Fist of the North Star; Lost Paradise is a game that not many know about, and for good reason, being that it is obscured underneath many other Playstation exclusives, as well as being a name not many recognize. This game, which was developed by Ryu Ga Gotoku Studios, takes the formula that is used mainly by the studio’s mainline Yakuza games and takes it to a level that accurately portrays the strength of the main character while at the same time being challenging, and delivering its take on a very well known story.
The gameplay of this beat em up has Kenshiro, the main character, either tearing through whatever weak lowlife stands in his way, clashing with rivals and fierce opponents of the past in a retold fashion, or if you wish to dive into sub-stories and mini-games, Kenshiro can become a racer, a bartender, a doctor in a clinic, a gambler, and even a cabaret club manager (Don’t worry, not a very bad thing, only being to pay off a $100,000,000,000 debt). There is so much that can be done in this game, on top of being a warrior, which allows the player to have one variable experience.
The story is… honestly confusing. At first, the story is coherent, introducing you to Kenshiro through his fateful fistfight with his former rival turned tormentor, Shin. After that, Kenshiro travels the nuclear wasteland while dealing with his assailants with his Hokuto Shinken, or the titular martial art, the Fist of the North Star. Then the story trails off, getting lost quite a bit within the many sub-stories of the game which ends up muddling the players’ attention toward the main story.
All in all, the game is fun and can make you feel quite hyped as if you cannot be harmed by anyone, despite the opposite being very true. The sub-stories add a sort of wacky element to the game, on top of the already ridiculous minigames that take place, yet do not fail to establish that this is a nuclear wasteland and a dreary, depressing world. It’s fun, but I would only recommend it to those who enjoy causing carnage to fix the carnage that already plagues the Lost Paradise.
