Hokuto No Ken 5 (SNES)

Learn About the Game Hokuto No Ken 5 (SNES)

If you’ve ever wandered through the dusty, crumbling streets of a post-apocalyptic wasteland, Hokuto No Ken 5 on the SNES does a pretty neat job of making you feel right at home—right before you start punching baddies into oblivion. This one was never officially localized, so unless you were comfortable with a bit of Japanese, you probably missed it back in the day. But it’s essentially a side-scroll beat ’em up where you can pick from six characters—Kenshiro, Raoh, Toki, Rei, Jagi and Souther—and carve your way through rival gangs, mutated thugs and towering bosses.

What makes Hokuto No Ken 5 stand out from its predecessors is the branching storyline. You choose your fighter, cruise through a handful of stages and face decisions that steer you toward different routes—and even different endings. There are also three difficulty levels, which tweak enemy AI and sometimes open up secret encounters. Special moves feel weighty, and landing a Hokuto Shinken or Nanto Seiken strike gives you that satisfying “boom” you want when you finally break someone’s ribs.

The visuals are pure early-’90s 16-bit flair, with moody desert backdrops, neon-tinged ruins and character sprites that’ve got surprisingly fluid animations when they throw you overhead or tear through a midsection. The soundtrack leans into dramatic synth melodies and crunchy drum loops, punctuated by occasional voice samples that hype you up before a boss fight—because nothing says “game over” like Raoh’s booming “YOU’RE ALREADY DEAD” line in crisp, digitized form.

It never became a mainstream hit outside of hardcore import circles, but those who tracked it down tend to swear by its replay value. Between the different fighters, branching paths and multiple endings, it delivers a lot of bang for your cartridge. If you’re a retro enthusiast who loves a good brawl and doesn’t mind fumbling through a bit of on-screen Japanese, Hokuto No Ken 5 might just be the hidden gem you’ve been looking for.