Fist of the North Star: Ken's Rage
About the Game
In the near future, the world has been ravaged by nuclear war. Cities have turned to rubble, and only disparate pockets of humanity yet remain. Ruthless gangs clash for control of precious food and water, and prey on the weak to show their strength. One man walks the wastelands, righting wrongs, destroying evil, fighting for justice and lost love.
Story & Setting
The main attraction is the Legend Mode, which follows the story of the original manga. There are seven missions in each chapter, which include varied objectives like defeating a group of enemies within a time limit, reaching an area before enemies arrive, or protecting a group of defenseless villagers.
Gameplay & Core Systems
Fist of the North Star: Ken's Rage builds its action around the iconic manga from 1983 by Buronson and Tetsuo Hara, and is part of KOEI 's long-running Warriors franchise. You control either Ken or one of his many allies and enemies in one of several game modes. Unlike most Dynasty Warriors spin-offs, this mode pits players as a lone warrior -- sometimes with one or two allies, but often alone -- against waves of thugs, fighting through wastelands and destroyed cities to reach the boss at the end. Each chapter culminates with a boss fight at the end, who must be dispatched by using one of the character's signature moves. Dream Mode missions take a more traditional Dynasty Warriors -style approach, featuring large, open maps filled with enemy and allied armies, bases to capture, and changing conditions as the battle progresses.
Standout Features
- Any unlocked mission can be played with any character, though only completing a mission with the designated character will unlock the next mission.
- Completing Legend and Dream Mode stories will unlock new characters to play as.
- Collecting enough karma points will turn them into skill points which can be used to purchase upgrades for that character.
- The upgrade system uses the "meridian chart", where numerous spheres are aligned in a grid.
- Starting from the center, players can only purchase upgrades that are connected to any other upgrade that has already been purchased.
- Legend Mode: The Dream Mode can, unlike the Legend Mode, be played by two players cooperatively.
- As players defeats enemies and completes missions, karma points are earned.
- Upgrades include simple enhancements to strength and health, slotted skills and attributes such as attack attributes and faster karma gain, and even additional Signature Moves -- up to eight for each character.
Modes & Ways to Play
Additionally, there is also a Dream Mode, which presents a series of "what if?" stories for each character.
Presentation & Atmosphere
Display support includes Progressive Scan (480p) and HDTV 720p. Audio support includes Dolby Digital and DTS.
