Game:

Karateka (1984)

Category:

Let's Play

Duration: 4:20

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1

Released 12/5/1985, Karateka for Famicom is a port of Jordan Mechner's early martial arts hit originally released for Apple II in 1984. Created while attending college at Yale, this prototpe for later fighting games would also go on to inspire the fluid movements in Mechner's Prince of Persia. Drawing from Kurasawa films and the karate craze of the 1980's, you play as a Karateka trying to save a captured princess. It is rough but has a lot of charm.

Play mechanics are big for me, and there seems to be something missing here. I do enjoy the aesthetic, but the gameplay is a bit weak. I am curious to see how the Commodore 64 version plays as that is considered the definitive edition. The NES version appears to be identical to the Famicom, which was ported by Soft Pro. The Famicom manual specifies its martial art as Nanto Saishi Ken (南斗再試拳) South Dipper Retry Fist. I am assuming that's what I learned in 3rd grade from my sensei at the strip mall down the street. The sign said simply "Karate," so I knew it was real.

I am considering a playthrough to be beating the first opponent. I played on an original NES using a NES Advantage controller, RCA cables, and a Sharp X-Flat 27" CRT TV.

#crt #famicom #asmr #karateka

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