Knuckle Bash

Last updated

Knuckle Bash
Knuckle Bash arcade flyer.jpg
Developer(s) Toaplan
Publisher(s)
Designer(s) Junya Inoue
Nanpei Kaneko
Composer(s) Masahiro Yuge
Osamu Ōta
Platform(s) Arcade
Release
Genre(s) Beat 'em up
Mode(s) Single-player, co-op

Knuckle Bash [lower-alpha 1] is a 1993 side-scrolling beat 'em up arcade video game developed and published by Toaplan in Japan, as well as North America and Europe by Atari Games. [2] It is notable for being one of the few titles by Toaplan that has not received any official port to home consoles as of date. [3] [4]

Contents

In the game, players assume the role of professional wrestlers fighting against the Mad Bull Group organization to protect wrestling from corruption. Knuckle Bash was created by most of the same staff that previously worked on several projects at Toaplan and who would later go on to work at one of its offshoots after the company declared bankruptcy in 1994. The team were originally commissioned on making a fighting game similar to Capcom's Street Fighter II: The World Warrior but the project deviated from its original plan and became a beat 'em up title instead. As of 2019, the rights to the title are owned by Tatsujin, a company founded in 2017 by former Toaplan member Masahiro Yuge and now-affiliate of Japanese arcade manufacturer exA-Arcadia alongside many other Toaplan IPs.

Gameplay

Gameplay screenshot ARC Knuckle Bash.png
Gameplay screenshot

Knuckle Bash is a side-scrolling beat 'em up game similar to Final Fight and Double Dragon , where players take control of one of the available playable characters across ten stages, each one set in a different location, and fight against an assortment of enemies and villains in order to defeat the Mad Bull Group organization. [3] [5] [6] [7] At the beginning, players choose between one of two scenarios, both of which host their own set of stages and clearing certain scenarios unlocks an extra playable character. [3] [5] [7] Unlike other titles in the same genre, the stages in the game chiefly consist of various waves of single or few strong boss-like enemies, instead of the typical long series of weaker enemies with a boss at the end of the stage. It also completely lacks weapons or objects of any sort. Similar to Streets of Rage 2 , each character has a special attack of their own that deals damage to any enemy on-screen. [7] Players can compete in a minigame reminiscent of Mortal Kombat's "Test Your Might" segments between stages. [3] [5] [7]

Synopsis

Plot

The story of Knuckle Bash revolves around the Mad Bull Group, a corrupt wrestling organization that profits and taints the reputation of the sport, whose wrestlers are looked upon by children as role models. Three former members of the Mad Bull Group who deserted from the organization due to their actions and labeled as traitors arranged a secret meeting at a Chicago hotel in order to contact a skillful "Ninpow" master, who is also wanted by the Mad Bull Group. On their journey, the wrestlers venture into the Battle Kingdom headquarters, where another Mad Bull Group plans to desert from the organization because of their actions. After facing multiple battle against members of the Mad Bull Group, the wrestlers manage to dismantle the organization and their victorious story was widespread thereafter. [3] [5] [7]

Characters

Players initially choose from three wrestlers at the start, while two extra wrestlers are recruited through gameplay and any of the five wrestlers can be switched to between missions: [3] [5] [7]

Development and release

Knuckle Bash was created by most of the same staff that previously worked on several projects at Toaplan and who would later go on to work at one of its offshoots after the company declared bankruptcy in 1994. [8] [9] [10] [11] Mangaka Junya Inoue acted as designer in the project, while the soundtrack was co-composed by Masahiro Yuge and Osamu Ōta. [8] [11] [12] According to Inoue, the game was also designed by Nanpei Kaneko, a member who previously worked on FixEight before quitting Toaplan and working as illustrator for Japanese magazines. [8] [13] Between 2009 and 2012 through Japanese publications such as Shooting Gameside, former Toaplan composer Tatsuya Uemura recounted the project's development process and history, stating that the team were originally commissioned by the company on making a fighting game similar to Street Fighter II: The World Warrior, but the project deviated from its original plan and became a beat 'em up title instead, although Uemura claimed he had no involvement during its development. [9] [10]

Knuckle Bash was released in arcades worldwide by Toaplan and Atari Games in 1993. [1] [3] On 27 June 2018, an album containing music from the title and other Toaplan games was published exclusively in Japan by City Connection under their Clarice Disk label. [11] Prior to launch, it was first showcased to the public at the 1993 AOU Show. [14] [15] As of March 2014, it has not received a conversion to home consoles. [4]

Reception and legacy

Play Meter listed Knuckle Bash to be the twenty-seventh most-popular arcade game at the time. [16] Maurizio Miccoli of Italian magazine Computer+Videogiochi noted its combination of Final Fight-style gameplay and wrestling thematic. [6] Nick Zverloff of Hardcore Gaming 101 stated that Knuckle Bash "might not be fantastic, but it gets by on being an average beat em up that is just ridiculous enough to make it enjoyable". [3] Retro Gamer 's Nick Thorpe gave it a mixed outlook. [4] Wireframe regarded it as "a rare foray into brawler territory" for Toaplan. [17] A year after the game's launch, Inoue would later join Gazelle, one of Toaplan's offshoots after the company declared bankruptcy in 1994 and act as graphic artist for 1995's Pretty Soldier Sailor Moon , which was based upon Naoko Takeuchi's Sailor Moon shōjo manga and anime series. [18] A bootleg version of the game titled Knuckle Bash 2 was released in 1999, featuring many changes compared to the original release. [3] [19] In more recent years, the rights to the title and many other IPs from Toaplan are now owned by Tatsujin, a company named after Truxton 's Japanese title that was founded in 2017 by Yuge, who are now affiliated with arcade manufacturer exA-Arcadia. [20] [21] [22] [23] [24]

Notes

  1. ↑ Japanese: ナックルバッシュ, Hepburn: Nakkuru Basshu
  2. ↑ Known as Clash in the Atari Games version.
  3. ↑ Known as Dice in the Atari Games version.
  4. ↑ Known as Devo in the Atari Games version.
  5. ↑ Kyaputen (キャプテン)

Related Research Articles

<i>Zero Wing</i> 1989 arcade video game

Zero Wing is a 1989 side-scrolling shooter arcade video game developed by Toaplan and originally published in Japan by Namco and in North America by Williams Electronics. Controlling the ZIG space fighter craft, players assume the role of protagonist Trent in a last-ditch effort to overthrow the alien cyborg CATS. It was the eighth shoot 'em up game from Toaplan, and their fourteenth video game overall.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Toaplan</span> Japanese video game developer 1979-1994

Toaplan Co., Ltd. was a Japanese video game developer based in Tokyo responsible for the creation of a wide array of scrolling shooters and other arcade video games. The company was founded in 1979 but its gaming division was established in 1984 by former Orca and Crux employees, who wanted to make games, after both companies declared bankruptcy. Their first shoot 'em up game, Tiger-Heli (1985) on arcades, was a success and helped establish Toaplan as a leading producer of shooting games throughout the 1980s and 1990s that would continue to characterize their output.

<i>Tiger-Heli</i> 1985 video game

Tiger-Heli is a vertically scrolling shooter game developed by Toaplan and released for arcades in 1985. It was published in Japan by Taito and in North America by Romstar. Controlling the titular attack helicopter, the player must fight endless waves of military vehicles while avoiding collision with their projectiles and other obstacles. The Tiger-Heli has a powerful bomb at its disposal that can clear the screen of enemies when fired. It was the first shoot 'em up game from Toaplan, and their third video game overall.

<i>Twin Cobra</i> 1987 video game

Twin Cobra, known as Kyukyoku Tiger in Japan, is a vertically scrolling shooter developed by Toaplan and released for arcades in 1987 by Taito in Japan and Europe, then in North America by Romstar. It is a sequel to the 1985 arcade game Tiger-Heli. Controlling the titular attack helicopter, the players must fight endless waves of military vehicles while avoiding collision with their projectiles and other obstacles. It was the fourth shoot 'em up game from Toaplan, and their tenth video game overall. It was ported to multiple platforms, with each done by different third-party developers that made several changes or additions.

<i>Flying Shark</i> 1987 video game

Flying Shark, known as Sky Shark in North America, is a vertically scrolling shooter arcade video game originally developed by Toaplan and published in 1987 by Taito in Japan, Romstar in North America and Electrocoin in Europe. Controlling the titular biplane, the players must fight endless waves of military vehicles while avoiding collision with their projectiles and other obstacles. The plane has a powerful bomb at its disposal that can clear a portion of the screen of bullets and damage enemies when fired. It was the third shoot 'em up game from Toaplan, and their eighth video game overall.

<i>Truxton</i> (video game) 1988 video game

Truxton is a 1988 vertically scrolling shooter arcade video game originally developed by Toaplan and published in Japan and Europe by Taito, as well as in North America by Midway. Set in a future where the Gidans alien race led by Dogurava invaded the fictional planet Borogo, players assume the role of fighter pilot Tatsuo taking control of the Super Fighter ship on a last-ditch effort to overthrow the alien invaders.

<i>Demons World</i> 1989 Video game

Demon's World is a 1989 run and gun arcade video game originally developed by Toaplan and published in Japan by Taito and in North America by Catalina Games. In the game, players assume the role of two ghost hunters to fight against several ghosts and monsters that were unleashed upon Earth by the titular demon king. Initially launched for the arcades, the title was then ported to the PC Engine Super CD-ROM² by NEC Avenue and published exclusively in Japan on 26 February 1993, featuring various additions and changes compared with the original release.

<i>Teki Paki</i> 1991 video game

Teki Paki is a 1991 puzzle arcade video game developed by Toaplan and published in Japan by Tecmo, Hong Kong by Honest Trading Co. and Taiwan by Spacy Co. Ltd.

<i>Hellfire</i> (video game) 1989 video game

Hellfire is a 1989 horizontally scrolling shooter arcade video game originally developed by Toaplan and published in Japan by Taito and North America by U.S.A. Games. The first horizontal shoot 'em up title to be created by Toaplan, the game takes place in the year 2998 where a space matter known as Black Nebula created by robot dictator Super Mech spreads and threatens to engulf human-controlled galaxies, as players assume the role of Space Federation member Captain Lancer taking control of the CNCS1 space fighter craft in a surprise attack to overthrow the enemies with the fighter craft's titular weapon.

<i>Slap Fight</i> 1986 video game

Slap Fight is a 1986 vertically scrolling shooter arcade video game developed by Toaplan and published by Taito. Set on the colonized fictional planet of Theron in the future, where an alien race led by Gaudy have invaded the human-controlled location, players assume the role of an Allied League of Cosmic Nations (ALCON) fighter pilot taking control of the SW475 space fighter craft in an effort to counterattack the invaders. Initially launched for the arcades, the game was later ported to other microcomputer and console platforms by various third-party developers, with each one featuring several changes or additions compared to the original release.

<i>Fire Shark</i> 1989 video game

Fire Shark is a 1989 vertically scrolling shooter arcade video game developed and published by Toaplan in Japan and Europe, and by Romstar in North America. It is the sequel to Flying Shark, a game released in 1987 on multiple platforms. Set in the year 1991, the game focuses on a mysterious armada launching a worldwide attack from a small island in the Mediterranean Sea. Players take control of the titular biplane to counterattack the enemy forces.

<i>Grind Stormer</i> 1993 video game

Grind Stormer is a 1993 vertically scrolling shooter arcade video game originally developed and published by Toaplan in Japan and North America. It is considered to be the spiritual successor to Slap Fight. Based around a video game within a video game concept, players assume the role of a young secret agent assigned by the government taking control of the NA-00 space fighter craft in an attempt to defeat the titular virtual reality simulator, rescue the abducted players who lost against it and unveil its true purpose.

<i>Truxton II</i> 1992 video game

Truxton II is a 1992 vertically scrolling shooter arcade video game originally developed and published by Toaplan in Japan and Europe. It is the sequel to Truxton, which was released earlier on arcades in 1988 and later ported to various platforms.

<i>Vimana</i> (video game) 1991 video game

Vimana is a vertically scrolling shooter arcade video game developed by Toaplan and published in Japan by Tecmo and Europe in June 1991. It is notable for being one of the few titles by Toaplan that has not received any official port to home consoles as of date and for its unique combination of science fiction with brief Hindu references. In the game, players assume the role of the titular warriors taking control of powerful ancient space fighter crafts in order to reclaim their home planet by fighting against military machines gone wild. The title received positive reception from critics and reviewers alike after release in regards to the gameplay, but was considered a flop in arcades. As of 2019, its rights are owned by Tatsujin, a company founded in 2017 by former Toaplan member Masahiro Yuge and now-affiliate of Japanese arcade manufacturer exA-Arcadia alongside many other Toaplan IPs.

<i>Dogyuun</i> 1992 video game

Dogyuun is a 1992 vertically scrolling shooter arcade video game developed and published by Toaplan. Set on the colonized fictional planet of Dino in the future, where an alien race of metallic robots have invaded a police communication center and held its inhabitants as hostages, players assume the role of two fighter pilots taking control of the Sylfers bomber space fighter crafts in an revenge attempt to overthrow the invaders and free the surviving colonists after one of their comrades is killed by one of them during a reconnaissance assignment.

<i>Guardian</i> (1986 video game) 1986 video game

Guardian is a 1986 side-scrolling beat 'em up arcade video game developed by Toaplan and published in Japan by Taito and North America by Kitkorp. In the game, players assume the role of a robot fighting against a multitude of enemies and bosses across six locations on a futuristic science fiction setting. It is notable for marking the debut of Twin Cobra and Hellfire artist Kōetsu Iwabuchi in the video game industry, serving as its graphic designer.

<i>Pipi & Bibis</i> 1991 eroge arcade game by Toaplan

Pipi & Bibi's is a 1991 eroge action-platform arcade video game developed and published by Toaplan in Japan and in Europe by Nova Apparate GMBH & Co. It is notable for being one of the few titles by Toaplan that has not received any official port to home consoles as of date. In the game, players assume the role of Pipi and Bibi attempting to place time bombs in buildings filled with enemies who appear from behind closed doors and escape before the location collapses.

<i>Snow Bros. 2: With New Elves</i> 1994 video game

Snow Bros. 2: With New Elves is a 1994 platform arcade video game developed and published by Toaplan under their Hanafram label. One of the last games to be created by Toaplan, it is the sequel to Snow Bros., which was released earlier in 1990 on multiple platforms. In the game, players assume the role of one of the playable characters to rescue a kidnapped princess from captivity.

<i>Enma Daiō</i> 1993 video game

Enma Daiō is a 1993 hybrid quiz/lie detector arcade video game developed by Toaplan and published exclusively in Japan by Taito. In the game, players answer a number of question. As of 2019, the rights to the title is owned by Tatsujin, a company founded in 2017 by former Toaplan member Masahiro Yuge and now-affiliate of Japanese arcade manufacturer exA-Arcadia alongside many other Toaplan IPs.

<i>Mahjong Sisters</i> 1986 video game

Mahjong Sisters is a 1986 eroge mahjong arcade video game developed and published exclusively in Japan by Toaplan. In the game, the players face off against a group of three sisters in a series of mahjong matches. As of 2019, the rights to the title is owned by Tatsujin, a company founded in 2017 by former Toaplan member Masahiro Yuge and now-affiliate of Japanese arcade manufacturer exA-Arcadia alongside many other Toaplan IPs.

References

  1. 1 2 3 Akagi, Masumi (13 October 2006). タイトー (Taito); 東亜プラン (Toa Plan); Atari (Atari Games/TWI); K (in Japanese) (1st ed.). Amusement News Agency. pp. 44, 50, 112, 156. ISBN   978-4990251215.{{cite book}}: |work= ignored (help)
  2. ↑ "お年賀状スペシャル!! 1994". Gamest (in Japanese). No. 107. Shinseisha. February 1994. p. 84.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Zverloff, Nick (31 January 2014). "Knuckle Bash". Hardcore Gaming 101. Archived from the original on 31 May 2019. Retrieved 19 November 2019.
  4. 1 2 3 Thorpe, Nick (March 2014). "The Unconverted: Knuckle Bash". Retro Gamer . No. 126. Imagine Publishing. p. 43.
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 Knuckle Bash universal kit installation instructions (Arcade, US)
  6. 1 2 Miccoli, Maurizio (September 1993). "Killed Games (Insert Coin): Knuckle Bash (Toaplan 1993)". Computer+Videogiochi (in Italian). No. 29. Gruppo Editoriale Jackson. p. 129.
  7. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "KNUCKLE BASH" (in Japanese). Shooting Star. Archived from the original on 2 October 2019. Retrieved 19 November 2019.
  8. 1 2 3 "井上淳哉 - 「エスプレイド」「ぐわんげ」を創った男". Continue (in Japanese). Vol. 6. Ohta Publishing. September 2002. ISBN   978-4872337006. (Translation by Gamengai. Archived 2019-11-22 at the Wayback Machine . Transcription by Gaijin Punch. Archived 2006-07-10 at the Wayback Machine ).
  9. 1 2 Iona; VHS; K-HEX (June 2009). "東亜プラン FOREVER". Floor 25 (in Japanese). Vol. 9. pp. 1–70. (Translation by Gamengai. Archived 2020-10-10 at the Wayback Machine ).
  10. 1 2 Kiyoshi, Tane; hally (VORC); Yūsaku, Yamamoto (3 February 2012). "東亜プラン特集 - 元・東亜プラン 開発者インタビュー: 上村建也". Shooting Gameside (in Japanese). Vol. 4. Micro Magazine. pp. 33–40. ISBN   978-4896373844. (Translation by Shmuplations. Archived 2019-09-06 at the Wayback Machine ).
  11. 1 2 3 "CDST-10066 | Toaplan ARCADE SOUND DIGITAL COLLECTION Vol.7". vgmdb.net. VGMdb. Archived from the original on 17 November 2019. Retrieved 19 November 2019.
  12. ↑ "Knuckle Bash [TP-023]". arcade-history.com. Archived from the original on 3 March 2016. Retrieved 16 November 2019.
  13. ↑ "イラストレーターのわ第16回/金子ナンペイ". ワコムタブレットサイト (in Japanese). Wacom. 2020. Archived from the original on 10 June 2018. Retrieved 13 August 2020.
  14. ↑ "Mega AM Network - AOU: 東亜プラン - KNUCKLE BUSH". Beep! MegaDrive (in Japanese). No. 43. SoftBank Creative. April 1993. p. 31.
  15. ↑ "'93 AOUショー - 紹介: ナックルバッシュ". Gamest (in Japanese). No. 90. Shinseisha. May 1993. p. 140.
  16. ↑ "Equipment Poll - Video Kits". Play Meter . Vol. 19, no. 8. Skybird Publishing. July 1993. p. 9.
  17. ↑ "Interface - Developer Profile / Toaplan". Wireframe . No. 13. Raspberry Pi Foundation. 9 May 2019. pp. 50–51.
  18. ↑ Ciolek, Todd (12 November 2008). "Paint a Vulgar Picture – The X Button". Anime News Network. Archived from the original on 7 January 2019. Retrieved 19 November 2019.
  19. ↑ "Knuckle Bash 2". arcade-history.com. Archived from the original on 9 April 2016. Retrieved 19 November 2019.
  20. ↑ "ライセンス事業" (in Japanese). TATSUJIN Co., Ltd. 2019. Archived from the original on 25 December 2018. Retrieved 19 November 2019.
  21. ↑ Bravo, Roberto (12 September 2018). "Nueva compañía "Tatsujin" asegura tener gran parte de las IPs de la extinta Toaplan" (in Spanish). Gamercafe. Archived from the original on 21 October 2019. Retrieved 19 November 2019.
  22. ↑ "Tatsujin". exA-Arcadia. 2019. Archived from the original on 21 October 2019. Retrieved 19 November 2019.
  23. ↑ Bravo, Roberto (25 January 2019). "Tatsujin, los dueños de Toaplan, anuncian que están trabajando para exA-Arcadia" (in Spanish). Gamercafe. Archived from the original on 21 October 2019. Retrieved 19 November 2019.
  24. ↑ "［JAEPO2019］TATSUJINやナツメアタリの参入が発表されたexA-Arcadia。出展コーナーの模様を紹介". 4Gamer.net (in Japanese). Aetas Inc. 26 January 2019. Archived from the original on 21 October 2019. Retrieved 19 November 2019.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.