Details
- Original title
- 北斗の拳4 七星覇拳伝 北斗神拳の彼方へ
- Genre
- RPG
- Publisher
- Toei Animation
- Developer
- Shouei System
- Release date
- March 29, 1991
- Platforms
- Famicom
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Hokuto no Ken 4: Shichisei Haken Den – Hokuto Shinken no Kanata e (北斗の拳4 七星覇拳伝 北斗神拳の彼方へ)
Gameplay
The fourth and final Famicom game in the series, it retains the RPG format introduced by the third installment: exploration, turn-based combat, and powering up through Hokuto Shinken techniques. Its major innovation is narrative: the hero is no longer Kenshiro but an original character whom the player names themselves, making the player the protagonist of their own legend. At the end of the journey, Kenshiro passes on the ultimate Hokuto Shinken technique to the hero, making him the successor of the school.
Of note
The scenario is supervised by Buronson, co-author of the manga, and written by Toda Hiroshi, head writer of the TV series, which gives the game a fairly polished original story despite its reputation as a clunky RPG. The narrative does, however, take some liberties with the continuity of the source material. Still developed by Shouei System for Toei Animation, this title closes the Famicom cycle; starting with the fifth installment, the series migrated to the Super Famicom. It retailed for 6,500 yen.
