Fist of the North Star is a side-scrolling action video game produced by Toei Animation and developed by Shouei System for the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES). It was first released in Japan under the title Hokuto no Ken 2 on April 17, 1987, being the second Hokuto no Ken video game released for the Family Computer (Famicom) by the anime production company (which briefly entered the video game publishing business after their success with the original Hokuto no Ken game for the Famicom in 1986), while also serving as a tie-in to the Hokuto no Ken 2 anime series which began airing on Fuji TV a few weeks earlier.
Fist of the North Star (NES)
Taxan published the localized NES version in April 1989, making it one of the earliest Fist of the North Star products released in the U.S. alongside Viz Communications' English adaptation of the manga.
After the death of Raoh, the Central Imperial Capital, a city ruled by the Tentei, has been in great confusion. Kenshiro returns to assists the now grown Bat and Rin as they lead the Hokuto Army resistance against the Tentei's corrupt imperial forces. As Kenshiro ventures into the Capital, he confronts the Four Generals of Gento and their leader Falco the Gold.
Fist of the North Star is a single-plane beat-'em-up in which the player (as Kenshiro) proceeds through the game by walking from left to right, using his martial arts of Hokuto Shinken to defeat enemies. Similarly to Kung-Fu Master, jumping is performed by pressing the d-pad upwards instead of having a dedicated button, leaving the A and B buttons solely for attacks. To enter a door, the player must press the d-pad UP while holding A and B simultaneously, which is a requirement to proceed through certain stages. In addition to the regular enemies, the player must also defeat sub-bosses and bosses to proceed in the game. Each boss in the game has a weak point that will result in massive damage if the player strikes it with the proper attack before hitting any other part of the body, along with a greater bonus after the stage is cleared.
At the start of the game Kenshiro will only have basic punches and kicks as his only available attacks, but by killing certain enemies with punches, a power-up in the shape of a star will occasionally appear where the enemy used to be. Picking up these stars will increase Kenshiro's power by up to seven levels (the white stars will raise his level up to four stars, afterward Kenshiro must switch to picking up the black stars to increase his power from five stars and onward), granting him numerous new abilities such as rapid punches and kicks, the ability to reflect enemy knives and arrows, faster walking speed, and a projectile shooting attack performed by pressing AB simultaneously while standing still (the d-pad must be on neutral). When Kenshiro reaches his maximum power level, he will rip his shirt and vest open, increasing his defenses.
Other power-ups include the flag of the Hokuto Army, which replenishes Kenshiro's life gauge, a silver necklace which grants him more 'bomb' units (which is required for Kenshiro's projectile attack) and a gold necklace that grants him temporary invincibility by summoning the power of the ultimate technique Musō Tensei. Kenshiro is given an extra life for every 100,000 points achieved by the player. Shooting power can also be replenished for every 20 thugs killed by the player.
More details about this game can be found on
Wikipedia.org.
Find digital download of this game on
GOG
or
Steam.
Game controls:
The NES version of Fist of the North Star was originally controlled via the NES controller with a cross-shaped joypad and two action buttons. The basic description of game controls is summarized in the table below. Detailed description of how to play this game can be found a in the attached game manual. Please note that individual
gamepad buttons are emulated by different keys on your PC keyboard depending on the settings of your online emulator (see the table next to the game).
Using the D-pad, Ken walks left or right (←/→), jump (↑) or crouch (↓). To enter the room behind the door, press A+B and right arrow.
By pressing A button, Ken punches.
By pressing B button, Ken kicks. If Ken gets the 'Shooting attack' power-up, he can shoot by pressing A+B buttons at the same time.
Press SELECT on the title screen to choose the type of the game you want to play.
Use to start the game. Press during play to pause. Press again to resume play.
Videogame Console:
This version of Fist of the North Star was designed for the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES), which was an eight-bit video game console manufactured
by Nintendo in the years 1983 - 2003. In that time, it was the best-selling video game console for which more than 700 licensed games and a number of non-licensed
games were created. Worldwide, approximately 62 million units of this console were sold at approximately price $ 100 per unit. More information about the
NES console can be found here.
Recommended Game Controllers:
You can control this game easily by using the keyboard of your PC (see the table next to the game). However, for maximum gaming enjoyment, we strongly recommend using a USB gamepad that you simply plug into the USB port of your computer. If you do not have a gamepad, buy a suitable USB controller on Amazon or AliExpress or in some of your favorite online stores.
Available online emulators:
6 different online emulators are available for Fist of the North Star. These emulators differ not only in the technology they use to emulate old games, but also in support of various game controllers, multiplayer mode, mobile phone touchscreen, emulation speed, absence or presence of embedded ads and in many other parameters. For
maximum gaming enjoyment, it's important to choose the right emulator, because on each PC and in different Internet browsers, the individual emulators behave differently. The basic
features of each emulator available for this game Fist of the North Star are summarized in the following table:
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This version of Fist of the North Star was designed for the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES), which was an eight-bit video game console manufactured
by Nintendo in the years 1983 - 2003. In that time, it was the best-selling video game console for which more than 700 licensed games and a number of non-licensed
games were created. Worldwide, approximately 62 million units of this console were sold at approximately price $ 100 per unit. More information about the
NES console can be found 
