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Karateka (1984)

Jordan Mechner

Amstrad CPC, Android, Apple II, Atari 7800, Atari 8-bit, Atari ST/STE, Commodore C64/128/MAX, DOS, Family Computer, MSX, PC-9800 Series, ZX Spectrum, iOS

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Karateka is a 1984 beat'em up video game by Jordan Mechner, and was his first game created while attending Yale University. It was originally programmed for the Apple II, and was later ported to several other home computers and early gaming consoles. The game was published in North America by Brøderbund, and in Europe by Ariolasoft. The player controls an … Karateka is a 1984 beat'em up video game by Jordan Mechner, and was his first game created while attending Yale University. It was originally programmed for the Apple II, and was later ported to several other home computers and early gaming consoles. The game was published in North America by Brøderbund, and in Europe by Ariolasoft.

The player controls an unnamed protagonist who is attempting to rescue his love interest, the Princess Mariko, from Akuma's castle fortress. The game exhibits a combination of a side-scrolling platform and fighting game elements. The player uses punches and kicks to defeat Akuma and his guards and make his way deeper into the fortress. The game, as with most at the time of development, lacked checkpoints or the ability to save the game, making it a challenge to complete in a single sitting.

Karateka has been well-received, particularly for its realistic animations used for the game's characters. The game was considered a breakthrough success for Mechner, and would eventually result in his development of the Prince of Persia franchise. A high-definition remake, spearheaded by Mechner, was released as a downloadable title for the Xbox 360, Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 3, with planned ports for the iOS and Wii U systems. Read more

Details

Developers
Jordan Mechner
Publishers
Atari Corporation, Brøderbund Software, DotEmu, Dro Soft, Soft Pro International
Genres
Fighting, Hack and slash/Beat 'em up
Themes
Action
Series
Karateka
Also known as
Karateka Classic · Каратека (Bulgarian title) · Каратист (Bulgarian title)

Release dates

  • 1984 (North America) Apple II
  • Dec 05, 1985 (Japan) Family Computer
  • 1985 (North America) Atari 8-bit, Commodore C64/128/MAX
  • 1986 (North America) DOS
  • 1987 (North America) Atari 7800
  • Nov 01, 1988 (Japan) PC-9800 Series
  • 1988 (Europe) Atari ST/STE
  • 1990 (Europe) Amstrad CPC, MSX, ZX Spectrum
  • May 03, 2013 iOS
  • May 16, 2013 Android

Related

Remakes

  • Karateka (Nov 2012) · PC, PS3, X360, iOS

Ports