Black Belt (video game)

Black Belt
North American cover for the game
Developer(s)	Sega
Publisher(s)	Sega
Programmer(s)	Yuji Naka
Platform(s)	Sega Master System
Release date(s)	JP July 20, 1986 NA November 1986 EU 1986
Genre(s)	Beat 'em up
Mode(s)	Single Player

Black Belt is a 1986 beat 'em up game released for the Sega Master System. It is a localization of the Japanese Mark III game, Hokuto no Ken (北斗の拳), based on the manga and anime series of the same name (Fist of the North Star in English). The international version was stripped of the Hokuto no Ken license, forcing graphic alterations to the game. Black Belt was one of programmer Yuji Naka's early games prior to his involvement in Sonic the Hedgehog.

Plot and gameplay

The player takes control of a martial artist named Riki, who sets out to rescue his girlfriend Kyoko from his rival, Wang. The game is composed of six left-to-right side-scrolling stages in which Riki faces different types of underlings (depending on the stage), facing the occasional sub-boss at midpoints of certain stages. Keeping true to the original source material Hokuto no Ken , underlings violently explode upon being punched or kicked. At the end of each stage, Riki must confront the stage's boss, each being susceptible to only one type of attack. The player must exploit their opponent's weakness and use it to finish the boss off.

Reception

Computer Gaming World called Black Belt a "straight ahead imitator" of Kung Fu, and mocked the Engrish documentation that stated that the player would fight "Black Women" and "Wang".^[1]

Localization

The Japanese original was based on Hokuto no Ken.

Black Belt was originally a Hokuto no Ken game in Japan. The changes were the characters themselves and the backgrounds, as well as everything related to the property. However, the game mechanics are still the same and even the lesser enemies die by exploding into bits. A sequel was released for the Sega Mega Drive in Japan, which was released internationally as Last Battle, once again stripped of the Hokuto no Ken license.

Characters

See also

List of beat 'em ups

References

External links

• Black Belt/Hokuto no Ken at Hardcore Gaming 101
• Black Belt at MobyGames
• Black Belt can be played for free in the browser at the Internet Archive