I’m an 80’s kid, and as such I grew up during a time that could be considered the dawn of modern video gaming. I played Nintendo, Sony, Microsoft, and PC games in equal measure and enjoyed a ton of entertainment. It wasn’t until I started training in martial arts that I began to recognize some of the games I played showcased martial techniques, whether they were effective or exaggerated. I feel that by covering a few of these games I could expand people’s horizon on how video games can be educational and informative regarding martial arts.
First off, I must start with Street Fighter, the OG in 2d fighting games. I’m going to skip ahead to Street Fighter II, which really showcased the diversity in fighting styles among the roster. You had Ryu with the standard karate punches and kicks, but then is given additional flare with fireballs and hurricane kicks, and then you had the Russian Zangief who uses wrestling moves to control and dominate his foes. My favorite fighter was E. Honda, a sumo combatant who uses open palm techniques (opposed to closed fists which are illegal in the sport) and even when he is thrown to the ground, he is careful to not let his head and limbs touch the ground lest he breaks the rules. Are the fights actually realistic? Absolutely not! But they provide a hint of true techniques amongst all the visual distractions. Other honorable mentions in the fighting genre are Virtua Fighter, Soul Calibur, and Tekken.
The next game I would like to highlight is Bushido Blade, which appeared on the original PlayStation. At first glance, it seems like any other 3rd person (although it could be played in 1st person) action game. However, unlike other fighting games before or even since, the fighting utilized separate hit boxes for each limb, the torso, and the head instead of a health bar, which meant if you were accurate and well-timed with your cuts, you could either cripple your opponent, disable their arms, or even finish the fight with a single strike. Each of the characters have their own unique fighting style, each inspired by a real-world sword art (kenjutsu) from Japanese history. There really hasn’t been a game like it or its sequel in quite some time; here’s hoping there’s a developer out there somewhere that can bring this kind of gameplay back.
Jade Empire was a 3rd person action role-playing game that was heavily influenced by Chinese kung fu and mythos, and the gameplay reflects that in spades. The ability to learn new moves and incorporate different fighting styles was incredibly novel for its time and combined with the beautiful art style and fluid animation, it superbly displayed the intricacies of Chinese martial arts. If you missed out on this, you can get this on Steam for less than $5 as of this writing. Another game that is worthy of a sequel or a remake.
The final game to consider would be Sifu, which is available now on a ton of platforms. Much like the previous game, this one is heavily influenced by Chinese martial arts, in this case Bak Mei specifically. Instead of a role-playing game, however, this is a Rogue-like, i.e., you repeatedly die and grow stronger and wiser through the experience. The gameplay is similar to a 3D brawler, however the enemies are incredibly punishing and demand precise timing in order to defeat, and that’s just the minions. Each boss battle forces you to utilize the easy-to-learn but hard-to-master controls to defeat them, and the last boss requires the utmost patience and precision.
This is by no means a comprehensive list of games that showcase martial arts, but these are the ones that stuck out most to me. Let us know what video games showcase the best martial arts in your opinion!
