Hokuto no Ken 2 (Famicom)

Hokuto no Ken 2
Developer(s)	Shouei System
Publisher(s)	Toei Animation (Japan) Taxan (USA)
Platform(s)	Family Computer
Release date(s)	April 17, 1987 April, 1989
Genre(s)	Action
Mode(s)	Single player
Media	Cartridge
Input methods	Controller

The Family Computer version of Hokuto no Ken 2 (北斗の拳2) is a side-scrolling action game released by Toei Animation on April 17, 1987. The game is based on the Tentei story arc from the manga. Two years after its original Famicom release, an English version for the Nintendo Entertainment System in North America was released by Taxan titled Fist of the North Star on April 1989, making it is one of few Hokuto no Ken console games that was released for the overseas market.

Story

After the death of Raoh, the Central Imperial Capital began its rule of the chaotic world under the name of the Heavenly Emperor. Now grown up, Bat and Lin has formed a resistance under the banner of Hokuto. Kenshiro returns once again after hearing the plight of the people. Kenshiro must hurry to the Imperial Capital and defeat their leader Falco of the Gento Kō Ken style.

Controls

• Controller I
  • A button - Punch
  • B button - Kick
  • Up - Jump
  • Down - Crouch
  • Left - Walks left
  • Right - Walks right
  • Select - Allows you to choose between 1-Player and Vs. Mode on the title screen
  • Start - Starts the game on the title screen after choosing between game mode. During the game, press Start to pause the action and press it again to continue.
  • Aura attack - If Kenshiro has any aura yet, he can shoot it towards his direction by pressing A and B simultaneously.
  • Enter doors - Kenshiro can enter certain doors he comes across by pressing A and B simultaneously and pressing Right on the d-pad.

• Controller II is not used in this game.

How to Play

• How to proceed - After starting the game, the player can right, left, downwards, and upwards depending on the level.

• Power-up - Certain enemies will drop power-ups in the shape of the words あべし (abeshi) or ひでぶ (hidebu) when defeated. You can completely power-up Kenshiro by collecting 1-4 abeshi items or 5-7 hidebu items.

• Aura gauge - Your aura gauge will be replenished by one point for every 20 enemies you defeat.

• Extra lives - You will gain an extra life for every 100,000th point.

• Vs. Mode - When you select Vs. Mode from the title screen, you will fight against the bosses from Stage 1-4.

• Power-up items
  • Flag of Hokuto - Replenishes Kenshiro's energy
  • Yuria's necklace (silver) - Will replenish your aura energy by three points
  • Yuria's necklace (gold) - Allows Kenshiro to use Musō Tensei, the ultimate secret technique of Hokuto Shin Ken.

• Time limit - The player will lose one life if the timer reaches 0.

• Continues - After a game over, the player can continue on the stage where they left off by holding A and pressing Start on the title screen. Continuing can take you up to Stage 4.

Characters

Listed by order of appearance.

The Player

• Kenshirō - The Successor of Hokuto Shin Ken. Kenshiro's energy will increase whenever he meets an ally.

Bask's Country Area (バスクのエリア, Basuku no Eria)

• Punishment Corps (司刑隊, Shikeitai) - They approach by throwing weapons.
• Barona - He is larger than Kenshiro and has stronger punches.
• Bask - He attacks while jumping.
• Bat and Lin - They will appear at the end of Stage 1 from the right of the screen after defeating Bask.

Gayler's City Area (ゲイラのエリア, Geira no Eria)

• Buzori - He is far larger than Kenshiro and the punches he throws are strong.
• Geira - Watch out for the smoke coming out of his mouth. He throws balls with both of his hands.
• Ein - A bounty hunter. He will appear at the end of Stage 2 after defeating Geila.

Traitor Concentration Camp (反逆者収容所, Hangyakusha Shūyōjo)

• Concentration Camp Corps (収容所隊, Jūyōjotai) - They attack by throwing large weapons. They attack with small weapons in the air while hopping or jumping.
• Concentration Camp's Assistant Warden (収容所副所長, Jūyōjo Fukushochō) - A master of the whip.
• Green Light Taiga - The Warden of the Concentration Camp and the first of the Gento warriors. He shoots shoots shining white bullets and has strong kicks.
• Haz and Gil Harn - Survivors of Nanto. One of them will appear at the end of Stage 3 after defeating Taiga.

Solia's Army (ソリアの軍, Soria no Gun)

• Solia's Army - Their techniques includes spear launching and slide kicks.
• Purple Light Solia - A Gento warrior who shoots several shining white bullets and has strong punches.

The Imperial Capital Gate (帝都の門, Teito no Mon)

• The Viceroy's Loyal Army (総督直轄軍, Sōtoku Chokkatsu Tai) - They attack with various kinds of weapons and continuous punches.
• Blue Light Boltz - A Gento warrior who shoots shining white bullets from the air while jumping.

Jacko’s Army (ジャコウの軍, Jakō no Gun)

• Sheeno - He is larger than Kenshiro and has stronger punches.
• Jask - He slides while doing his footwork.
• Viceroy Jakoh
• Red Light Bronza (赤光のブロンザ, Sekikō no Buronsa) - A Gento Warrior who attacks with shining white bullets. Although a game original character, he has the same title given to Shōki in the TV series.
• Lui - The Heavenly Emperor and Lin's elder twin sister. She is being held captive underground.

Kenshiro vs. Falco (ケンシロウvsファルコ)

• Falco's Army - Their techniques includes spear launching, slide kicks, jumps, and footwork punches.
• Falco the Gold - The strongest of the Gento warriors.

Kenshiro vs. Shura (ケンシロウvsシュラ)

• Shura

Secrets

Secret final boss

The game has eighth stage available if the player completes all seven of the regular stages without using continues. The eighth stage is a battle against the Nameless Asura. Defeating the Asura will yield a different ending which shows Falco's face on the credits instead of Lui.

Finishing moves

The player can perform a different finishing move on each boss by attacking their weakspot with a specific attack.

North Star Head Breaking Fist (北斗破顔拳, Hokuto Hagan Ken)

Used on Bask. The final blow must be a jumping punch to his head. A secret technique originally used on Madara in the anime.

Lung Destroying Fist (喘破刺倒拳, Senha Shitō Ken)

Used on Geila. The final blow must be to his belly. In the original work, the finishing move on Geila was simply a vital point called Senha.

North Star Eight Breaks Nine Agonies (北斗八悶九断, Hokuto Hachimon Kudan)

Defeat Taiga using a kick to the the stomach as the final blow. In the original work, this was the technique Kenshiro was going to use to kill Jagi before he decided to spared his life. According to the official guide, it causes the victim to feel eight different kinds of pain before breaking into nine pieces.

North Star Purple Destroying Light Attack (北斗紫滅光破, Hokuto Shimetsu Kōha)

Defeat Solia with a punch to the face as the final blow. A game-original technique. According to the official strategy guide, it is a kind of Aura Punch that uses sunlight that exercises its might particularly to purple objects. In other words, it can destroy Solia's purple armor.

North Star Annihilation Fist (北斗滅殺拳, Hokuto Messatsu Ken)

Defeat Boltz with a kick to the legs as the final blow. A game-original technique. It is a special technique that devours the body in an instant, causing its soul to be lost forever.

Big Dipper Fist (北斗七星拳, Hokuto Shichisei Ken)

Defeat Bronza with a kick to the head as the final blow. A technique that is launched subconsciously by Ken when the seven scars on his are glowing red and his sense of awareness is enhanced.

Secret Technique of Hokuto Shin Ken - Unconscious Arm Split (北斗神拳秘奥義 無想戈穴, Hokuto Shin Ken Hiōgi - Musō Ken Kaketsu)

A secret technique used to defeat Falco. The player must strike Falco with a standing punch at the exact moment he performs his slide kick. In the manga, Kaketsu was the name of a vital point that Ken struck on Falco's chest.

Secret Technique of Hokuto Shin Ken - Heaven-Splitting Fist (北斗神拳秘奥義 天破の拳, Hokuto Shin Ken Hiōgi - Tenha no Ken)

A secret technique used to defeat the Nameless Asura. The player must strike the Asura's chest with a kick as a final blow. It is a technique which gives the opponent the greatest sense of pain they can feel, causing its victim to yell loudly enough to split the heavens, hence the name.

American version

The American version released by Taxan for the Nintendo Entertainment System has several differences between it and the original Japanese release.

• The game is titled Fist of the North Star instead of Hokuto no Ken 2 (no other Fist of the North Star video game were released overseas for the NES).
• The background color of the title screen was changed from black to blue. Likewise for Kenshiro's sprite.
• All of the Japanese text were localized to English.
• The player's "aura" gauge is now called the "bomb" gauge.
• The "abeshi" and "hidebu" power-ups were changed into generic white and black stars.
• Certain bosses, namely Barona and Buzori, were made easier to defeat in the American version.
• Kenshiro's allies that appeared at the end of certain stages in the Japanese version were removed.
• The finishing moves for both, the player and the enemies, were removed as well.

The game was advertised in Viz Communications' short-lived eight-issue English adaptation of the Fist of the North Star manga published in 1989. Although Toki appears on the American version's cover artwork sparring with Kenshiro (taken from a cel art used for episode 70 of the anime series), he does not actually appear in the game.

Staff

• Executive Producer - Miki Hirao
• Producer - Shuichi Sato, Tadao Okubo
• Director - Yoshihiko Takeda
• Game Designer - Kenichi Suzuki
• Character Designer - Makoto Higa, Naomi Sato
• Programmer - Masahiro Yoshihara, Yasuhide Sakakura
• Game Music - J-Walk Mitsuyasu

Game Genie Codes

Infinite Lives

SXSKAPVG

Infinite Energy

SZOGUISA

Invincibility

SZSKTTAX

Freeze Time

SZKTLYVG

Official strategy guide

• High-Tech - Hokuto no Ken 2 - Hiōgi no Sho​ (ハイテク 北斗の拳2 秘奥義の書), Shueisha, 1987/04/25, ISBN 4-8342-1056-1

External Links

• Fist of the North Star at GameFAQs