Hokuto no Ken (1986)

Release Date: July 20, 1986
Developer: Sega Enterprises, Ltd.

Hokuto no Ken is a video game released in Japan on July 20, 1986 by Sega for the Sega Mark III gaming platform. It is a side-scrolling action game that follows the events depicted in the first television series from Kenshiro's battle against Shin and his gang to his final showdown with Raoh. The game consists of side-scrolling levels where the player must reach the goal while defeating numerous enemy grunts and sub-bosses along the way, each leading to a one-on-one battle with the stage's boss. Despite featuring similar gameplay, this game is unrelated to Toei's video game version of Hokuto no Ken for the Family Computer released a few months later. The game's lead programmer was Yuji Naka, who would later be known for his work on the Sonic the Hedgehog game franchise. Despite appearing on the cover artwork, Rei does not actually appear in this game. The original Mark III version game is included along with an enhanced remake in Sega Ages 2500 Hokuto no Ken for the PlayStation 2 in 2004. The game was later re-released for the Wii Virtual Console in Japan on February 26, 2008. An overseas version of the game was produced for the western Master System titled Black Belt, which lacked the Hokuto no Ken license of the Japanese version and featured altered graphics as a result.