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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

2.98 from 61 ratings

160 members have it in their collection · 26 backlogged · 8 wish listed

How long? Main story 2h · 100% 1h (from 2 logged playthroughs)

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 … Read more
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 less

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

Release dates

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

Related

Remakes

Ports

Rating distribution

5 stars
4
4 stars
13
3 stars
25
2 stars
16
1 star
3

Community All Reviews Statuses

CorporateClone

Review CorporateClone 4/5 · Oct 30, 2025

I have a great respect and interest in video game history. I love reading the stories of how development started and where the industry began. Yesterday, I listened to an older episode of a fantastic show on Spotify called the Video Game History Hour. In this particular episode, aptly titled Ep. 119: Karateka, they have as a guest speaker Jordan …

Read more

I have a great respect and interest in video game history. I love reading the stories of how development started and where the industry began. Yesterday, I listened to an older episode of a fantastic show on Spotify called the Video Game History Hour. In this particular episode, aptly titled Ep. 119: Karateka, they have as a guest speaker Jordan Mechner, the father of Prince of Persia.

What I didn't know was that before he went on to make Prince of Persia, Jordan made another little game for the Apple II called Karateka. So intrigued was I that after listening to the episode, I went and paid .99 cents for the iOS adaptation of the Apple II version, which is supposed to be a fairly faithful recreation of the original title. It's not a long game, and I finished in about 40 minutes.

What surprised me was the absolute craftsmanship of this old game. The smooth animation of the characters as they fight. The simple backgrounds. The controls themselves. When you consider this was a game crafted in 1984 by a kid who was attending college, it's just about mind-blowing. If you love historical games, this is one I'd recommend giving a go.

And if you want to hear the fascinating tale of this game and its creator, I highly recommend this podcast -

VG History Hour Ep. 119: karateka

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Othy

Status Othy Oct 10, 2018

So slow. So painfully slow. But I loved this game as a kid. Once, my cousin got to the end for me, defeated the last boss, but "ran" towards the heroine - and she killed him. What?

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