Kuri Kinton is a beat-em-up originally released by Taito in 1988 in Japan, in which players took control of a Chinese policeman tasked with infiltrating an underground base and rescuing kidnapped people. It seems basic enough, but there is something that made the game stand out at the time, and that is that Kuri Kinton was based heavily on Dragon Ball and Fist of the North Star. The main character is strongly based on Goku from Dragonball and some of Goku’s abilities have variations, while bosses found inspiration in Fist of the North Star.
Is this a good beat-em’-up? Not really, but it was better than most Dragon Ball and Fist of the North Star games at the time. It is rather basic with combat mainly taking the form of punches and kicks to numerous enemies, but there are also sweeps and jump kicks that can be used. The end of each level has a martial artist to face, and these fights are extremely difficult and will require numerous tries to get through.
It should be noted that Arcade Archives Kuri Kinton is untranslated as the arcade game didn’t leave Japan until a Taito compilation on the PS2. This is not a major issue, but those who want to know what any of the game’s story is about are completely out of luck. The story doesn’t really matter though, so just keep on going and ignore the dialogue.
This is a very difficult game with somewhat clunky controls, and many enemies to fight. Players will die over and over, especially since there is only one life before credits must be added. This was a credit muncher in arcades and the gameplay sadly has not aged very well.
Kuri Kinton is an interesting game for sure, but there is just not enough to it to make players keep coming back. Hi-Score mode feels out of place here, as does caravan mode, and most of the features from Arcade Archives just do not add much. This is one that can be safely left behind back in the arcades of the past.
Disclaimer: A review key was provided.