Punch Mania: Hokuto no Ken

Punch Mania
Japanese cabinet
Developer(s)	Konami
Release date(s)	Hokuto no Ken March 2000 Hokuto no Ken 2 December 2000

Punch Mania: Hokuto no Ken (パンチマニア 北斗の拳), released in the overseas market as Fighting Mania: Fist of the North Star, was a coin-operated video game produced by Konami released on March 2000. It is a first-person boxing game that were released on a unique game cabinet where the player must strike their opponents using specialized punching pads. A sequel was released exclusively in Japan titled Punch Mania: Hokuto no Ken 2 (パンチマニア 北斗の拳2) on December 2000, which was released on a 2-player cabinet.

Hokuto no Ken

Cabinet

The arcade cabinet stands about 6'2" tall, 34" wide (when facing the machine), and about 4' deep. The monitor is recessed into the cabinet a fair distance, and in the front of the cabinet are six orange, sturdy punching pads with red LED lights embedded near their hinges. The pads are at rest along the inside walls of the recession of the cabinet, lining the monitor. There are also two black plastic "special gloves" that rest in pockets on the front of the machine, which are normally tied with rope or chain to the arcade cabinet to prevent theft. The player is to wear these gloves while playing.

Gameplay

When an on-screen enemy makes an attack on the player, a punch pad will swing out on its hinge at a smooth pace, and upon reaching full extension at 90 degrees, the LEDs light up red. The pad stays lit for a short time, and then the pad returns inside the cabinet to rest. The player must punch this pad while the LEDs are lit. The strength of the player's punch is irrelevant to the game, and the game warns the player not to punch hard, to prevent the risk of breaking the machine. Only the timing of the punch is important, punches should be delivered at half strength, with exact timing.

Punching a pad when it is fully extended and the LEDs lit results in the attack being blocked, and the opponent receiving damage in the form of a counter-attack. Punching too early or too late results in either blocking the move with no counter-attack, or receiving lessened damage from the attack, also with no counter-attack damage to the opponent. Missing a pad completely (the pad retracting without ever being hit) results in full damage taken by the player. As opponents get more difficult - and particularly when they use their special moves - punches will be thrown and pads will pop out in faster succession and in more chaotic patterns, or special precautions may need to be taken, such as only striking one pad that is lit while other dummy pads pop up, or striking pads in the exact order they deploy.

Like conventional fighting games, the player has a life gauge at the top, and the enemy has a life gauge that must be brought to zero as well. Also both characters have a tech meter. As attacks are landed or damage is taken, the stars light up along the super gauge and when full, the game will automatically execute the special move for the player. The game will also instruct the player how to use the particular special move it chose, based on the enemy the player is fighting. The game follows the Fist of the North Star series, as each enemy is not only a character from the series, but the finishing moves the player must use to defeat them are taken from the series as well. The game grades the player's performance based on their remaining life, agility, wisdom (wiz), skills and the use of finishing moves (arts).

At the start of the game, the player must choose their course. Each course consist of a set of opponents within a certain story arc. This serves as a difficulty setting. The first course is a tutorial where Kenshiro's master, Ryuken, will teach the player how to play the game and explain the finer points of timing punches. The subsequent courses involve progressively harder opponents moving toward the right, and are based on specific story arcs in the manga.

Courses and characters

Basics of Hokuto Shinken (北斗神拳基本編)

Player: Kenshiro

Difficulty: Practice

• Ryuken

Art: Hokuto Shichishi Seiten (北斗七死星点, The North Star Seven Star Point of Death)

• Zeed

Player's art: Hokuto Hyakuretsu Ken (北斗百裂拳, The North Star Hundred Crack Fist, 30 strikes)

Basics of Hokuto Shinken (サザンクロス編)

Player: Kenshiro

Difficulty: Easy

• Zeed

Player's art: Hokuto Hyakuretsu Ken (北斗百裂拳, The North Star Hundred Crack Fist, 30 strikes)

• Mr. Heart

Player's art:Hokuto Jūha Zan (北斗柔破斬, North Star Death by Soft Strikes, strike the pads in order, then stop)

• Shin

Art: Nanto Senshu Ryū Geki (南斗千首龍撃, South Star Thousand Dragon Head Attack)

Player's Art: Hokuto Jūji Zan (北斗十字斬, North Star Cross Kill, 50 strikes)

Nanto Roku Seiken (南斗六聖拳編)

Player: Kenshiro

Difficulty: Medium

• King of Kiba

Arts: Kazen Gunrō Ken (華山群狼拳, Kazan Wolf Pack Fist), Kazan Kōgai Kohō (華山鋼鎧呼法, Call of Kazan's Armor)

• Player's art: Gasan Ryōzan Ha (岩山両斬波, Mountain Splitting Wave, Time the attack and then do 50 strikes)
• Rei

Arts: Nanto Suichō Ken (南斗水鳥拳, South Star Waterbird Fist), Nanto Koharyū (南斗虎破龍, South Star Tiger Destroys Dragon)

Player's arts: Hokuto Ryūgekiko (北斗龍撃虎, North Star Dragon Attacks Tiger, 60 strikes)

• Shuh

Art: Yūgenshō (誘幻掌, Alluring Vision Palm)

Player's art: Suienshin (水影心, Water Shadow Spirit, punch the pads in the given order)

• Souther

Arts: Kyokusei Jūji Ken (極星十字拳, Pole-Star Cross Fist), Tenshō Jūji Hō (天翔十字鳳, Heaven Soaring Phoenix)

Player's art: Tenha Kassatsu (天破活殺, Heaven Granting Life or Death, punch only the lid paths and then do 80 strikes)

Ken-oh the Conqueror of the Century (世紀末覇者・拳王編)

Player: Kenshiro

Difficulty: Medium

• Colonel

Art: Nanto Muon Ken (南斗無音拳, Silent Fist of the South Star)

Player's art: Hokuto Kaikotsu Ken (北斗壊骨拳, Bone Breaking Punch of the North Star, punch only the lid paths and then do 60 strikes)

• Devil

Art: Fūsatsu Ōgon Ken (風殺金剛拳, Golden Steel Fist of Death)

Player's art: Hokuto Shichishi Seiten (北斗七死星点, The North Star Seven Star Point of Death)

• Uighur

Art: Taizan Ryū Senjō Ben (泰山流千条鞭, Taizan Style Thousand Streak Whip), Mōko Hakyoku Dō (蒙古覇極道, Mongolian Champion Wave)

Player's art: Hokuto Kōretsu Ha (北斗鋼裂把, North Star Steel Rending Grasp, Time the strikes and then do 80 following strikes)

• Ken-oh

Art: Tenshō Honretsu (天将奔烈, Heaven's Command Charge)

Player's art: Hokuto Hyakuretsu Ken (北斗百裂拳, The North Star Hundred Crack Fist, 100 strikes)

Nanto Roku Seiken, Star of Justice (南斗六聖拳・義星編)

Player: Rei

Difficulty: Medium (no life recovery between stages)

• Ken-oh

Art: Tenshō Honretsu (天将奔烈, Heaven's Command Charge)

Player's art: Dankō Sōsai Ken (断己相殺拳, Self-Sacrifice Offset Fist, timing)

• King of Kiba

Arts: Kazen Gunrō Ken (華山群狼拳, Kazan Wolf Pack Fist), Kazan Kōgai Kohō (華山鋼鎧呼法, Call of Kazan's Armor)

• Player's art: Nanto Suichō Ken (南斗水鳥拳, South Star Waterbird Fist), Nanto Koharyū (南斗虎破龍, South Star Tiger Destroys Dragon, time)
• Amiba

Art: Yōsō Sankaku Kyaku (鷹爪三角脚, Hawk Talon Triangle Kick)

Player's art: N/A

• Yuda

Art: Kesshōshi (血粧嘴, Secret Blood Beak)

Player's art: Hishō Hakurei (飛翔白麗, Soaring White Loveliness)

Messiah of the Century Legend (世紀末救世主伝説編)

Player: Kenshiro

Difficulty: Hard

• Jagi

Art: Hokuto Rakan Geki (北斗羅漢撃, Arhat Attack of the North Star)

Player's art: N/A

• Amiba

Art: Yōsō Sankaku Kyaku (鷹爪三角脚, Hawk Talon Triangle Kick)

Player's art: Zankai Sekiho Ken (残悔積歩拳, North Star Strike of Lingering Regret, Strike pads in order)

• Toki

Art: Tenshō Hyakuretsu Ken (天翔百裂拳, Heaven Soaring Hundred Crack Fist)

Player's art: Hokuto Tenki Shō (北斗天帰掌, Oath of the North Star, Timing)

• Ryuga

Art: Tenrō Tōga Ken (天狼凍牙拳, Heaven Wolf of Chilly Claw Fist)

Player's art: Hokuto Hyakuretsu Ken (北斗百裂拳, The North Star Hundred Crack Fist, 80 strikes)

• Raoh

Art: Tenshō Honretsu (天将奔烈, Heaven's Command Charge)

Player's art: Musō Tensei (無想転生, Nil-thought Reincarnation, 100 strikes)

Conqueror of the Century Legend (世紀末覇王伝説編)

Player: Raoh

Difficulty: Maniac

• Toki

Art: Tenshō Hyakuretsu Ken (天翔百裂拳, Heaven Soaring Hundred Crack Fist)

Player's art: Tenshō Honretsu (天将奔烈, Heaven's Command Charge, 70 strikes)

• Jyuza

Art: Gekiheki Hasui Shō (撃壁背水掌, Attack Wall Repel Water Palm)

Player's art: Tenshō Honretsu (天将奔烈, Heaven's Command Charge, 80 strikes)

• Fudoh

Art: N/A

Player's art: Tenshō Honretsu (天将奔烈, Heaven's Command Charge, 90 strikes)

• Kenshiro

Art: Hokuto Hyakuretsu Ken (北斗百裂拳, The North Star Hundred Crack Fist), Musō Tensei (無想転生, Nil-thought Reincarnation)

Player's art: Tenshō Honretsu (天将奔烈, Heaven's Command Charge, 100 strikes)

Hokuto no Ken 2

The sequel was released as a deluxe 2-player cabinet, allowing both players to play the game independently, cooperatively or competitively. All seven single-player courses from the original Punch Mania are included along with five new single-player courses unique to the sequel that are based on the later storyline of the original manga. Other new game modes includes a single-player Survival mode, a 2-player tag team and a versus mode.

External links

• Official Japanese site
• GameFAQs
• Fighting Mania - KLOV entry