THE STREETS OF JAPAN

BARE KNUCKLE III HAD SOME KEY DIFFERENCES TO ITS INTERNATIONAL COUNTERPART

The original Japanese version of Bare

Knuckle III released a few months prior to the version released elsewhere, allowing

Sega time to make some changes. You’re probably already familiar with a couple of them – most likely the removal of Ash, a distasteful gay stereotype who appeared as a mid-boss in the first stage. You might also be familiar with the changes to the clothing worn by each fighter, and the fact that Sega Of America gave the female enemies new and less revealing outfits.

What you might not be aware of is the fact that the plot was radically altered between the two versions. In the Japanese version, there’s no plot to replace city officials. Instead, the Syndicate has stolen a large quantity of a newly discovered element called Rakushin and in the intro, detonates a bomb in Wood Oak City causing 30,000 deaths and 80,000 further injuries. Meanwhile, General Ivan Petrov has been reported missing ahead of his scheduled peace talks at the White House. It transpires that the Syndicate’s goal is to spark a war and take advantage of the demand for Rakushin, and Petrov is in the way.

Bare Knuckle III is also generally easier than Streets Of Rage 3. All of the difficulties are a step lower than their international counterparts – Japanese normal is the equivalent of easy elsewhere – and the game doesn’t cut out after the fifth stage on the easy or very easy modes. Enemies also don’t scale their damage based on the difficulty level, unlike in the international versions, and bosses have less health in general. However, the dodge roll’s range is shorter, and special attacks drain your health more if not fully charged.

Hardcore fans of the series tend to prefer the Japanese version of the game, and have produced translation patches to allow players to enjoy the original storyline in English.