Budokan: The Martial Spirit

Overview

Budokan: The Martial Spirit is a fighting game developed and published by Electronic Arts for DOS PCs in 1989, with later conversions for the Sega Genesis, Amiga, MSX, Amstrad CPC, ZX Spectrum, and Commodore 64 in 1989-1991.

Similar to games like Karate Champ and International Karate+, Budokan puts a more realistic approach to martial arts and puts players in control of a student of a martial arts school as they train in not only unarmed karate, but also kendo, bo, and nunchaku. Afterwards, they can fight other players in head-to-head, or participate in a single-player tournament at Tokyo's Nippon Budokan, where they challenge practitioners of a variety of styles (including various weaponry).

The Genesis version is known for its updated story, where the player is a troubled youth who is recruited into the fictional Tobiko-ryū school by its master. The North American release of this version is also known for only supporting early models of the original Sega Genesis, as it doesn't use documented code later used on the TradeMark Security System (or TMSS) feature in later system models.

It was later included in the 2006 PSP compilation EA Replay.

Gameplay

The game starts with the player at the gates of the Tobiko-Ryu Dojo, the training hall headed by Tobiko-Sensei. In order to continue and enter the courtyard, the game requires the player to identify a family crest which is displayed on the screen, typical of the copy protection methodology employed by PC games in those days.

The game mechanics are vastly different than what are commonly employed in the 2D fighting game franchises that followed it (Street Fighter, Mortal Kombat, Samurai Shodown, et al). Combat is heavily focused on single strikes from a variety of stances, in which the player fighter engages and disengages by pressing towards and away, respectively. (Movement is handled with the diagonals, down-towards and down-away.)

Thus, where other games mix up attacks by employing multiple buttons and mixing in the distance from the opponent, Budokan allows specific control over whether a combatant strikes with (for example) a front kick, side kick, or a reverse roundhouse kick, and whether that kick is aimed at the head, chest or shin, using only the D-pad and a single button. The strike used is determined by (a) the stance engaged to open the attack and (b) the directional button that is pressed at the same time as the Strike button. (Blocking is handled similarly, and requires the same amount of attention to precision with regards to high, medium and low.)

Examples:

• Street Fighter II, Dhalsim's stretch double punch: Stay far away, press Fierce punch
• Street Fighter II, Dhalsim's two-hit headbutt: Get in close, press Fierce punch
• Budokan, Karate side-kick: press away to engage side-kick stance, then press attack
• Budokan, Karate front-kick: press towards to engage front-kick stance, then press attack
• Budokan, Karate reverse roundhouse kick: press towards to engage front-kick stance, then press away and attack
• Budokan, Karate chest punch: press and hold attack to engage punching/blocking stance, then press towards
• Budokan, Karate mid-block: press and hold attack to engage punching/blocking stance, then press away

While it offers maximum control and is arguably what makes Budokan unique, the mechanics can also be a bit cumbersome and lead to slower, more plodding matches when compared to the faster-moving 2D fighters of today. There are no physics-defying special moves such as fireball or body launcher attacks.

Below the stamina meter (which recovers slowly over time), there is a "Ki" meter that builds up very slowly whenever a combatant is not attacking, and though it's not really analogous to today's "Super" meters, the higher the Ki is when attacking, the harder the strike, after which the Ki empties out. Thus it's entirely possible (though quite difficult) to knock out an adversary in a single strike after defending and withholding attacks long enough to fill up the Ki entirely.

Fighting Styles

Throughout the game, there are four different fighting styles. The following styles are available:

• Karate: Unarmed martial arts style
• Kendo: Form of Japanese fencing with use of a wooden sword
• Nunchaku: A weapon consisting of two sticks connected by a chain or rope
• Bo: A long wooden staff

Training

Once in the courtyard, the player can select from five different dojos, all of which allow them to practice individual fighting styles. The available training options are jiyu-renshu (practice), kumite (sparring against instructors), and Budokan (tournament). By entering the dojos, the game will enter the training mode and offer a place to practice moves.

Budokan

Aside from training, the player also has the option of entering the tournament at the Budokan. In this tournament, the player will face challengers which use fighting styles that are not practiced at the dojo. The player can only choose a single fighting style a maximum of four times. The tournament pits the player against twelve different challengers.

Opponents

While the game only features one playable character, the player does face a variety of challengers in the Budokan tournament, each with their own individual styles and weapons. Although most fight with similar styles as the player, some fight with their own unique weaponry.

1. Goro Suzuki, a shodan of the Ōzeki-ryū school who fights with karate.
2. Eiji Kimura, a shodan of the Yagyū-ryū school who fights with kendo.
3. Jimmy Doran, a nidan of the Shitō-ryū school who fights with tonfa. Known in some versions as "Jimi".
4. Shigeo Kawahara, a mysterious self-trained karateka who fights with nunchaku.
5. Tetsuo Okabe, a sandan of the Miyate-ryu school who fights with bojutsu.
6. Arnie Gustafson, a godan of the Hakutsu-kai school who fights with kick-based karate.
7. Hiroshi Ikeda, a hachidan of the Araki-ryū school who fights with a kusarigama.
8. Miyuki Hirose, a yondan of the Shinkage-ryū school who fights with a naginata.
9. Randy Wu, a hachidan of the Sekiguchi-ryū school who fights with nunchaku.
10. Ayako Maruyama, a mysterious masked ninja who fights with ninjutsu.
11. Kazuo Sakata, a shichidan of the Hōzōin-ryū school who fights with a yari.
12. Tokage, a mysterious karateka who masterfully mimics the fighting style of the player's character for a final boss "mirror match".