Prepare for the merciless action and violent hand to hand combat of Fist of the North Star: Ken's Rage! Put your martial arts skills to the test against masses of bloodthirsty enemies in this no-holds-barred brawler. A ravaged Earth struggles to survive after the nuclear holocaust has left the world in ruins. Pitiful survivors band together in communities and villages, trying to live on what little resources they have left. In the wastelands beyond, vicious gangs prey on the survivors for their resources, or sometimes just for fun. A mysterious martial artist named Kenshiro, a man with seven scars on his chest and the chosen successor of the legendary assassin's art Hokuto Shinken (The Divine Fist of the North Star) has sworn to protect the weak and innocent from the malicious gangs that roam the scorched planet.
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Frame-rate was really whatever and in general I didn't had as fun as any Pirate Warriors I played.
You would think that a Fist of the North Star-themed Musou game would be an instant hit, but this didn't quite work out.
Ken is not really suited to a Musou-style game. He's a walking dumptruck that can only demolish 1-2 enemies at a time. That's true to the original character, but honestly he starts to feel weak compared to the wide-area destruction that Rei and Mamiya can unleash.
The basic combat is pretty good, except for the stupid invincibility frames. It's impossible to hurt a downed enemy, so you have to stand around waiting for them to get back up. Another annoying thing is that the trashmob enemies get noticeably more HP with every level, so upgrading your character doesn't feel like it does anything (or worse, it makes you feel progressively weaker).
The whole thing just gets really, really repetitive. That's typical for a Musou game, but the stages all have the same basic graphics and structure with no variety. In the manga-based legends mode (伝説編), you get to play as 4-5 different characters, but they reuse the same stages with only minor route changes, the same bosses, and mostly the same cutscenes.
The graphics aren't bad by PS3 standards, but the whole thing feels embarrassingly old school, with invisible walls, indestructible chain-link fences, and smashable crates containing baguettes and chicken breasts (rotating slowly in midair of course) for healing.
I did enjoy Mamiya's and Toki's movesets, though. I don't hate this game, but I got bored quickly. The sequel is supposedly much better.