Beginning as a manga back in the early 80s, Fist of the North Star is basically Japanese Mad Max. As such it’s a perfect subject for the stylish sensibilities of the developers behind Sega’s Yakuza games.
The game was announced earlier today during a live-stream event which showed off a trailer and story details for the game, Hokuto ga Gotoku, which is set to release sometime in 2018 in Japan. And as you can see, it’s 100% post-apocalyptic Yakuza.
Here’s some background on the game’s plot as reported by Gematsu:
“Due to the hell fire of the final war, every living thing seemed to have been destroyed. However… humanity was not annihilated.
An era has arrived where all civilzations were blown away and none were produced. A world where the strong compete for the little food and resources left behind, and where violence dominates.
In the corner of such a world was a place called ‘The City of Miracles.’ That city’s name is ‘Eden.’”
The game will track North Star protagonist Kenshiro’s journey as he attempts to infiltrate the city in search of his long lost fiancee, with all manner of bleak and violent shenanigans to ensue from there.
Having been around for over three decades, North Star has seen its fair share of video game spin-offs and adaptations, with some being much better than others. But the series’ story and aesthetic, which follows humanity’s struggle to survive in the wake of a devastating nuclear war, seems perfectly suited to the look, feel, and gameplay of the Yakuza games.
You can watch the entire reveal in the Sega stream VOD embedded below.