3

5 /5

A one-on-one fighting game featuring nine selectable characters and three end bosses, controlled with a single joystick and six buttons. In addition to the usual kicks and punches, each character also has a number of special moves, that can be utilized via complex joystick and button combinations. In the one player game, players can chose their first opponent, with subsequent opponents chosen randomly by the game.

Unusually for a game of this type, Kaiser Knuckle features blood; something that had hitherto only been associated with Midway's "Mortal Kombat" series. The blood option can be switched off in the game's dip settings.

Kaiser Knuckle was Taito's answer to the Capcom and SNK fighting games that were dominating the arcade scene in the early 90's, and while playable enough in its own right, and featuring, as it does, colourful graphics and highly animated backdrops, Taito's offering couldn't compete with the "Street Fighters" of the world, either on commercial or gameplay terms.