Budokan: The Martial Spirit

Budokan: The Martial Spirit is a computer and video fighting game released by Electronic Arts in 1989 for various platforms. The title is a versus fighting game, pitting the player against other martial artists in a great tournament known as the Budokan at the Nippon Budokan in Tokyo. Play Budokan: The Martial Spirit online!

Budokan: The Martial Spirit game description

Budokan is a martial arts game covering Karate (unarmed combat), Kendo (using a wooden sword), Nunchaku (using piercing chain weapons) and Bo (using a staff). The player has a realistic range of moves and must use them wisely, as Ki (life-force) is drained for every move made, whether successful or not, and both this and your stamina level must be kept high.

You can practice your skills alone, or spar against the instructors or your friends. Finally, when you feel you are ready, you can travel to the martial arts world championship tournament at Budokan.

Once the player is confident in their skills, they can enter the Budokan where the player faces consecutive opponents equipped with various weapons (including, but not limited to, those available to the player). The difficulty gradually increases, with each opponent demonstrating increasing prowess when compared to the previous. Most opponents are male, except for one female armed with a naginata. The gender of a ninjutsu exponent with a masked face is presumably female, as they are named Ayako.

Each match is preceded by a briefing screen which provides the player with several words about the opponent. Based on this information (and past experience playing the game), the player then chooses which weapon to use in the upcoming conflict. Since each weapon can only be used in a limited number of matches, an overall strategy or plan is necessary in order to successfully defeat all opponents.

There are two primary attributes shown on the screen — stamina and ki, the power of each blow. Active movements like jumping and delivering difficult blows decrease the ki, while blocking attacks increases ki. As a player’s stamina decreases, movements slow down, making it more and more difficult to act. When the player’s (or his opponent’s) stamina is completely exhausted, the match ends.

Play Budokan: The Martial Spirit online

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