Punch, kick, and block to the rhythm of the audio clues the music gives you for maximum ass-kickery.
You may think you’ve been playing video games for a long time, but I can almost guarantee that Jordan Mechner has been making them even longer. The Prince of Persia creator got his start as a teenager, crafting the legendary beat-‘em-up Karateka (it’s pronounced “care-uh-teek-uh,” by the way) in 1984. Though eventually overshadowed by the game that would one day become a blockbuster Jerry Bruckheimer movie, Karateka earned a legendary reputation amongst veteran gamers as a challenging classic that wasn’t to be trifled with.
Fast-forward almost 30 years and Mechner – looking remarkably youthful for a man who’s already spent an entire lifetime coding in front of a computer – is bringing Karateka back for consoles, PC, and iOS. The game is functionally unchanged. You’re still a monk who forsakes his vows to rescue an imprisoned girl, Mariko, whom you love. You’ll have to fight through waves of guards and dodge hawk attacks, except now it won’t be so brutally difficult. In the original version, if you died you had to start completely over at the beginning of the game.
Yes, fans of the original game: the hawk returns to torment you.
In the 2012 high-definition edition, you’ll get three lives in order to make it through (it takes about 45 minutes to finish it on your first try, at least in our play session). Once the first monk dies, you’ll assume the role of another suitor. Each would-be contender for Mariko’s heart is a big stronger than the last, making it more likely you’ll finish the game with each life you lose.
What makes Karateka intriguing in its new incarnation is the combat. What seems extremely simple – rough up a series of progressively tougher thugs on your way up and into the palace – is actually incredibly nuanced. And not like you’d expect. It’s not a fighting game, like a button masher, but more a rhythm-based game where you'll want to block, punch, and kick at the right time – using the music as your cue – to earn a counter attack.
Obviously, Karateka's visuals have been updated since its Apple IIe days.
Here’s how it works: the game gives musical tells that let you know how many attacks there will be (one, two or three). Block them all and you get your counterattack and build up your Chi. It’s halfway between Guitar Hero and a fighting game. With full Chi, you can stun the enemy, then pull off a special heavy attack that takes them down much quicker.
For a 45-minute game, the replayability comes from – again like a music game – your improved technique. You will get better as the campaign progresses, and you’ll be shocked at how much better you do on your second play-through.
The fact that Mechner’s design holds up three decades after its inception is a testament to his original vision. The console and PC versions of the new Karateka are out this week, with the iOS edition due out a couple weeks later. Stay tuned for a full review.
Ryan McCaffrey heads up IGN Xbox. He used to own a DeLorean, which is weird. Follow him on Twitter at @DMC_Ryan, on IGN, catch him on Podcast Unlocked, and drop-ship him Taylor Ham sandwiches from New Jersey whenever possible.
Source : ign[dot]com
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