Today Sega hosted a reveal event at the Akihabara UDX Theater in Tokyo, and Yakuza series Producer Toshihiro Nagoshi announced a rather large surprise, Hokuto Ga Gotoku, based on the popular manga and anime Fist of the North Star (Hokuto No Ken)
The game features an original story within the Fist of the North Star universe. The battle system will be similar to the Yakuza series, but adapted to the setting. The many minigames that are familiar to Yakuza fans will also be included.
As a further similarity, Kenshiro will be voiced by Kazuma Kiryu’s voice actor Takaya Kuroda. The title itself is also an obvious reminder of what studio is creating the title, since the Japanese name of the Yakuza series is Ryu Ga Gotoku.
That being said, Nagoshi-san clarified that it’s not a copy-paste of the Yakuza series, and there will be plenty of elements better fitting the Hokuto no Ken IP. The story is described as follows:
“Nuclear war almost annihilated every living being, but humanity has survived. In an era in which civilization has been destroyed and nothing is created anymore, strong men struggle to conquer what little food and resources are left. It was a world dominated by violence. Yet, in a corner of that world, there was a place called “the city of miracles,” a city named “Eden.”
Eden receives energy and water from a giant dome-shaped relic of the old world named “Sphere City,” and there is even an entertainment district. Citizen lived a comfortable life that others in this era can’t even imagine.
One day a man named Kenshiro reaches Eden at the end of his wanderings. He was the master of the fist of Hokuto, an ancient assassination art. The heart of this man, thought invincible, was instead filled with despair. His only hope was a rumor indicating that his long lost fiancee Yuria that he thought dead, was instead alive and in Eden.
However, Eden is closed to outsider, and the gates block Kenshiro’s way. What will he have to do to enter Eden? And what destiny awaits in his pursuit of Yuria?
Kenshiro is a man who follows his love in a mysterious city, caught in the river of fate. A new legend of the savior begins.”
The game will release in Japan in 2018 for PS4, and more information has been promised for Tokyo Game Show.
You can check out the announcement trailer (linked to the reveal of the new Yakuza hero Kasuga Ichiban) and a longer story trailer below, alongside the first screenshots and art.
Today Sega also announced the future of the Yakuza series (split in two games, Yakuza Online and Shin Yakuza), and officially revealed Yakuza Kiwami 2.
