Hokuto no Ken (Sega Mark III)
Hokuto no Ken (北斗の拳) is a 1986 beat 'em up game released for the Sega Mark III. The international version called Black Belt was stripped of the Hokuto no Ken license, forcing graphic alterations to the game. Black Belt was one of programmer Yuji Naka's early games prior to his involvement in Sonic the Hedgehog.
Hokuto no Ken
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| Developer(s) | Sega |
| Publisher(s) | Sega |
| Platform(s) | Sega Master System Playstion 2 Nintendo Wii |
| Release date(s) | Mk III: July 20, 1986 PS2: March 25, 2004 Wii: February 26, 2008 |
| Genre(s) | Beat 'em up |
| Mode(s) | Single Player |
| Rating(s) | CERO-B |
| Media | 1Mb ROM Cartridge |
| Input methods | Gamepad |
Plot and gameplay
The player takes control of Kenshiro, who sets out to rescue his girlfriend Yuria from his rival, Raoh. The game is composed of six left-to-right side-scrolling stages in which Ken faces different types of underlings (depending on the stage), facing the occasional sub-boss at mid-points of certain stages. Keeping true to the original source material, underlings violently explode upon being punched or kicked. At the end of each stage, Ken must confront the stage's boss, each being susceptible to only one type of attack. The player must exploit their opponent's weakness and use it to finish the boss off.
Localization
The game was released internationally as Black Belt. The changes were the characters themselves and the backgrounds, as well as everything related to the property. However, the game mechanics are still the same and even the lesser enemies die by exploding into bits. A sequel was released for the Sega Mega Drive in Japan, which was released internationally as Last Battle, once again stripped of the Hokuto no Ken license.
Characters
| Hokuto no Ken | Black Belt | Role |
|---|---|---|
| Kenshiro (ケンシロウ) | Riki | Hero |
| Yuria (ユリア) | Kyoko | Heroine |
| Shin (シン) | Ryu | 1st Boss |
| Colonel (カーネル) | Hawk | 2nd Boss |
| Devil Rebirth (デビル・リバーズ) | Gonta | 3rd Boss |
| Toki (トキ) | Oni | 4th Boss |
| Souther (サウザー) | Rita | 5th Boss |
| Raoh (ラオウ) | Wang | Final Boss |