Introduction
Made by ARC and based on the popular franchise, many had high hopes for Hokuto no Ken when it was released in 2006. However, the unparalleled strength of Toki as well as the sheer number of bugs caused the player population to decline rapidly, and after Tougeki '06 it seemed as if it would fade away into obscurity. The game was saved from this fate, oddly enough, by the discovery of more bugs, even more game-breaking than anything seen previously. These discoveries led to the development of practical 100% combos for all characters, which in turn diminished Toki's god-tier status, and brought about a delicate sort of imbalanced balance to the game. While not everyone's cup of tea, the fast-paced, one-hit-means-death gameplay of Hokuto no Ken holds a certain appeal to many, and has gained a steady following in Japan.
As detailed writings regarding the game in its current competitive state are essentially non-existent in English, the goal of this Wiki section is to provide up-to-date information to people who want to give Hokuto no Ken a try, but possibly can't get into it due to the large learning curve and lack of available resources.
Gameplay
Controls
Regarding notation, pages in the Hokuto no Ken section of this Wiki use the numpad format, where the direction of the joystick corresponds to the keys on a numpad. It is always assumed that the player is on the 1P(left) side. For example '4' would be 'back,' '5' is 'neutral', '9' is 'up-forward,' and so on. 'Quarter-circle forward' would be written '236.'
The basic controls are as follows:
A = Light Punch
B = Light Kick
C = Heavy Punch
D = Heavy Kick
E = Boost
AB = Heavy Strike
AC = Grave Shoot
CD = Banishing Strike
236CD = Fatal KO
4C or 6C = Throw
BD = 'Tsukami Nage,' or BD Throw
6CD during guard = Guard Cancel
E during guard = Aura Guard
Guard directly before being hit = Agility Defence
Upward direction during knockdown = Quick Standing
Downward direction during knockdown = Delayed Standing
The standard arcade button layout is:
A C E
B D
Basic Game Mechanics
The Basic Game Mechanics section covers the basic systems of the game that you will need to know to start playing Hokuto no Ken.
Advanced Game Mechanics
For the more advanced information required to get into competitive play, see the Advanced Game Mechanics section.
General Strategy
See the General Strategy section for non-character-specific strategy.
Characters
Hokuto FAQ
For answers to some commonly asked questions about the game, see the FAQ.
External links
Hokuto no Ken Wiki (Japanese)
Hokuto no Ken BBS (Japanese)
Official Hokuto no Ken site (Japanese)
Article about the game on Wikipedia.