Zhonghua Great Immortal
A classic 1980s arcade side-scrolling shooter released by Taito in 1988, featuring a protagonist who rides auspicious clouds and casts magical spheres in a world inspired by Journey to the West.
Cloud Master (中華大仙) is a side-scrolling shoot 'em up developed by Hot-B and released by Taito for Japanese arcades in July 1988. The game is a comedic reimagining of Journey to the West, utilizing its art and thematic background. Players control a young Taoist named Mike Chen, who flies through the skies on an auspicious cloud, launching magical spheres at various flying demons and monsters. Between levels, players encounter shops where they can use collected money to purchase different types of special bombs and use items to enhance the firepower and speed of their primary weapon. Each stage culminates in a confrontation with a boss. In August 1988, the game ranked 16th on the Game Machine arcade earnings chart in Japan. It was subsequently ported to platforms including the MSX2, Famicom, Sega Master System, PC Engine (Gokuraku! Cloud Master), and X68000. In 2008, it was released on the Wii as The Monkey King: The Legend Begins, and in 2018, it was re-released for the Nintendo Switch by Hamster as part of the Arcade Archives series. With its bright, cartoonish visuals, melodic Chinese-style BGM, and a gentle difficulty curve, it has become one of the representative arcade shooters based on the Journey to the West theme.