KARATEKA

Karateka is a martial arts video game that manages to introduce some innovative ideas for the time period that it was released in.

History of Karateka

Karateka is a 1984 beat'em up video game developed by Jordan Mechner while attending Yale University. It was designed for the Apple II and eventually adapted to a number of other home computers and early game consoles. Broderbund distributed the game in North America, and Ariolasoft published it in Europe.

Story

You will assume control of an unidentified protagonist aiming to rescue his partner, Princess Mariko, from Akuma's medieval fortress. The game combines a side­scrolling stage and fighting game components. You must defeat Akuma and his soldiers with punches and kicks as you make your way further inside the stronghold. The game, like many others at the time, lacked checkpoints and the option to save, making it difficult to finish in a single session.

Gameplay

As the player guides the hero towards the stronghold, several enemies come and try to stop him. Once in a fighting position, the player strikes the adversary with blows, punches, and kicks while evading the enemy's assaults. The player's health, represented by a bar at the bottom of the display, decreases with each hit he receives, however health is slowly restored by not engaging in fight. If the player loses all of his health, the game is ended and the player must restart. The enemy's HP is also displayed on the screen; once it is depleted, you've killed him and can proceed. Aside from human foes, Akuma may periodically send his tamed hawk to strike you, which can be parried with well­ timed punches. The player may encounter environmental hazards such as a falling drawbridge or an open mountain side, which will end the game quickly if not averted. Cut scenes are displayed throughout the game, with Akuma commanding his minions to attack the player and Mariko impatiently awaiting her fate. Eventually, the player will reach Akuma and engage in a last confrontation with him.

Reception of Karateka

Karateka has garnered positive feedback, particularly for the realistic animations employed for the game's characters. The game was seen as a breakthrough success for Mechner, and it led to the formation of the Prince of Persia brand. Mechner spearheaded a high definition remake, which was launched as a digital title for the Xbox 360, Microsoft Windows, and PlayStation 3, with iOS and Wii U ports in the works. Karateka incorporates aspects both from side scrolling 2D platformers and fighting games.

Fun fact

With Broderbund's permission, an Easter egg is included on the Apple II floppy disk release. Despite being advertised as a single-sided disk, the back side of the disk has a full copy of the game shown upside-down. According to Mechner, this was done as a joke, forcing inexperienced players to phone tech support and inquire as to why the game was turned upside down.

Pros

• Fun gameplay

Cons

• No save files
• Relatively short story