Play Hokuto no Ken 2 Online

Hokuto no Ken 2 came out on the NES in 1987, developed by Toei Animation. It was part of that wave of licensed games trying to capture the feel of an anime on the limited hardware of the time. You could tell they were aiming for something ambitious, even if the execution sometimes felt a little rough around the edges.

You play as Kenshiro, moving through side scrolling stages and punching your way through crowds of enemies. Your main goal is to rescue your kidnapped love interest, Yuria, fighting through various bosses along the way. The signature mechanics include using special martial arts moves, like the famous Hokuto Shinken techniques that make enemies explode after a set number of hits. The pacing is relentless, with enemies swarming constantly, and the difficulty can spike without much warning. It feels chaotic and a little messy, but pulling off a successful finisher is always satisfying.