Whenever you think of DreamWorks and Kung Fu you typically think of the Kung Fu Panda series. Ever since 2008, the franchise has spanned multiple films, television shows and video games. Oddly enough, this wasn’t the first time DreamWorks had created a kung-fu hero who was also an animal. Let’s head back 25 years to skink our claws into DreamWorks’ T’ai Fu: Wrath of the Tiger.

T’ai Fu was developed by DreamWorks’s then video game division DreamWorks Interactive (Later renamed to Danger Close Games when bought by Electronic Arts), with Activision serving as publisher. The development was headed up by Lyle Hall, better known as the designer of Gex at Crystal Dynamics. 

The game is a 3D platformer/beat ’em up hybrid where you play as T’ai Fu (voiced by John DiMaggio), an orphaned tiger raised by the pandas. One day, the Dragon Master and his army of snakes attack the panda temple with the mission of destroying T’ai. After the attack, T’ai learns that he is the last of the tiger clan and that both the tiger clan and dragon clan once waged war long ago. Now, T’ai must venture across the land and learn skills from the different masters to defeat the Dragon Master and avenge his clan. 



At each level you venture forward, you face new foes, each with a different set of skills requiring you to master new skills. You only learn a new move by either defeating or aiding one of the many martial arts masters of the land. Along the way, you often encounter characters such as the mysterious Mantis, who provides hints and bits of wisdom. Other characters include Lotus, the leopard princess (and T’ai’s love interest), and the ghost of Lau Fu, T’ai’s now-deceased father.

In addition to your tiger style, you also learn from the leopards, the monkeys, the cranes, and Mantis himself. Many of these skills can not only be applied to combat but also in platforming and level exploration. Moves can provide longer jumps, glides, and projectiles in addition to punches, kicks, and ranged attacks. 



Many of the levels span various terrains, such as bamboo forests, dark caves, ancient temples, murky swamps, snowy mountains, volcanic lairs, and more. It gives you a real sense of the word’s scale. With each level you defeat, you can always go back and replay it via the world map. 

The game was released on the original PlayStation on March 26th, 1999, in the United Kingdom and North America on March 30th. Upon its release, it received generally favorable reviews from outlets such as IGN, giving the game a 7.5/10 score. 

Since then, the game has received a cult following, and multiple Let’s Play channels on YouTube are checking it out.

This game is often credited as having helped inspire Kung Fu Panda. While this theory hasn’t been confirmed, it is highly plausible given that they both originated in the same place. However, the ownership of the game’s rights is currently unknown, as it could have ended up with DreamWorks, Activision, or even Electronic Arts.

What do you think? Do you remember playing T’ai Fu when it was first released? Would you ever want to see it get an HD Remake or some sequel? Should DreamWorks integrate this into the Kung Fu Panda universe? Let us know your thoughts.