Karateka (video game)

Karateka uses gameplay elements found in both side-scrolling 2D platformers and fighting games. The unnamed hero ascends a mountain into Akuma's fortress to rescue Princess Mariko. ==Development==

Karateka was developed by Jordan Mechner while he was a student at Yale University as a side project between classes. Having learned computer programming using the Apple II, he had written a clone of Asteroids and a modified version he titled Deathbounce. He submitted Deathbounce to Broderbund. The company declined but sent him a copy of Choplifter, then one of its top-selling games. He recognized from this game that he could pursue original game concepts instead of having to remake existing ones. Mechner focused on a karate-themed game, influenced by the graphic features of Choplifter, his ongoing film studies and film clubs at Yale, and recent karate lessons. He drew inspiration from Japanese Ukiyo-e woodblock print art, and the cinematic works of Akira Kurosawa, early Disney animated films, and silent pictureswhich he said "convey such powerful emotion and atmosphere without a word being spoken". Combining cinematic techniques with game elements, he programmed some of the screen wipes from the film Seven Samurai. Mechner reflected that he did not consider the game as a "fighting game", but instead that of "a story-based game where the gameplay mechanic is fighting". s to plot out the course of the game Mechner wanted to create fluid animations within the Apple II's eight-frame-per-second capacity, but this was hampered by the presence of additional on-screen elements, such as one of the palace gates. He found that the computer could not animate and play music (limited to one-note tones) at the same time, forcing him to adapt. To create the animations, he used rotoscoping, hand-drawing cartoons atop frames of film of his karate instructor demonstrating various moves. His father, Francis Mechner, created the soundtrack. Development took about two years, and he submitted the game to Broderbund late in his sophomore year at Yale. Though set in Japan, the hero and heroine have blonde hair. Broderbund said that the blonde-haired character design was influenced by Japanese preferences in manga comics, then commonly featuring blonde-haired protagonists in adventure stories. ==Ports==

Mechner believed that Veda Cook's versions for the Commodore 64 and Atari 8-bit computers were the best ports, with some superior features including enabling his father to reorchestrate the music. A Game Boy port was done with the name Master Karateka for Asia and featured changes such as the inclusion of an experience system. ==Reception==

The Apple and Commodore versions debuted on the Billboard magazine software sales chart at number two in July 1985. In January 1986, it was awarded a "Gold" certification from the Software Publishers Association for sales above 100,000 units. It is Broderbund's bestselling Commodore game as of late 1987. Sales of Karateka surpassed 500,000 units by 2000. The game received generally favorable reviews from critics. In early 1985, Jeff Hurlbert of Hardcore Computist said the "recently released" Karateka "is the most recent and best illustration of a trend towards computer games that look like movies". He called it "a breakthrough" where art "merges with technology to produce a game almost as much fun to watch as to play". In January 1985, Computer Entertainer rated the Apple II version 7½ out of 8 stars, praising the visuals, animation, sound effects, music, karate moves, and story line, but criticizing the blonde-haired appearance of the karateka and princess in a Japanese setting. Computer Entertainer later rated the Commodore 64 version seven out of eight stars in July 1985, praising the "visually stunning" graphics and "authentic" moves, but again questioning "the use of a blond hero and heroine in a Japanese setting". In May 1985, Enter praised the "beautiful graphics, superb animation and realistic sound effects". Billy Gillette called it "a four-star game" but was disappointed with the lack of a score, and Phil Wiswell criticized the lack of a two-player option but concluded with, "wow, what a game!" In October 1985, Compute! called Karateka "a nominee for the Most Underrated Program of the Year. It's a program that must be seen to be fully appreciated". Although criticizing the necessity to restart from the beginning upon defeat, the review stated that the Apple II version "has by far the best animation I've seen in an Apple arcade game. The smoothness of the animation ... makes the game almost as enjoyable to watch as it is to play". Info rated the Commodore 64 version three stars out of five, praising the animation but disliking its simple and two-dimensional game play, and concluding that it "needs more depth". Antic in 1986 liked its "cartoon-quality" graphics. Although critical of the "often slow" joystick control system, the magazine concluded that Karateka was "fun and extremely addicting". According to Dragon, "this game has a great plot, animation that'll dazzle your eyes, and player-controlled martial arts action". French magazine '''' in issue #33 rated the game 4 out of 5 and praised the graphics. ==Legacy==

2012 remake In February 2012, Mechner announced that he was leading a small independent development group to create a remake of Karateka for the Xbox 360 via Xbox Live Arcade and PlayStation 3 via PlayStation Network. He anticipated a release in late 2012, The studio's executive editor Chris Kohler discussed the amount of material, stating "I don't know if we could do this for any single video game. I've never seen a game with this much documentation." The release received positive reviews. == Notes ==