This Fist of the North Star Spinoff Game Demo is as Big as Kenshiro's Arms

It has yet to receive an American release date (if it gets one at all), but for players who are savvy enough to gain access to the Japanese version, Hokuto Ga Gotoku is a game that you shouldn't miss. Inspired by Hokuto no Ken (which spawned what we know as Fist of the North Star), the new game puts familiar voices from the cast of the Yakuza series into the mix, and continues the story of the powerful yet lonely wanderer, Kenshiro. The game releases on March 8th in Japan, but today, a free demo on the PlayStation Store has been released, and the file size is, as we stated in the title, as huge as the game's hero, at a whopping 7.65 gigabytes.

The story itself takes place in an alternate universe, so even if you're not especially familiar with Kenshiro's past adventures in anime, manga and video games, it's still pretty easy to jump into for those of us who know or understand Japanese. The demo includes two game modes, which are:

• "Experience Hokuto Shinken" – Learn the game systems by battling longtime enemy Shin. This includes a battle tutorial.
• "Experience the Story" – Play a special side mission. This includes Ken driving a buggy, fighting scoundrels, and strolling through Eden.

Here's a little bit more about the story itself:

Nuclear war almost annihilated every living being, but humanity has survived. In an era in which civilization has been destroyed and nothing is created anymore, strong men struggle to conquer what little food and resources are left. It was a world dominated by violence. Yet, in a corner of that world, there was a place called "the city of miracles," a city named "Eden."

Eden receives energy and water from a giant dome-shaped relic of the old world named "Sphere City," and there is even an entertainment district. Citizen lived a comfortable life that others in this era can't even imagine.

One day a man named Kenshiro reaches Eden at the end of his wanderings. He was the successor of Hokuto Shinken, an ancient assassination art passed down from a single line of successors. The heart of this man, thought invincible, was instead filled with despair. His only hope was a rumor indicating that his long lost fiancee Yuria that he thought dead, was instead alive and in Eden.

However, Eden is closed to outsiders, and the gates block Kenshiro's way. What will he have to do to enter Eden? And what destiny awaits in his pursuit of Yuria? Kenshiro is a man who follows his love in a mysterious city, caught in the river of fate. A new legend of the savior begins.

Pretty intense, right? Make sure to pick up Hokuto Ga Gotoku on March 8th when it releases, if you can.

Hat tip, Gematsu.