Angry Video Game Nerd Season 1 Episode 7 Master Chu and the Drunkard Hu

The show Angry Video Game Nerd follows the titular nerd as he reviews and critiques classic and obscure video games from the 1980s and 90s. Season 1 episode 7, titled Master Chu and the Drunkard Hu, sees the Nerd take on a particularly challenging and frustrating game from the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) library.

The episode starts with the Nerd introducing the game and its backstory. Developed by Color Dreams, a company notorious for producing cheap, unlicensed games for the NES, Master Chu and the Drunkard Hu is one of the few Color Dreams titles to actually receive official Nintendo licensing. Despite this, the game is still a mess of poor design and frustrating gameplay mechanics.

The game's plot revolves around Master Chu, a martial arts expert, and Drunkard Hu, his bumbling sidekick. Together, they must battle their way through various enemies and obstacles to retrieve the "magic teapot" and defeat the evil Warlord who has stolen it. The Nerd comments on the game's stereotypical and offensive portrayals of Chinese culture, with caricatured depictions of the characters and choppy Mandarin dialogue.

As the Nerd begins to play the game, he's immediately met with frustration and confusion. The game's controls are clunky and unresponsive, with Master Chu and Drunkard Hu moving sluggishly across the screen. The Nerd comments on the game's poor hit detection, with enemies seemingly able to hit the player character from impossible angles. The Nerd also notes the game's overly difficult platforming sections, where one wrong move can lead to instant death and a frustratingly far respawn point.

The Nerd also comments on the game's strange power-up system, where various items (such as chicken legs and onions) can be collected to grant the player character temporary abilities. The Nerd remarks that the power-ups are often useless or even detrimental, as some will cause Master Chu or Drunkard Hu to become dizzy and uncontrollable for several seconds.

Throughout the episode, the Nerd becomes increasingly frustrated with the game's difficulty and poor design. He comments on the game's lack of direction, with no clear indication of where the player needs to go or what they need to do to progress. The Nerd notes that the game seems designed to be intentionally frustrating, with enemies and obstacles placed in ways that make progression nearly impossible without memorization and repetition.

Despite his frustrations, the Nerd perseveres and continues to play through the game. He comments on some of the game's more bizarre moments, such as a boss fight against a giant, fire-breathing toad or a level where the player character must swim through a maze of underwater tunnels. The Nerd also notes the game's terrible music and sound effects, with repetitive, grating tunes and obnoxious sound effects adding to the overall misery of playing the game.

As the episode nears its conclusion, the Nerd finally reaches the game's final boss, the evil Warlord. The Nerd struggles with the unresponsive controls and confusing hit detection, but ultimately manages to defeat the boss and retrieve the magic teapot. The Nerd reflects on the game's poor design and frustrating gameplay, noting that it's one of the worst games he's ever played. However, he also admits there's a certain charm to the game's ridiculousness and utter incompetence.

Overall, Angry Video Game Nerd season 1 episode 7 is a humorous and entertaining look at one of the most notoriously bad NES games. The episode's focus on the game's poor design and frustrating gameplay will surely resonate with anyone who's ever struggled with a poorly designed video game. With the Nerd's usual wit and sarcasm, the episode is a fun and engaging watch for both video game enthusiasts and casual viewers alike.