One Liners and References
Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio, the developer behind Yakuza, clearly knows what they’re doing with Fist of the North Star: Lost Paradise. The game is crammed full of references and nods to both the anime and manga. After we got a sizable amount of hands-on time with the game at E3, there’s plenty that fans of the series should find to love.
Lost Paradise retells the story of Kenshiro, a talented martial artist and the inheritor of a deadly style known as Hokuto Shinken. The biggest difference in the game is the addition of a vibrant city known as Eden, one that Kenshiro will need to explore while meeting a wide array of inhabitants. Lost Paradise matches the gritty, dramatic tone of the anime, but considering this is a game by the Yakuza team it also strikes a balance between the weird and goofy. One of the best references we found involved a bartending minigame, where Kenshiro made drinks for customers. Each drink had a hilariously themed name like Death Battle on the Beach or Yuria Forever Love. At one point Kenshiro even served a drink by saying “You’re already drunk,” a direct reference to the iconic “You’re already dead” line.
Of course, you’ll be meeting plenty of familiar characters during your adventure in Eden and the wasteland, like Uighur, Jagi, and Souther, to name a few. There’s more to uncover in the wasteland too, including old arcade cabinets you can excavate, that let you play retro minigames, including the Sega Mark III version of Hokuto No Ken, a classic Fist of the North Star game.
There’s already a ton of references that we’ve seen, and there’s sure to be even more in the full release for eagle-eyed fans.
Weaponized Death Screams
Onomatopoeia sound effects are a crucial part of manga, especially an action-focused manga like Fist of the North Star. While wreaking havoc on enemies and destroying body parts in Lost Paradise, occasionally death screams will appear above an enemy’s head, emblazoned in bright bold letters. At times these screams will turn into physical objects that you can then pick up and use to bludgeon other enemies to death.
Seeing Kenshiro pick up an actual word as a weapon is utterly ridiculous, and it really helps seal the deal on the over-the-top anime vibe of Fist of the North Star. It’s another little detail that helps Lost Paradise really nail the tone and feeling of both its source material and the Yakuza games.
Destiny Talismans Give You New Skills
Lost Paradise’s combat is suitably similar to the Yakuza games, featuring a brawling battle system that lets you use a wide array of punches, kicks, and special moves. Like most everything else in the game, special moves are entirely themed around Fist of the North Star history.
Destiny Talismans are an essential part of your tool set, and these are basically special moves on a cooldown that are themed after different characters in the series. For example, using Raoh’s talisman lets you use the secret technique “Tensho Honretsu,” while using Bat’s will instantly restore the endurance of your vehicle. When you activate the talismans a cut-in of said character appears onscreen, and these are actually drawn by the illustrator of the manga. There’s a wide array of talismans to get and create, and you’re able to equip four at any given time.
Another combat feature inspired by the series is Burst Mode, which puts Kenshiro in a heightened state where he can soak up damage and cause more damage himself. To enter this mode you need to fill the seven stars in a meter at the top of the screen, a reference to the seven scars Kenshiro possesses.
The Western Version Has More Gore
Fist of the North Star has always been a brutal, bloody series with the anime in particular, sparing no expense in its violence. Surprisingly, the western release of the game is actually going to feature more gore than the original game in Japan.
In the original, using Hokuto Shinken on enemies would make them explode into a cloud of black smoke. Now, however, doing the same thing makes them explode into a rain of blood and body parts, sticking to the brutal style of the source material. The good news is that you will have an option to tone down the gore if you want, and even the demo we played through had the options. For any diehard fans of Fist of the North Star, however, the inclusion of more gore should make it feel right at home in the series’ history of video games.
Themed Minigames
Minigames are one of the best aspects of the Yakuza games, and even though Kenshiro is a deadly serious man, Lost Paradise somehow finds time for him to kick back every now and then. There are a few different ones that we know about, including the aforementioned bartending minigame. During our demo we also got a chance to try out a baseball minigame, but instead of a ball Kenshiro hits psychos driving at him on motorcycles, and instead of a bat he uses a giant metal girder. Again, it’s completely ridiculous but somehow feels natural for Fist of the North Star.
Another minigame lets Kenshiro play the role of a doctor, donning a white robe and using “pressure point treatment” to heal people in a rhythm style game. Lost Paradise could have easily just copied minigames from Yakuza, but instead it adapts and themes things specifically for Fist of the North Star.
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