E3 09: MMO Kung Fu Hustle was influenced by EarthBound

1:45 AM on 06.05.2009   |   Brad Nicholson

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You don’t stumble across an MMO with an SNES RPG flavor everyday, so you can imagine my surprise when I was told Sony Online Entertainment’s free-to-play MMO Kung Fu Hustle was influenced by HAL’s EarthBound. Yeah, it’s wild.

I’m not sure how deep the rabbit hole goes, but I was told EarthBound could be seen the most within the game’s non-playable characters. They’re a quirky and colorful lot; always busy doing mundane tasks but totally willing to shoot the breeze with you when approached. I didn’t see anything close to an Exit Mouse, however, I’m willing to take SOE at their word, mainly because you can plainly see EarthBound in the MMO’s art as well as its structure. Kung Fu Hustle is built like a very traditional Japanese RPG. We’re talking tons of dialogue, a main storyline, and silly sidequests.

One of the most interesting things I witnessed while watching the demo at E3 was the game’s combat. Kung Fu Hustle is a brawler. Each instance is a side-scrolling affair that has you pumping three buttons in order to progress and demolish enemies in the way. As you progress, you can learn simple combination attacks that spice up what could be an otherwise monotonous experience.

Towns are the lobbies and each instance allows a limited amount of people to join in on the fun. When you think Kung Fu Hustle, think Phantasy Star Online.

Kung Fu Hustle was quite the pleasant surprise. It’s a solid title (slated to hit North America in Q4 2010) that could provide a decent amount of fun if you’re looking for a fresh and simple MMO. It works for me, at least.