Game Review: The Way of the Exploding Fist (Commodore 64, Ricochet)

The Way of the Exploding Fist was first released by Melbourne House back in 1985, and at the time was regarded as a classic, due to the excellent graphics, sound, and playability.  Three years on, and it was re-released on the Ricochet label, albeit with some changes.  Firstly, the opening “The” is dropped from the title on the inlay for some reason – it is like taking off the opening “The” on a classic Pink Floyd album.  For those of you taking a trip to pedantry corner, that may be a slight annoyance.

The other major difference is that because the game was re-mastered, with it being frozen with the Trilogic Expert cartridge and then with Invade-a-Load as its loader, this also meant that you would miss out on the loading.  Not a bad thing considering it was Pavloda (not the most reliable it has to be said) but the lovely loading screen is missing, along with the ear crunching sample of Bruce Lee, taken from the film Enter the Dragon during Lee’s battle with O’Hara, kicking him into some chairs.  That did make you stand up and take notice on the Commodore 64, and its omission, whilst understandable, is something of note.

Dance of the Yao People

Upon loading, a lovely attract mode shows with the fighters enacting a battle.  This gives you a good insight into the game and is accompanied by the first of several lovely Neil Brennan music pieces – with the title theme being a rendition of a traditional Chinese theme, Dance of the Yao People.  Listening to an orchestra playing that and comparing, Neil’s version stands up well and has lots of Oriental charm to draw you in.  He is for me one of the most under-rated Commodore 64 musicians out there, and deserves more kudos.

Yin and Yang

Starting off a one player game brings forward your first computer opponent.  In effect, you need to score two yin-yangs (the black and white symbols) to win the bout.  Half a yin-yang is achieved by a blow which is less harmful, known as the waza-ari, and a full yin-yang is a more decisive blow, the ippon.  Being able to get the ippons is key – hitting the opponent at the right time to cause the most damage.   Various moves score different points based on the difficulty of the move and the impact – scoring a full yin-yang via ippon scores double of what the single, waza-ari, would do.  You have 30 seconds per bout and the winner is determined by two yin-yangs, or whoever has scored the most at the end of that time.

There are plenty of moves available to you all controlled by the joystick – the leg sweep is always satisfying to pull off, as it the flying kick, the roundhouse kick, back kick, and the high and mid kicks which are very useful for close level combat.  All of those are with the fire button pressed, and without, you have also got the punches and the crouch position – handy to get into that if you wish to then sweep later, or block a flying kick.  In fact, the blocks are also useful in the game – you can effectively block some of the moves from the opponents, which helps you in your goal to progress from novice to tenth dan.   Often a crouch can result in a useful block, useful to know.  You also have the somersaults to move around and jump over the opponent, should you need to.

The crunching samples as you pull off the moves and hit an opponent really does add to the action, as does the wonderful piece of Neil Brennan music that plays – a true yin to the yang as it is a calm and melodic Oriental piece directly contrasting with the loudness and intensity of the fighting action.  Certainly, as you progress further, you will appreciate that more and how well placed it is in the game – a true classic of its era.

Dan, Dan, Dan!!

Progressing through to each level of dan to tenth dan requires winning two bouts against the computer opponent.  On winning those bouts, the backdrop also changes, which is a nice touch.  You start off by a lovely waterfall and scenery, then are by the sea, inside a temple and finally with a large buddha statue in the background.  The static graphics for each by Greg Holland are well drawn, and the animation also for the fighters is both fluid and smooth, with plenty of thought gone into the kicks and punches, but also when you get hit and the look on the fighter’s face and body when this happens.

The difficulty curve also works well – you can progress well and tactics need to be employed to time your punches and kicks, not just going in all kicks and punches blazing.  The computer opponent will see your flying kick and leg sweep you from underneath, or do a low punch if you are close, so shuffling and going in for a move, and shuffling back out does work well.  At the end of each bout, you do get a bonus of 100 points for each second of time remaining, which is an incentive.

Fighting Friends

Two player mode behaves differently, in that it is not two yin-yangs to win, but you have four round of thirty seconds, exploring all four of the game’s backdrop, one in each round.  It is basically a score challenge – whoever has the highest score at the end wins.  It gives you plenty of opportunity to have a good scrap, and if just playing alone allows you to work out the timing and placement of when to do various moves.  Two player mode also has its own beautiful piece of Oriental music arranged by Neil Brennan, and adds wonderfully to the spectacle as you and a friend attempt to pull off the roundhouse kick for maximum effect.

Boards Don’t Hit Back

Back one player mode, you are also aiming for a high score as well as getting to tenth dan – the temptation is there to fly kick your way to points, or use the back kick, both of which score highly, but at the expense and risk of losing along the way – one loss, and it is game over.  There is also the satisfaction of pulling off a roundhouse kick, or the leg sweep to send the computer opponent crashing to the ground.  That all makes the risk and reward equally compelling, and once the game is over, a nice little piece of music plays whilst you enter your name in the high score table, should you make it there.

Final Thoughts

The Way of the Exploding Fist was an iconic fighting game for the Commodore 64 when first released, and despite the opening sample and loading screen being missing here for the re-release, the playability has not changed one bit.  Whether you are battling to get to that elusive tenth dan with many a fight, or having four rounds against your friends, there is still plenty of fun to be had here.  The impressive graphics and lovely soundtrack just add to that feeling, and it was no surprise that the re-release sold so well – after all, who would not want a classic for the price?

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