Cloud Master

n/a

Cloud Master
System(s): Sega Master System
Publisher: Sega
Developer: HOT-B, Opera House
Licensor: Taito
Original system(s): Arcade boards
Peripherals supported: FM Sound Unit
Genre: Action
Number of players: 1-2 (alternating)
Release Date RRP Code US 1989-08 7027 EU 1989 7027 UK 1989-12 £24.9524.95 7027 AU 19xx BR 19xx
Non-Sega versions Arcade MSX2 Nintendo Entertainment System PC Engine X68000

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.

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

Power-Up Chamber

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
	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
	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
	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.

Magazine articles

Main article: Cloud Master/Magazine articles.

Promotional material

ES advert (1990)

Print advert in Computer & Video Games (UK) #97: "December 1989" (1989-11-16)
also published in:

• Computer & Video Games (UK) #98: "January 1990" (1989-12-16)

Print advert in Secret Service (PL) #29: "Listopad 1995" (1995-11-01)
also published in:

• Casper (PL) #4/95 (1995-xx-xx)
• X-men (PL) #34: "12/95" (1995-xx-xx)
• The Amazing Spider-Man (PL) #66: "12/95" (1995-xx-xx)
• G.I Joe (PL) #30: "6/1995" (1995-xx-xx)
• Batman (PL) #61: "12/95" (1995-xx-xx)
• The Adventures of Superman (PL) #61: "12/95" (1995-xx-xx)
• Tom & Jerry (PL) #12/95 (1995-xx-xx)
• Gry Komputerowe (PL) #24: "3/1996" (1996-xx-xx)

Physical scans

Sega Retro Average
Publication Score Source

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Based on 0 review

Sega Retro Average
Publication Version Score ACE (UK) PAL 85 Complete Guide to Consoles (UK) 73 The Complete Guide to Sega (UK) PAL 73 Console XS (UK) PAL 70 Computer & Video Games (UK) 72 Electronic Gaming Monthly (US) NTSC-U 40 Gamers (DE) 53 The Games Machine (UK) PAL 20 Mean Machines Sega (UK) 73 Power Play (DE) 46 S: The Sega Magazine (UK) PAL 63 Sega Power (UK) PAL 50 Sega Pro (UK) 75 Sega Pro (UK) PAL 60

	61
Based on 14 reviews

Cloud Master

Master System, US
Cover
Cart Manual

Master System, EU
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Master System, EU misprint with Wanted text
Cover

Master System, EU (Sega®)
Cover

Master System, AU
Cover
Cart

Master System, BR
Cover
Cart Manual

Technical information

ROM dump status

System	Hash	Size	Build Date	Source	Comments
?	CRC32 e7f62e6d MD5 4498afc1fce51ebd461798fbe61aa6f8 SHA-1 b936276b272d8361bca8d7b05d1ebc59f1f639bc	256kB		Cartridge (EU/US)

References

NEC Retro has more information related to Gokuraku! Chuuka Taisen