The interface is clean, the story is intriguing and the game’s protagonist is a bit of what one might call a bad ass. Initially, Ken’s Rage 2 seems like it will be a pretty solid brawler. But when all this occurs within a confining framework, shoddy mechanics and production values, Ken’s Rage 2 becomes a game that is truly difficult to enjoy, and even harder to like. Having said that, in Ken’s Rage 2, players will find three truths to consider: there are more bad guys to kill, more heads to explode and all around more ass-kicking to the sounds of thrashing metal guitars to be done. Given the first game’s subpar mechanics and overall presentation, however, neither is the best indication for the quality of the sequel. It also takes a while to load this stuff, so be warned.Fist of the North Star: Ken’s Rage 2 is on one hand a refinement of the 2010 original title, and on the other, a step backwards. The cutscenes look great, but the actual action is muddled textures, repeating characters, and ugly effects (such as the exploding blood people). He gonna explode! But that's not to say Fist of the North Star: Ken's Rage ever looks all that good. The screen gets split in half with a vertical slice and I thought the camera swung a bit too crazily for my tastes, but the game ran fine. A second player - a local second player - can also pop in and join you for these missions. That's neat if you know these characters backwards and forwards, but for me, it was just a bit of "capture this base" in between punching everything in the world to death. Legend Mode tells the story of the manga - and, again, doesn't tell it all that well - but Dream Mode lets you play as characters from the manga in a new story that tells the tale from the viewpoint of the folks opposing Kenshiro. In the same vein, there are actually a few different stories to set out on if you're a fan of the source material.
So, even though I found the combat brain dead, there is a fair amount of stuff to unlock and customize if you're down for just brawling. On top of that, there are a bunch of signature moves to learn that you can then pick and choose from before you head out. These play into the unlockable abilities you can take into battle like more health and damage. As you're knocking these evildoers down and stomping out their spirits, you're earning karma points and skill points. There are nice touches to combat like the fact that Kenshiro's clothes tear away as he takes damage and you deliver final blows to bosses via onscreen button prompts that equate to sick animations, but in the end it's just "meh." It's not bad, it's not great, it's not exciting - it's just a way to march through foe after foe after foe.
Sometimes an enemy would move and I'd get caught in a combo that was hitting nothing, but even when I was connecting, the splashes of blood on the enemy's chest weren't impressive. The fighting works, but it's far from amazing or even a baseline "good." The attacks are repetitive, the enemies all look the same, and you only really need to think about a strategy when a boss displays a new attack (they usually change it up as their health bar drops). Kenshiro's enemy Shin has a signature that actually lets him poke someone to death, and that's just plain cool. When you get cooking as Kenshiro you'll be able to tap baddies with your flaming blue hand and cause them to explode in a gooey bloodbath or pull off a signature like the one that has you throw a flurry of punches that decimates the enemy. Kill everyone, and you can move to the next area and continue your way to the boss in question. You walk into different parts of the map, a bunch of bad guys are there, and you clean their clocks via light and heavy attacks, combos, and signature moves you have to earn by filling in meters. This game is a third-person brawler - think God Hand meets Dynasty Warriors. Still, there's one thing that's here and makes sense: punching.