Karateka

"Is This Supposed to be a Game?"

Intro
Karateka is purported to be a “Super Game” so many people who bought the title about 14 years ago were expected an conversion of the Commodore 64 game. Unfortunately, the “Super Game” seems only to indicate that this version of Karateka is Super Disappointing. One would expect after playing “Super Games” like Ballblazer and Desert Falcon, that this game would at least be entertaining, but it is questionable whether it even accomplishes this.

Story
Princes Mariko has been kidnapped by the evil warrior Akuma and it is your mission to defeat his temple guards and eventually the evil villain himself to rescue the damsel. Armed with the skill and martial arts knowledge of the Karateka, you bravely engage in the battle to achieve the goal and become a hero.

Game Play 3
This being the most important aspect of a game, Karateka fails miserably due to the game’s short duration and lack of depth. There are only six characters to fight to complete the game! That’s it!! (This includes the final “boss”). A typical energy indicator is used at the bottom of the screen to display the amount of damage you and the enemy can endure. Instead of increasing the difficulty as the player advances from one stage to the next, the character mysteriously becomes weaker and weaker with each fight. Even if you complete one stage without getting scathed, upon entering the next level your character somehow has less energy “flags”. During the last three levels a bird flies across the screen to zap some of your energy. In order to avoid the energy drain, a certain attack move most be performed, although it does not effect the bird. The control scheme uses the joystick for maneuvering the character, but when the button is pressed, he takes on a fighting stance and the stick is then used for punch and kick attacks. With three different kicks and three different punches, the control layout becomes quite intuitive after just a few minutes of play time. The controls and the one-on-one fighting layout of the game cries for a two player competitive mode, but it seems that the programmers did not intend this game to be the least enjoyable.

Graphics/Sound 4
All the characters of the game look identical with the exception of the color of their clothing. The hero of the game simply has a different head than the other fighters. The arenas are very basic. The first two being outdoors and the remaining ones being in the castle (which is quite drab and barren for a castle. Each room is made up of a window and a column here and there). The fighters movements are quite stiff, but are acceptable for the standards at that time (late 80’s). There are a few musical tunes at the beginning, during intermissions and the end of the game. While not being very complex compositions on a 7800 game, the simple tunes are appropriate (especially during the intermission sequences). The sound effects for punches, kicks (the usual “Atari Scratchy” sound effect) do not change even when they make contact.

Replay Value 1
Not much here. With only six fighters, no difficulty settings, not much room for strategy and very plain graphics an afternoon with this game is about the extent of its replay value. The lack of a two player competitive mode is unforgivable for a game that is so weak in terms of the CPU’s level of challenge.

Recommendation
Buy Atari 7800 version of Karateka if you want a good example of how rushed development can ruin a good game concept. Also it can serve as a good puck for outdoor ice hockey.

Reviewer's Score: 3/10, Originally Posted: 12/08/02, Updated 12/08/02