<s>
is	O
a	O
1993	O
side-scrolling	B-Application
beat	I-Application
'	I-Application
em	I-Application
up	I-Application
arcade	O
video	O
game	O
developed	O
and	O
published	O
by	O
Toaplan	O
in	O
Japan	O
,	O
as	O
well	O
as	O
North	O
America	O
and	O
Europe	O
by	O
Atari	O
Games	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
is	O
notable	O
for	O
being	O
one	O
of	O
the	O
few	O
titles	O
by	O
Toaplan	O
that	O
has	O
not	O
received	O
any	O
official	O
port	O
to	O
home	B-Device
consoles	I-Device
as	O
of	O
date	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Knuckle	B-Application
Bash	I-Application
was	O
created	O
by	O
most	O
of	O
the	O
same	O
staff	O
that	O
previously	O
worked	O
on	O
several	O
projects	O
at	O
Toaplan	O
and	O
who	O
would	O
later	O
go	O
on	O
to	O
work	O
at	O
one	O
of	O
its	O
offshoots	O
after	O
the	O
company	O
declared	O
bankruptcy	O
in	O
1994	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
team	O
were	O
originally	O
commissioned	O
on	O
making	O
a	O
fighting	O
game	O
similar	O
to	O
Capcom	O
's	O
Street	B-Application
Fighter	I-Application
II	I-Application
:	I-Application
The	I-Application
World	I-Application
Warrior	I-Application
but	O
the	O
project	O
deviated	O
from	O
its	O
original	O
plan	O
and	O
became	O
a	O
beat	B-Application
'	I-Application
em	I-Application
up	I-Application
title	O
instead	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
As	O
of	O
2019	B-Architecture
,	O
the	O
rights	O
to	O
the	O
title	O
are	O
owned	O
by	O
Tatsujin	B-Application
,	O
a	O
company	O
founded	O
in	O
2017	O
by	O
former	O
Toaplan	O
member	O
Masahiro	O
Yuge	O
and	O
now-affiliate	O
of	O
Japanese	O
arcade	O
manufacturer	O
exA-Arcadia	O
alongside	O
many	O
other	O
Toaplan	O
IPs	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Knuckle	B-Application
Bash	I-Application
is	O
a	O
side-scrolling	B-Application
beat	I-Application
'	I-Application
em	I-Application
up	I-Application
game	O
similar	O
to	O
Final	B-Application
Fight	I-Application
and	O
Double	B-Application
Dragon	I-Application
,	O
where	O
players	O
take	O
control	O
of	O
one	O
of	O
the	O
available	O
playable	O
characters	O
across	O
ten	O
stages	O
,	O
each	O
one	O
set	O
in	O
a	O
different	O
location	O
,	O
and	O
fight	O
against	O
an	O
assortment	O
of	O
enemies	O
and	O
villains	O
in	O
order	O
to	O
defeat	O
the	O
Mad	O
Bull	O
Group	O
organization	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Similar	O
to	O
Streets	B-Application
of	I-Application
Rage	I-Application
2	I-Application
,	O
each	O
character	O
has	O
a	O
special	O
attack	O
of	O
their	O
own	O
that	O
deals	O
damage	O
to	O
any	O
enemy	O
on-screen	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Players	O
can	O
compete	O
in	O
a	O
minigame	O
reminiscent	O
of	O
Mortal	B-Application
Kombats	I-Application
"	O
Test	B-Application
Your	I-Application
Might	I-Application
"	O
segments	O
between	O
stages	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
story	O
of	O
Knuckle	B-Application
Bash	I-Application
revolves	O
around	O
the	O
Mad	O
Bull	O
Group	O
,	O
a	O
corrupt	O
wrestling	O
organization	O
that	O
profits	O
and	O
taints	O
the	O
reputation	O
of	O
the	O
sport	O
,	O
whose	O
wrestlers	O
are	O
upon	O
by	O
children	O
as	O
role	O
models	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Hayate	O
–	O
A	O
ninja	B-Application
master	O
of	O
the	O
"	O
Ninpow	O
"	O
art.Captain	O
'''	O
–	O
An	O
american	B-Application
football	I-Application
player	O
who	O
defects	O
from	O
the	O
Mad	O
Bull	O
Group	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Development	O
and	O
release	O
Knuckle	B-Application
Bash	I-Application
was	O
created	O
by	O
most	O
of	O
the	O
same	O
staff	O
that	O
previously	O
worked	O
on	O
several	O
projects	O
at	O
Toaplan	O
and	O
who	O
would	O
later	O
go	O
on	O
to	O
work	O
at	O
one	O
of	O
its	O
offshoots	O
after	O
the	O
company	O
declared	O
bankruptcy	O
in	O
1994	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
According	O
to	O
Inoue	O
,	O
the	O
game	O
was	O
also	O
designed	O
by	O
Nanpei	O
Kaneko	O
,	O
a	O
member	O
who	O
previously	O
worked	O
on	O
FixEight	B-Application
before	O
quitting	O
Toaplan	O
and	O
working	O
as	O
illustrator	O
for	O
Japanese	O
magazines	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Between	O
2009	O
and	O
2012	O
through	O
Japanese	O
publications	O
such	O
as	O
Shooting	O
Gameside	O
,	O
former	O
Toaplan	O
composer	O
Tatsuya	O
Uemura	O
recounted	O
the	O
project	O
's	O
development	O
process	O
and	O
history	O
,	O
stating	O
that	O
the	O
team	O
were	O
originally	O
commissioned	O
by	O
the	O
company	O
on	O
making	O
a	O
fighting	O
game	O
similar	O
to	O
Street	B-Application
Fighter	I-Application
II	I-Application
:	I-Application
The	I-Application
World	I-Application
Warrior	I-Application
,	O
however	O
the	O
project	O
deviated	O
from	O
its	O
original	O
plan	O
and	O
became	O
a	O
beat	B-Application
'	I-Application
em	I-Application
up	I-Application
title	O
instead	O
,	O
although	O
Uemura	O
claimed	O
he	O
had	O
no	O
involvement	O
during	O
its	O
development.Knuckle	O
Bash	O
was	O
released	O
in	O
arcades	O
worldwide	O
by	O
Toaplan	O
and	O
Atari	O
Games	O
in	O
1993	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
As	O
of	O
March	O
2014	O
,	O
it	O
has	O
not	O
received	O
a	O
conversion	O
to	O
home	B-Device
consoles	I-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
Reception	O
and	O
legacy	O
Play	O
Meter	O
listed	O
Knuckle	B-Application
Bash	I-Application
to	O
be	O
the	O
twenty-seventh	O
most-popular	O
arcade	O
game	O
at	O
the	O
time	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Nick	O
Zverloff	O
of	O
Hardcore	O
Gaming	O
101	O
stated	O
that	O
Knuckle	B-Application
Bash	I-Application
"	O
might	O
not	O
be	O
fantastic	O
,	O
but	O
it	O
gets	O
by	O
on	O
being	O
an	O
average	O
beat	B-Application
em	I-Application
up	I-Application
that	O
is	O
just	O
ridiculous	O
enough	O
to	O
make	O
it	O
enjoyable	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Wireframe	O
regarded	O
it	O
as	O
"	O
a	O
rare	O
foray	O
into	O
brawler	B-Application
territory	O
"	O
for	O
Toaplan	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
year	O
after	O
the	O
game	O
's	O
launch	O
,	O
Inoue	O
would	O
later	O
join	O
Gazelle	O
;	O
one	O
of	O
Toaplan	O
's	O
offshoots	O
after	O
the	O
company	O
declared	O
bankruptcy	O
in	O
1994	O
and	O
act	O
as	O
graphic	O
artist	O
for	O
1995	O
's	O
Pretty	B-Application
Soldier	I-Application
Sailor	I-Application
Moon	I-Application
,	O
which	O
was	O
based	O
upon	O
Naoko	O
Takeuchi	O
's	O
Sailor	B-Application
Moon	I-Application
shōjo	O
manga	O
and	O
anime	O
series	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
bootleg	O
version	O
of	O
the	O
game	O
titled	O
Knuckle	B-Application
Bash	I-Application
2	O
was	O
released	O
in	O
1999	O
,	O
featuring	O
many	O
changes	O
compared	O
to	O
the	O
original	O
release	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
more	O
recent	O
years	O
,	O
the	O
rights	O
to	O
the	O
title	O
and	O
many	O
other	O
IPs	O
from	O
Toaplan	O
are	O
now	O
owned	O
by	O
Tatsujin	B-Application
,	O
a	O
company	O
named	O
after	O
Truxton'''s	O
Japanese	O
title	O
that	O
was	O
founded	O
in	O
2017	O
by	O
Yuge	O
,	O
who	O
are	O
now	O
affiliated	O
with	O
arcade	O
manufacturer	O
exA-Arcadia	O
.	O
</s>
