Fist of the North Star: Lost Paradise Reviews
The studio between Yakuza Fist of the North Star: Lost Paradise adapts the manga series to PlayStation 4 with solid results
Fist of the North Star: Lost Paradise is yet another masterpiece from the team behind the amazing Yakuza franchise. When you’re not making your way through the 25+ hour main story missions, you’ll be getting lost within the abundance of sub-stories, mini-games, and even spending many hours running a hostess club and serving at a cocktail bar! There is never a dull moment within the apocalyptic wastelands, as you encounter hordes of enemies, cause a lot of internal combustion, and beat the living crap out of each and every delinquent you come across. If you’re hungry for more Yakuza, but want a splash of anime with the insanity cranked up to 11, look no further. Fist of the North Star: Lost Paradise is nothing short of the best anime-based action-adventure game I’ve ever played.
A bizarre mix of Yakuza and hyper violent 80s anime that never really makes much sense but still offers some enjoyable surprises.
Fist of the North Star: Lost Paradise will undoubtedly appeal to fans of the series. For others, the wacky combat is the main draw, which should be enough to offset some pacing and story issues.
A game that will be perfect for Hokuto No Ken fans, but that lacks a little bit of everything for those who don't love the original manga-anime.
Review in Spanish | Read full review
It's good. It's really, really good. The combat alone demonstrates that while everyone who plays Yakuza games remembers everything but the combat, even that "forgotten" element in the formula, when brought to the fore, is still very deserving of a player's time.
A good enough time, but one that waters down both the "Yakuza" and "Fist of the North Star" properties.
Fist of the North Star': Lost Paradise gives us a mixed impression': if we find the series'mythology through its characters and the combat system again, the rest gives the feel of playing to a poor copy of Yakuza. Those who seek a good dose of ultra-violence and the Hokuto techniques will enjoy a good time with this game. Still, once more with a game showing Kenshiro and its lore, we can't help feeling that it's a great waste.
Review in French | Read full review
Fist of the North Star: Lost Paradise is a good game but not a great one. It's the best Fist of the North Star game yet, but when all the others have been average at best, it's not that much of an achievement.
The main plot of First of the North Star: Lost Paradise is quite good with its twists and surprises, but the pale and boring repetitive battles, weak riding on the lifeless wasteland and outdated graphics will in every way prevent you from loving this story.
Review in Russian | Read full review
Fist of the North Star: Lost Paradise can be fun for someone invested in the series, but has too many hurdles that can prevent a new player from enjoying it.
Fist of the North Star: Lost Paradise is a passionate retelling of one of history's most violent, bare-bones, and overwhelmingly macho tales. In that capacity, it does a great job. But it's not quite the masterpiece it could have been, let down by repetition, unlock grinds, and a lack of polish in narrative and mechanics. Regardless, with bucket-loads of adventure on offer, and a cathartic dose of the old ultra-violence, Lost Paradise is a fine weekend-filler, and a proud reflection of its legendary source material.
While Fist of the North Star: Lost Paradise does have a number of glaring issues, the variety and quality of side content, thrilling combat, and protagonist with an attitude that can rival Kiryu's make it a worthwhile experience.
Fist of the North Star: Lost Paradise leans heavily upon what has come before. Borrowing the best elements of the Yakuza franchise – tight and elaborate fighting controls, quirky characterizations and dialogue, eccentric sub-stories, and compelling mini-games – this post-apocalyptic brawler beats up the competition to become the best video game adaptation of the source material so far
Fist of the North Star: Lost Paradise sounds like a great concept on paper, but it has a clumsy execution. The slow pace in the start is a major hurdle but the game vastly improves in every aspect afterward. The combat is exciting with brutal finishers, and the side content is fun, even if most of it suffers from repetition. It is a solid game to recommend to Yakuza fans although it is best to play it with low expectations.
It isn’t quite as top-notch as one of the recent Yakuza titles, but Fist of the North Star: Lost Paradise is still an overall enjoyable brawler.
Probably the best FotNS adaptation and one of the best anime adaptations, but a low budget and slow, meandering plot makes for an uneven experience, one that is capable of exciting you as well as bore you.
Review in Arabic | Read full review
Lost Paradise has something to offer for fans of Yakuza and Fist of the North Star, but it never reaches the full potential of its source material. With some more time in the oven, this could have been a game for the ages.
Fist of the North Star: Lost Paradise can be appreciated for taking the base combat system and changing up the attack styles and enemy variety to more effectively reflect the established lore of the FotNS franchise. The weak story and somewhat ineffective use of the game world leaves a lot to be desired and may make it difficult for those looking for an in-depth story with a more incorporated game-world. Despite that, it creates a spectacle that fans will likely enjoy seeing as well as attract anime junkies to a more "extreme" Yakuza brawler.
Although Yakuza fans are certain to notice its imperfections, Fist of the North Star: Lost Paradise still exceeds expectations. The fighting system is so good that even the battles with the lowliest of lowlifes are entertaining. Every boss fight ranges from great to fantastic. They are exactly what long-time fans of the anime and manga franchise deserve. Then again, some gamers might just be happy to get a Fist of North Star game that's actually satisfying. It's been far too long since the last remotely decent one.