- Tiger is the western "Hooke" / "Hook" — written as "Fuhak" / "Hǔkè", which loosely translates as "tiger restrainer".
- Monkey Boy is "Tit Hauji" / "Tiě Hóuér" — literally "Iron Monkey", like the Hong Kong films with the same name.
- Drunk Master is "Zeoi bat gwai" / "Zuì bù guī", aka "irreversible drunk".
- Reika is "Ling Ji" / "Líng Ér", "soul child" or "nimble child".
- Monk is "Sik Mouzan" / "Shì Wǔzhēn", "true martial arts monk"note .
- Lotus Master is the very similar "Baaklingau Zyu" / "Báiliánjiào Zhu", which translates as "White Lotus Religion master".
- The NPC Dragon is the slightly more complex "Lung Kyun" / "Lóng Quán", i. e. "Dragon Fist".
- Master Huang is "Wong Fei-Hung
- Extremity Extremist: Ghost Kick, as his name implies, fights only with kicks in a style similar to capoeira.
- Fighting Clown: Don't let Saojin's goofy fighting style and airhead antics fool you. Unlike Aunt 13, her basis from Once Upon a Time in China, she can whoop some ass.
- Improvised Weapon: One of Monkey Boy’s super moves is having several monkeys barrage his opponent with fruit. Drunk Master uses his drinking gourd like a nunchaku. Saojin also pulls out an umbrella in one of her super moves.
- Ms. Fanservice: Red Snake. Between her leggy fighting style, panty shots courtesy of her outfit, and flirtatious manner.
- No Celebrities Were Harmed: Master Huang is obviously an anime version of folk hero martial artist Wong Fei-hung, particularly based on Jet Li's interpretation from Once Upon a Time in China.
- Only Known by Their Nickname: Most characters are referred to by their nicknames, fighting styles, or their occupations. A shaolin monk is called Monk, a drunken master as Drunken Master and even the Big Bad is just the Lotus Master.
- Prefers Going Barefoot: Red Snake, Monkey Boy, and Ghost Kick all fight barefoot.
- Religious Bruiser: Tiger is a martial artist who takes it on himself to spread the word of Jesus to his fellow man and protect his fellow missionaries.
- The Stoic: Crane hardly ever speaks in her win quotes.
- Stripperific: Red Snake dresses in a skimpy dancer's outfit.
- Token White: Tiger is the only white character in the game. Justified as he is a Western foreigner.
