Hokuto no Ken 5: Tenma Ryūsei Den – Ai Zesshō (北斗の拳5 天魔流星伝 哀★絶章)

Gameplay

For its first installment on the Super Famicom, the series stays within the RPG genre initiated on the Famicom, but takes advantage of the new console for more detailed graphics. The game introduces its own martial arts command system, distinguishing between “hard fist” techniques (gōken), “soft fist” techniques (jūken), and vital pressure points (hikō), each with its own effects in combat. Progression and battles follow the conventions of turn-based RPGs of the era.

Of Note

The scenario, supervised by Buronson and written by Toda Hiroshi (who had already scripted the fourth game and authored a large portion of the anime episodes), takes significant liberties: it is set in a parallel universe where several characters meet a radically different fate from that of the manga. Still developed by Shouei System for Toei Animation, this title opens the Super Famicom trilogy, followed by the sixth and seventh installments, which would shift toward the fighting game genre.