The game's protagonist is Kenshiro, true successor to the Hokuto Shinken, a centuries
old art of assassination. Kenshiro was bestowed the sole rights to the art, but
when his elder brother Raoh, refused to give up the style, Raoh killed their master
and left to raise his own army. Kenshiro is now searching for his beloved Yuria,
but like a hammer of justice Kenshiro is forced to fend off rioting mobs, barbaric
desert gangs and savage fighters. Ultimately Kenishiro's journey will lead him back
to Raoh who has set forth a path of vengeance.
Taking the role of Kenshiro, gamers will unleash a myriad of devastating fighting
techniques and finishing moves powerful enough to bring down whole buildings. Channeling
their energy into a single deadly blow, players can strike their victims and cause
them to violently explode on screen. Gamers can also let loose with Kenshiro's signature
move- a ruthless flurry of ferocious punches, triggering the instantaneous breakdown
of internal organs, and death.
Game producer Hisashi Koinuma promises to be faithful to the spirit of the original
manga. The game's story mode will follow the original series, while a second mode
will introduce a completely new storyline.
The development team is also blending classic and original designs as they adapt
"Fist of the North Star" to a three-dimensional, high-definition game world.
At the event it was announced that the characters of Kenshiro and Raoh would be
voiced by Katsuyuki Konishi and Fumihiko Tachiki, respectively, and that a host
of Japan's most prolific voice actors would also lend their talents to the project.
Rising pop star Nana Tanimura, who appeared on stage at the event, is recording
the theme song for the game.
"Hokuto Musou" is slated for a 2010 release in Japan for the PlayStation®3 computer
entertainment system and the Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system from
Microsoft.