I Hokuto no Can't Take Any More of This Game.

📖 Background Link to heading

Hokuto no Ken is a NES game based on the titular manga and anime series, which was very popular in Japan at the time. While the game does a decent job of representing the environments and characters from the series, it fails when it comes to gameplay. The game plays like Spartan X or Black Belt on the Master System, and it has many of the same flaws as those games: A linear playfield, one-hit kills on many enemies, and cheap hits everywhere.

One might think that because many early enemies die in one hit, that the game is easy. No, the game is in fact quite hard, and for bad reasons. It’s easy to lose health to a stray shot or kick and get chipped down over time. In addition, the entire game is a massive door maze. Players who spend too long finding the correct path will have their health whittled down constantly, leaving them too weak to fight the boss.

You can pick up health in very small chunks by defeating any ten enemies. Just be careful you don’t take any damage before then or it’s effectively meaningless. You can also pick up powerups by defeating red enemies and eating their screams of pain, I kid you not. The powerups grant you stars, which have the following effects:

Kenshiro can jump higher and perform jump kicks.
Kenshiro gains the ability to deflect certain projectiles by attacking.
Kicking speed is increased.
Punching speed is increased.
Kenshiro’s walking speed is increased.
Kenshiro can perform punches in the air.
Kenshiro’s shirt is torn out, like in the anime. He also gains the ability to determine the correct doors by following Lin’s trail (whereas Bat’s appearances serves to warn the player of a wrong path)¹.

Lin and Bat, Kenshiro’s two child companions, show up in various doorways to tell the player which way to go. However, they appear arbitrarily until you have all seven stars of power, at which point Lin only appears in the correct doors and Bat sometimes appears in the wrong doors.

Standing in the way of Raoh are four bosses, each martial arts masters themselves. You can perform special moves against them by performing special inputs (listed below), but they aren’t required to progress. Originally, bosses would also use their signature moves against Kenshiro, shown after he lost to them. Accompanying kanji are still in the game’s data, but do not appear in-game².

🎮 Controls Link to heading

D-Pad: Move
Up: Jump
Down: Crouch
A: Punch
B: Kick

🏁 Goal Link to heading

Find and defeat Raoh, your adoptive brother, and take revenge!

Note about the maps:

All maps loop by default
Some stages have an intro and loop partway through. These segments are denoted by a red box.
A green wall denotes the end of a map which does not loop.

Stages Link to heading

Stage 1 Link to heading

First door, then fourth door (The second of two close doors with a pillar in the middle).

Heart Link to heading

Shin’s Lackey. Hit him with ten kicks, then a punch to the stomach to perform Hokuto Juha Zan - North Star Softness Ripping Slash.

Stage 2 Link to heading

Second door, second door, third door.

Shin Link to heading

Shin can be killed in two special ways. Either hit him with ten punches to get the special kill: Hokuto Hyakuretu Ken - North Star Hundred Crack Fist, or perform Hokuto Senjukai Ken - The North Star Thousand Hands of Destruction by cornering him and punching repeatedly.

Stage 3 Link to heading

Go in the first, third, fourth, second, second, and second doors.

Jagi Link to heading

Hit Jagi with four air-kicks and then one punch to deal a Seieikō, or “Nerve-Awakening Hole”.

Stage 4 Link to heading

There’s no doors in this stage, thankfully.

Souther Link to heading

Hit Souther with three fists while he’s in the air and when he lands, finish him with a punch to pull off Ujō Mōshō Ha, The North Star Sentient Fierce Flying Smash!

Stage 5 Link to heading

By far the most confusing level. Go in the third, ninth, third, third, second, and then first doors to reach Raoh.

Hokuto No Ken