History VideoGame / TaiFuWrathOfTheTiger

[[caption-width-right:300: [[SpiritualSuccessor Before there was]] WesternAnimation/KungFuPanda, there was [[PantheraAwesome THIS guy.]] ]]

Interestingly, [=DreamWorks=] Interactive's former sister company, Creator/DreamWorksAnimation, went on to produce ''WesternAnimation/KungFuPanda'', which uses a number of similar concepts. And Jeffrey Katzenberg worked on both titles. Make of that what you will.

-->'''Dragon Master:''' Not ''one'' clan could stand up to me in the past, yet you are so bold as to now suggest that with your combined powers, you'd be a match for a ''Dragon?!'' For ''me?!'' You arrogant ''fool!'' You pitiful infant! [[PrepareToDie Prepare to commiserate with your father--you'll be with him shortly.]]

-->'''T'ai Fu:''' That's just as well. It's time I returned ''[[TragicKeepsake this]]'' to him!

Interestingly, [=DreamWorks=] Interactive's former sister company, Creator/DreamWorksAnimation, went on to produce ''WesternAnimation/KungFuPanda'', which uses a number of similar concepts. And Creator/JeffreyKatzenberg worked on both titles. Make of that what you will.

* ElementalPowers: The Chi Scroll power-ups that T'ai can find grant his Chi attacks a number of elemental properties that make them ''much'' more devastating:
** PlayingWithFire: The Flame Chi scrolls set T'ai Fu's Chi projectiles aflame. Any foe struck by them will be lit aflame, suffering rapid damage over time--if the flames don't kill them outright, it usually only takes one hit to kill them afterwards. As the game itself states: "Why fight what you can burn?"
** ShockAndAwe: The Lightning Chi scrolls are among the most effective power-up in the game--T'ai's Chi Shots become lightning bolts that almost always hit their target, and usually kill with one hit!
** BlowYouAway: The Wind Chi scrolls transform T'ai's chi attacks into whirling tornados that can be guided around with the D-Pad. [[AwesomeYetImpractical Given the clunky steering mechanic, and the fact that it doesn't do much damage,]] and you might be better served sticking to T'ai's basic Chi energy.
** MakingASplash: The Water Chi scolls are [[DifficultButAwesome an interesting case]]--while T'ai Fu's basic Chi Shot becomes a continuous high-pressure water spray with short range that can prove formidable against close-range foes, the Chi Blast becomes [[OneHitKill a wave of water that flattens every enemy on the screen in one go.]]
** DishingOutDirt: The Earth Chi scrolls are another situational power that can be deadly once mastered--while T'ai's Chi shot becomes a bouncing boulder subject to gravity, any foe struck by it [[TakenForGranite is turned into a statue]], allowing T'ai to [[LiterallyShatteredLives smash them to pieces]] with his fists.

%% * GettingCrapPastThe Radar: Due to overwhelming and persistent misuse, GCPTR is on-page examples only until 01 June 2021. If you are reading this in the future, please check the trope page to make sure your example fits the current definition.

** '''Temple Bridges:''' [[BladeOnAStick Cobra Guards]] and [[AnnoyingArrows Cobra Archers]]

The game combines elements of platforming and fighting games to produce an entertaining romp through mythical China. The fighting techniques you learn as you progress through the game can help you navigate the environment just as easily as they let you savage your enemies - you can leap, bounce, or glide across hazardous pitfalls, and use Chi bolts to activate mystical switches that raise bridges or open gates.

Another fun fact-- [=DreamWorks=] Interactive's former sister company, Creator/DreamWorksAnimation, went on to produce ''WesternAnimation/KungFuPanda'', which uses a number of similar concepts. And Creator/JeffreyKatzenberg worked on both titles. Make of that what you will.

Back in 1999, a somewhat less-known company known as Creator/DreamWorksInteractive would produce one of the era's unsung legends--an epic kung-fu tale of a solitary warrior named T'ai Fu. After the forces of the tyranical Dragon Master lay waste to his temple home, attack the monks who took him in as an orphan, and leave him for dead, T'ai sets out to discover why the Dragon Master wanted him dead in the first place. Along the way, he encounters the other clans and learns their distinctive martial arts styles, learns more of his own heritage, and comes to understand that he may be China's last hope for freedom from the Dragon Master's evil reign.

Despite not receiving a lot of media coverage, ''T'ai Fu, Wrath of the Tiger'' was pretty decent for its time, combining elements of platforming and fighting games to produce an entertaining romp through mythical China. The fighting techniques you learn as you progress through the game can help you navigate the environment just as easily as they let you savage your enemies - you can leap, bounce, or glide across hazardous pitfalls, and use Chi bolts to activate mystical switches that raise bridges or open gates. While the graphics are a product of their time, the soundtrack, background imagery, and colorful cast make the game worth a watch on Youtube, if nothing else.

Another fun fact-- Creator/DreamworksAnimation went on to produce ''WesternAnimation/KungFuPanda'', which uses a number of similar concepts. And Creator/JeffreyKatzenberg worked on both titles. Make of that what you will.

!!Examples of tropes in this VideoGame:

* BelligerentSexualTension: T'ai Fu seems to have this going on with Lotus, the Leopard Princess.

* [[KiManipulation Chi Manipulation]]: The cornerstone of the Mantis Style, which grants T'ai Fu the ability to project focused missiles of spirit energy or unleash a massive radial burst of power. It becomes even more lethal with Elemental Chi Scrolls.
** Other enemies that T'ai faces also have access to energy attacks--the Leopard Captains can use the Leaping Slam Fist to unleash a shockwave of red energy, the Stealth Vipers can spit a caustic yellow-orange stream of energy, the Statue Warriors can fire Chi Shots, and the Dragon Master uses almost all the Elemental Chi variations in the final battle.

* DeathFromAbove: The Crane Hover Claw combo, which T'ai Fu can only use while doing the Crane Hover.

* GamePlayAndStoryIntegration: [[AllThereInTheManual If you read the manual]], you learn that the Snake Clan hopes to become dragons thanks to the Dragon Master's experiments with magic. The [[MagicKnight Cobra Captains]] you face in the final level are the result of said experiments.
* GamePlayAndStorySegregation: [[AllThereInTheManual According to the manual]], the Rat Clan consists of craven and honorless cowards who overwhelm stronger foes through weaponry and numbers. In the game itself, you only encounter ''one'' Rat--the Rat Pirate Captain who holds the Crane Master hostage. He's huge, carries a [[SinisterScythe hook-sickle]], and is MadeOfIron.

* GoombaStomp: The Monkey Bounce Combo, which has T'ai curl up into a ball and bounce off his enemy's head. Especially effective against the Rat Pirate Captain and the Boar Boss.

** Which leads to a simple-yet-poignant ShutUpHannibal from T'ai Fu:
--->'''T'ai Fu:''' That's just as well. It's time I returned ''[[TragicKeepsake this]]'' to him!

* LeapOfFaith: Sadly, this is one of the things that the game is most known for and contributed to knocking down it's review as an otherwise overall good game. Many levels have bottomless pits where you cannot see the ledge on the other side. Missing the hidden ledge will kill T'ai Fu. To make up for this the game creators had a 1-Up appearing just before the jump and each time you died in a fall, you would start over again near the 1-Up, still made the game [[FakeDifficulty needlessly frustrating for many]].

* MsFanservice: Lotus, the Leopard Princess. Her royal garb is decidedly {{stripperiffic}}, her pounce attack subtly [[{{Double Entendre}} evokes something else]], and her pre-battle taunt has a rather sultry-yet-challenging purr to it:

* TheRival: [[AllThereInTheManual According to the manual]], the Leopard Clan always envied the Tiger Clan for their mystical prowess, but nonetheless respected them. It's why the Leopard Master agrees to test T'ai Fu's worth when the latter comes asking for training, and it probably fuels Lotus' intial disregard for him.

* {{Shoryuken}}: The final technique that T'ai Fu learns, the Fist of the Tiger. [[InfinityPlusOneSword It's easily one of the deadliest skills in his arsenal.]]

* YouKilledMyFather: T'ai, who discovers that his ''entire clan'' was wiped out by the Dragon Master. [[spoiler: By the endgame, it's revealed that the Dragon Master also killed T'ai's father, playing this trope completely straight.]]

* BadassBeard: The Leopard Master doesn't actually fight in-game, but he rocks a pretty impressive beard. It goes all the way down to his waist!

* GettingCrapPastTheRadar: Lotus' {{Stripperiffic}} outfit aside, one of her attacks during her boss fight is to pounce on T'ai and pin him to the ground, then deliver a fierce elbow strike. Depending on the positioning of the characters, it can look like she's doing a GroinAttack...among other things.

* MsFanservice: Lotus, the Leopard Princess. Her royal garb is decidedly {{Stripperiffic}}, her pounce attack subtly [[GettingCrapPastTheRadar evokes something else]], and her pre-battle taunt has a rather sultry-yet-challenging purr to it:

->''"Long ago, a great battle was waged here, during the last days of the siege. Blood of the noble White Tiger Clan stains these very stones."''
->''"And now...they're all gone?"''
->''"Long gone...but their spirits are all around you."''

Another fun fact--Creator/DreamworksAnimation went on to produce WesternAnimation/KungFuPanda, which uses a number of similar concepts. And Creator/JeffreyKatzenberg worked on both titles. Make of that what you will.

-->'''Mantis Master:''' Faith, young master T'ai, is a belief in something for which there is no proof. ({{Beat}}). It does not apply here.

* UniqueEnemy: Rather than use [[PaletteSwap Pallete Swaps]] of enemy types, each major region of the game has its own unique variety of enemies, each with their own distinct fighting styles:

** '''Mantis Caves to Cavern of Spirits:''' [[Ninja Stealth Vipers]], [[PsychoElectro Shock Vipers]], and [[LivingStatue Statue Warriors]].

By the way, the entire cast is composed of [[FunnyAnimal anthropomorphic species.]] This lends itself especially well to their kung-fu arts--the Leopard Clan can sprint along on all fours like their real-life counterparts, the Cranes can soar through the air on their wings, and T'ai Fu himself has a pretty sharp set of tiger claws to go with his martial arts.

Despite not receiving a lot of media coverage, ''T'ai Fu, Wrath of the Tiger'' is a pretty solid experience, combining elements of platforming and fighting games to produce an entertaining romp through mythical China. The fighting techniques you learn as you progress through the game can help you navigate the environment just as easily as they let you savage your enemies--you can leap, bounce, or glide across hazardous pitfalls, and use Chi bolts to activate mystical switches that raise bridges or open gates. With colorful characters, solid voice-acting, a compelling story, lush graphics, and a kickass soundtrack, this game is worth picking up and giving it a go.

-->'''T'ai Fu:''' So, you know who faces you! You must also know that I have conquered the Shadow Gauntlet, and have come here a true master of all Kung Fu styles--[[KiAttacks Mantis]], [[DeadlyLunge Leopard]], [[GoombaStomp Monkey]], [[NotQuiteFlight Crane]], and [[{{Shoryuken}} Tiger]]. As one, we are unstoppable. I cannot fail.

* [[KiAttacks Chi Attacks]]: The cornerstone of the Mantis Style, which grants T'ai Fu the ability to project focused missiles of spirit energy or unleash a massive radial burst of power. It becomes even more lethal with Elemental Chi Scrolls.

-->'''Mantis Master:''' Faith, young master T'ai, is a belief in something for which there is no proof. ({{Beat}}). [[CrowningMomentOfHeartwarming It does not apply here.]]

* AwesomeMusic: Penned by none other than Creator/MichaelGiacchino. You might remember him as the guy who also worked on music for WesternAnimation/TheIncredibles, or VideoGame/DonaldInMauiMallard.

* Foreshadowing: Both the Leopard and Mantis Masters refer to a legendary Tiger warrior named Lau Fu, the honorable leader of the Tiger Clan. [[spoiler: He turns out to have been T'ai Fu's father, and his spirit acts as T'ai's final mentor.]]

* ReasonableAuthorityFigure: The Leopard Master, full stop. Considering that T'ai Fu basically trespassed upon his Clan's jungle fortress and battled his way through his guards--[[VideoGameCrueltyPotential potentially by setting a good number of them]] ''[[KillItWithFire on fire']]'--he's surprisingly willing to hear T'ai out and teach him the ways of feline martial arts. Provided, of course, that T'ai can defeat his daughter in single combat...

* BadassPrincess: Lotus, the Leopard Master's daughter.

* ReasonableAuthorityFigure: The Leopard Master, full stop. Considering that T'ai Fu basically trespassed upon his Clan's jungle fortress and battled his way through his guards--[[VideoGameCrueltyPotential potentially by setting a good number of them]] ''[[KillItWithFire on fire']]'--he's surprisingly willing to hear T'ai out and teach him the ways of feline martial arts. Provided, of course, that T'ai can defeat his [[BadassPrincess daughter]] in single combat...

-->'''T'ai Fu:''' So, you know who faces you! You must also know that I have conquered the Shadow Gauntlet, and have come here a true master of all Kung Fu styles--[[KiAttacks Mantis]], [[DeadlyLunge Leopard]], [[GoombaStomp Monkey]], [[NotQuiteFlight Crane]], and [[Shoryuken Tiger]]. As one, we are unstoppable. I cannot fail.

For those who'd rather not spend money on an obscure [=PS1=] game, [[https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL9CmdR1Zq4lEMT9p5YgE9O0fGkVAbRTsq A playthrough can be watched here.]]