Not the best around
Here we have an adaptation of a popular drama film of the 1980s, published by LJN and developed by Atlus. While the graphics and music are decent for its time, it doesn't offer any variety in the gameplay. There's a one-on-one option that allows players to fight each other, but you cannot change the level setting or who player 2 is. The length of the game is extremely short. It has only four levels, but it quickly spikes up in difficulty. There are also no continues whatsoever in this game. Getting game over results in the player being sent back to the title screen. And sometimes, there's an input delay in some stages due to how the game was designed.
The controls are very obtuse. For example, you have to press Up to jump and the jumping in this game is a pain to control. Due to how jumping is handled, it's very hard to maneuver properly in combat.
Speaking of combat, combat has a lot of issues. Here are several examples:
- Fighting enemies is very difficult because they come in endless swarms. Due to the game's poor controls, it's very hard to deal with if they surround you.
- You're given crane kicks and drum punches, but they can accidentally be consumed if the player isn't careful. The only way to avoid consuming them is to attack while moving or ducking.
- Due to the poor hitboxes, your attacks may sometimes not register properly against enemies or obstacles.
- You're also given no mercy invincibility. If two enemies surround you, your entire life bar can be depleted completely.
The minigames are very confusing to approach. The worst one is the hammer swinging minigame because you're not told in-game what to do to dodge the swinging hammers.
The final boss segment is extremely frustrating. You have to fight Chozen one last time and you have to protect Kumiko from falling into the water. Any attacks near her push her. If she drowns, you die as well. Your reward for beating the game and defeating the final boss is a text ending that has Mr. Miyagi winking at the player.
Very forgettable overall.