Common Sense Media Review
By Marc Saltzman
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Bloody, gory action brings mature graphic novel to life.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 17+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Play
Videos and Photos
Fist of the North Star: Lost Paradise
What's It About?
FIST OF THE NORTH STAR: LOST PARADISE is a single-player adventure based on the popular Japanese manga. You take the role of Kenshiro, who sets out in a customizable buggy to find his lost love in a futuristic barren wasteland. Along the way, you'll confront various groups of thugs using Kenshiro's signature "Hokuto Shinken" combat technique. Using your fists, feet, and weapons and some supernatural finishing moves, you'll tear through those who stand in your way. And there will be many. Along with fusing fighting sequences with racing, and some role-playing game (RPG) elements, players will also stumble across several side missions, interactive character dialogue sequences, mini-games, and more.
Is It Any Good?
While violent, bloody, and gory, this is a fun and challenging action-heavy game for older gamers and fans of the original manga graphic novels. Fist of the North Star: Lost Paradise brings in a mix of brawling and "quick-time" game mechanics, where you have to time button presses exactly to perform a preprogrammed move during certain game sequences. These moments are frequently unpopular, because it takes a lot of control away from gamers for canned segments. Thankfully, while these sequences exist, they're really only a small part of the overall fighting mechanic. In reality, Lost Paradise is one of those games that's easy to pick up, but then gets deeper as you unlock more moves and combo sequences. Additionally, there are healing potions, outfits, defense maneuvers, buggy upgrades, and more that you can acquire through the game to improve your skills. You'll also earn orbs for winning matches that can be used for unlocking new abilities.
There's considerable depth here, with more than 20+ hours for the first playthrough leading up to the final boss fighter -- not including the many side quests, optional side games (like becoming a bartender or even running the night club), or taking on other jobs. You can look for treasure on the huge wasteland map. There are even goodies to collect, including cassette tapes to listen to music from previous Sega games, arcade games based on old Sega classics, and casino games, too. Between its high production quality and compelling character depth and its intense combat sequences and RPG-like upgrades, Fist of the North Star: Lost Paradise can be lots of fun. Players will just have to deal with those annoying quick-time sequences and the tons of blood and gore to enjoy this post-apocalyptic manga come to life.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about violence in video games. Is the impact of the violence in Fist of the North Star: Lost Paradise exaggerated because of the gory finishing moves used in combat? Would the impact be lessened if there wasn't as much blood shown in battle?
Does the plot of Fist of the North Star: Lost Paradise gain anything by including potentially offensive comments about women's body parts? Why do you think these statements were included in the game?
Game Details
- Platform : PlayStation 4
- Pricing structure : Paid
- Available online? : Available online
- Publisher : Sega of America
- Release date : November 1, 2018
- Genre : Fighting
- Topics : Fantasy ( Magic ) , Adventures
- ESRB rating :
- Last updated : September 30, 2025
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