Hokuto Musō (Fist of the North Star : Ken’s Rage) (北斗無双)

Gameplay

The game applies Koei’s Musō formula to the Hokuto no Ken universe. The player traverses battlefields while eliminating hordes of enemies, but here the presentation embraces the brutality of the manga, complete with the characteristic death cries, blood, and exploding bodies. Each character has several techniques (ōgi) drawn from the source material, including a legendary technique capable of sweeping an entire crowd in a single blow, and a finishing move reserved for duels against weakened opponents. A fighting aura gauge (Tōki) can be consumed to temporarily multiply the character’s power. The game consists of a Legend mode that follows the manga’s storyline and a Phantom mode that develops alternative narratives for the other fighters.

Of note

Developed by Omega Force and published by Koei, this title is the first major co-production between Hokuto no Ken and the industrial machine of Musō games, and it sold fast: half a million copies sold by the day after its release in Japan. It is also a turning point for the franchise internationally, as it was one of the first Hokuto no Ken games marketed in the West under its original identity, under the title Fist of the North Star : Ken’s Rage, with a choice between Japanese and English voice tracks. A revised edition, Hokuto Musō International, was released in December 2010 in Japan, incorporating the additions from the foreign version. It was priced at 8,190 yen.

The game also received a collector’s edition, the Treasure Box, sold for 13,440 yen. It included three bonuses for fans: an alarm clock featuring the characters that played their voices, the game’s original soundtrack in a special edition, and an illustrated book retracing the history and universe of the title.