FIST OF THE NORTH STAR: LOST PARADISE
Omae wa mou shindeiru…
There’s no getting around the fact this videogame take on the ’80s manga and anime sensation feels very much like Yakuza. After all, ‘Fist Of The North Star but by the Yakuza developers’ is the premise of Lost Paradise. But with heaps of ATATATATAs and killing Mad Max-esque henchmen before they realise they’re dead, there’s plenty of the original manga’s identity on show here. If you already know what ‘omae wa mou shindeiru’ means (‘you’re already dead’), then this is the game for you. Most muscular, fighty Japanese nonsense can be traced back to Buronson and Tetsuo Hara’s postapocalyptic tale of muscle-swelled dudes doing lots of punches. It waved in Shonen Jump’s abs era one rectus at a time, beckoning the likes of Dragon Ball, JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure, and more into existence.
It could even be said that Yakuza’s Kazuma Kiryu takes some notes from the equally stoic-with-aheart-of-gold Kentaro, Fist Of The North Star’s leading man (even sharing a voice actor for this one). Now, Kentaro is taking notes in return.
PARADISE CITY
The game takes place in Eden City as Kentaro hunts for Yuria, his lost love – building on elements from early in the series. The city is a bastion of hope in the blighted world. It draws water and power from a different, destroyed city, and it’s as bustling as communities in the wasteland can get… meaning it’s filled with thugs for Kentaro to massage his knuckles on, as well as being packed with minigames and other diversions. Step outside the city and you can even explore some of the barren lands for yourself in a buggy, taking part in races and getting into more fights.
Built in Yakuza 0’s engine, the team already knows how to squeeze a lot of fun out of the Yazkua-style combat. The biggest twist is you’re able to use Kentaro’s hokuto shinken martial art to prime enemies for death once you’ve knocked them into a state of vulnerability. Hitting e gets them ready, then e again will use a named finisher. These are often spectacular and brutal, including heads swelling and blowing up. We lucky Westerners are even being given ‘extra carnage’: gorier detail than the Japanese version. You’re already excited…
“FIST OF THE NORTH STAR WAVED IN SHONEN JUMP’S ABS ERA.”