Meaningful choices!

We're heading to ancient China for some kung fu action. 

You play as a man with a long name. Chinese names seem like the most foreign looking syllables to me, and my brain refuses to acknowledge them. Fortunately, he has a nickname: Master. Master is getting long in the years and can no longer do what he once did. We see him training atop a mountain, and he looks good. But he punches a rock and recognizes the truth. He admits that it's time to find an appropriate. And with that, the tale begins. Master sets out into the nearby villages and forests to find one. 

I went clockwise and came to Wu Village. Everyone here calls him Master and warns us that food has gone missing. We walk north some more and learn why. A commotion is happening in a restaurant! A rather rotund man is being chased because he ate so much food but refuses to pay. He has no money. Despite the chef wielding a knife with deadly talent, he can't hit the "fat man." Despite his size, the thief is fast! He's eventually cornered by Master, who can do one of two things. Either pay off the bill, or beat him up. There's no money in Live a Live...

Impressed by the speed and strength of the thief, Master invites him to be his student. Meet potential heir one, Sammo. Talk to NPCs before leaving, as they give you stuff. And that stuff is very good. 

I didn't go to the next town and entered the bamboo jungle instead. There are tigers roaming around, but I have the feeling we're being stalked. This is proven true when a bandit ambushes us. Master beats her up and offers her a chance to redeem her life. She reluctantly agrees. This is Li. While in the forest, pick up the plants that are around the area. 

Finally, head south. We're in Wong Town, and there are rumors of a plague. But the cure for it are the healing plants in the forest. We'll need five for everyone, who reward us with more good stuff, but we really only need one. After treating a woman towards the bottom, her grand/son robs us and runs off. We try to confront him and see that he's being accosted by a local gang. He didn't want to be a thief, but they made him. He regains his courage, but the numbers game is bad. Master teleports in and beats up the Tiger King gang. The boy asks to join, which can go two ways, but he joins anyway. Heir three is named Yuan. 

And now it's time to train. Master beats up his protégées in his house. Then on the mountain. And finally, in the forest. In what's the opposite of an RPG mechanic, beating up your students gives them exp. With each level up, they learn a new skill from Master's skill list. There are also snippets of personality shown by the students after training. Sammo wants to eat, Li realizes she's a girl, and Yuan is putting in extra training. You only get four sparring sessions per location, so make them count. 

There's a montage of more training to indicate they continued off screen. Everything was going well, and everyone was happy. One day, the chef from Wu barged into Master's hut. A gang of ruffians has taken over. Yuan believes it's the Tiger Gang again and offers to attack them. Master says something about "aggression is bad against aggression" and goes himself. Tiger King has learned nothing and is easily defeated. Talk to the NPCs again as you leave for even better items than before. ...including a "young peach."

Master returns home to see it's been attacked. Inside are Yuan and Li, lying there motionless. They're dead. Sammo got thrashed in the back room, but he lived. More on this outcome in a moment. Master helps Sammo up, and they bury Yuan and Li at the top of the mountain. He then showcases his ultimate move to his new de facto heir. They return home and rest for the night. In the morning, Master tells Sammo he's going to pay respects, but he leaves out the next part of the day. 

It's time for revenge. Beyond the bamboo forest is a castle that houses the group who killed Li and Yuan. Master charges into the castle, and it's a pretty simple path forward. None of the enemies pose a threat to Master. Depending on who survived the attack, make sure to kill the tigers. They give a lot of EXP. At some point, Sammo busts down a wall and joins us to beat up women and a gold table. Weird. After a few more rooms, we'll meet this kung fu master, Dio Lee Wen. He makes us do a boss rush, which is kinda tedious. It's two on two (usually), and the enemies are tanky. Despite that, their exp sucks. They can drop some good gear, but it's pretty rare. Only the last guy is tough. 

Now there is only Dio. Actually, nevermind. Two assassins enter the room and make things complicated. Master tells his apprentice that he'll handle the two assassins, while they take care of Dio. The apprentice doesn't believe in themselves, but Master reminds them of the ultimate technique. They jump on the lavish table, and both they and Master build chi. This gives you a one time use move that does 300 damage. You can use it whenever, but I made sure to use it as the finisher. Dio isn't the easiest of fights, but I brought enough meat rolls. 

Master also succeeds in his fight, but no one beats Father Time. Master declares you the new leader before passing out. The survivor mourns, and we jump ahead to them burying them beside the ones who died earlier. They then punch the rock, breaking it with ease. The apprentice has become the Master, and they promise to fight for their fallen friends and surpass Master. 

Credits roll as we see them walking through the towns before still images of their past pass. And with that, another chapter is over. 

Let me start by saying that Sammo being the survivor bummed me out. His personal techniques suck, and he seems like a comedic relief character. I had body issues as a teen, so I should understand him more, but I didn't like him. He misses a lot and barely shows up for the castle siege. Yuan, being a good natured ruffian who wants to be better, seems like he has more legs. Li's growth from she-bandit to noble leader seemed more interesting. She's also one of two playable women in Live a Live... Instead, we got a guy who "won't stop eating." Which is a shame because this chapter has the best story, characters, and music. Hell, Sammo is still a pretty cool character if he were in a traditional game. 

Fortunately, you can redo a chapter! I got Ruan this time, but Sammo's death made me realize his ark better. Out of the five chapters so far, Kung Fu was the best, and it's not even close. I love how the chapter select icon for this one changed when the apprentice became the Master.