<s>
}}	O
Karateka	B-Application
is	O
a	O
1984	O
martial	O
arts	O
action	B-Application
game	I-Application
by	O
Jordan	O
Mechner	O
and	O
is	O
his	O
first	O
published	O
game	O
,	O
created	O
for	O
the	O
Apple	B-Device
II	I-Device
while	O
attending	O
Yale	O
University	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Along	O
with	O
Karate	B-Device
Champ	I-Device
and	O
Yie-Ar	B-Application
Kung	I-Application
Fu	I-Application
(	O
both	O
also	O
released	O
in	O
1984	O
)	O
,	O
Karateka	B-Application
is	O
one	O
of	O
the	O
earliest	O
martial	O
arts	O
fighting	O
games	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Karateka	B-Application
was	O
ported	O
to	O
the	O
Amstrad	B-Device
CPC	I-Device
,	O
Atari	B-Device
8-bit	I-Device
family	I-Device
,	O
Atari	B-General_Concept
7800	I-General_Concept
,	O
Atari	B-Device
ST	I-Device
,	O
Commodore	O
64	O
,	O
MS-DOS	B-Application
,	O
Nintendo	O
Entertainment	O
System	O
,	O
ZX	B-Operating_System
Spectrum	I-Operating_System
,	O
MSX	B-Operating_System
,	O
and	O
Game	B-Device
Boy	I-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
Mechner	O
led	O
a	O
2012	O
remake	O
,	O
released	O
in	O
2012	O
for	O
the	B-Operating_System
Xbox	I-Operating_System
360	I-Operating_System
,	O
Microsoft	B-Application
Windows	I-Application
,	O
PlayStation	B-Operating_System
3	I-Operating_System
,	O
and	O
iOS	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Karateka	B-Application
uses	O
gameplay	O
elements	O
found	O
in	O
both	O
side-scrolling	O
2D	O
platformers	O
and	O
fighting	O
games	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
game	B-Application
is	I-Application
over	I-Application
when	O
losing	O
all	O
health	O
,	O
requiring	B-Application
the	I-Application
player	I-Application
to	I-Application
start	I-Application
again	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
An	O
Easter	O
egg	O
is	O
present	O
on	O
the	O
Apple	B-Device
II	I-Device
floppy	B-Device
disk	I-Device
release	O
with	O
Broderbund	O
's	O
blessing	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
According	O
to	O
Mechner	O
,	O
this	O
was	O
done	O
as	O
a	O
joke	O
,	O
causing	O
naive	O
users	O
to	O
call	O
tech	B-General_Concept
support	I-General_Concept
and	O
ask	O
why	O
the	O
game	O
is	O
upside-down	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Karateka	B-Application
was	O
developed	O
by	O
Jordan	O
Mechner	O
while	O
he	O
was	O
a	O
student	O
at	O
Yale	O
University	O
as	O
a	O
side	O
project	O
between	O
classes	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Having	O
learned	O
computer	O
programming	O
using	O
the	O
Apple	B-Device
II	I-Device
,	O
he	O
had	O
written	O
a	O
clone	O
of	O
Asteroids	B-Application
and	O
a	O
modified	O
version	O
he	O
titled	O
Deathbounce	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
company	O
declined	O
but	O
sent	O
him	O
a	O
copy	O
of	O
Choplifter	B-Application
,	O
then	O
one	O
of	O
its	O
top	O
selling	O
games	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Mechner	O
focused	O
on	O
a	O
karate-themed	O
game	O
,	O
influenced	O
by	O
the	O
graphic	O
features	O
of	O
Choplifter	B-Application
,	O
his	O
ongoing	O
film	O
studies	O
and	O
film	O
clubs	O
at	O
Yale	O
,	O
and	O
recent	O
karate	O
lessons	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Mechner	O
wanted	O
to	O
create	O
fluid	O
animations	O
within	O
the	O
Apple	B-Device
II	I-Device
's	O
eight-frame-per-second	O
capacity	O
,	O
but	O
this	O
was	O
hampered	O
by	O
the	O
presence	O
of	O
additional	O
on-screen	O
elements	O
,	O
such	O
as	O
one	O
of	O
the	O
palace	O
gates	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Mechner	O
believed	O
that	O
Robert	O
Cook	O
's	O
versions	O
for	O
the	O
newer	O
Commodore	O
64	O
and	O
Atari	B-Device
800	I-Device
were	O
the	O
best	O
ports	O
,	O
with	O
some	O
superior	O
features	O
including	O
enabling	O
his	O
father	O
to	O
reorchestrate	O
the	O
music	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Ports	O
to	O
the	O
Amstrad	B-Device
CPC	I-Device
and	O
MS-DOS	B-Application
appeared	O
in	O
1986	O
,	O
to	O
the	O
Atari	B-General_Concept
7800	I-General_Concept
in	O
1987	O
,	O
the	O
Atari	B-Device
ST	I-Device
in	O
1988	O
,	O
and	O
ZX	B-Operating_System
Spectrum	I-Operating_System
in	O
1990	O
though	O
only	O
released	O
in	O
Spain	O
and	O
in	O
Spanish	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
Game	B-Device
Boy	I-Device
port	O
was	O
done	O
with	O
the	O
name	O
Master	O
Karateka	B-Application
for	O
Asia	O
and	O
featured	O
changes	O
such	O
as	O
the	O
inclusion	O
of	O
an	O
experience	O
system	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Sales	O
of	O
Karateka	B-Application
surpassed	O
500,000	O
units	O
by	O
2000	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
early	O
1985	O
,	O
Jeff	O
Hurlbert	O
of	O
Hardcore	O
Computist	O
said	O
the	O
"	O
recently-released	O
"	O
Karateka	B-Application
"	O
is	O
the	O
most	O
recent	O
and	O
best	O
illustration	O
of	O
a	O
trend	O
towards	O
computer	O
games	O
that	O
look	O
like	O
movies	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
January	O
1985	O
,	O
Computer	O
Entertainer	O
rated	O
the	O
Apple	B-Device
II	I-Device
version	O
7½	O
out	O
of	O
8	O
stars	O
,	O
praising	O
the	O
visuals	O
,	O
animation	O
,	O
sound	O
effects	O
,	O
music	O
,	O
karate	O
moves	O
,	O
and	O
story	O
line	O
,	O
but	O
criticizing	O
the	O
blonde-haired	O
appearance	O
of	O
the	O
karateka	B-Application
and	O
princess	O
in	O
a	O
Japanese	O
setting	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
called	O
Karateka	B-Application
"	O
a	O
nominee	O
for	O
the	O
Most	O
Underrated	O
Program	O
of	O
the	O
Year	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Although	O
criticizing	O
the	O
necessity	O
to	O
restart	O
from	O
the	O
beginning	O
upon	O
defeat	O
,	O
the	O
review	O
stated	O
that	O
the	O
Apple	B-Device
II	I-Device
version	O
"	O
has	O
by	O
far	O
the	O
best	O
animation	O
I	O
've	O
seen	O
in	O
an	O
Apple	O
arcade	O
game	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Rick	O
Teverbaugh	O
reviewed	O
the	O
game	O
for	O
Computer	O
Gaming	O
World	O
in	O
April	O
1986	O
,	O
stating	O
it	O
is	O
more	O
"	O
like	O
an	O
adventure	O
game	O
with	O
karate	O
thrown	O
in	O
"	O
compared	O
to	O
Karate	B-Device
Champ	I-Device
and	O
Kung-Fu	B-Application
Master	I-Application
(	O
1984	O
)	O
,	O
and	O
that	O
it	O
"	O
resembles	O
a	O
Chuck	O
Norris	O
movie	O
in	O
flavor	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Although	O
critical	O
of	O
the	O
"	O
often	O
slow	O
"	O
joystick	O
control	O
system	O
,	O
the	O
magazine	O
concluded	O
that	O
Karateka	B-Application
was	O
"	O
fun	O
and	O
extremely	O
addicting	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
According	O
to	O
Dragon	O
,	O
"	O
this	O
game	O
has	O
a	O
great	O
plot	O
,	O
animation	O
that	O
'll	O
dazzle	O
your	O
eyes	O
,	O
and	O
player-controlled	O
martial	O
arts	O
action	B-Application
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Computer	O
and	O
Video	O
Games	O
rated	O
the	O
Atari	B-General_Concept
7800	I-General_Concept
version	O
83%	O
in	O
1989	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
February	O
2012	O
,	O
Mechner	O
announced	O
that	O
he	O
was	O
leading	O
a	O
small	O
independent	O
development	O
group	O
to	O
create	O
a	O
remake	O
of	O
Karateka	B-Application
for	O
the	B-Operating_System
Xbox	I-Operating_System
360	I-Operating_System
via	O
Xbox	B-Device
Live	I-Device
Arcade	I-Device
and	O
PlayStation	B-Operating_System
3	I-Operating_System
via	O
PlayStation	B-Device
Network	I-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
He	O
considered	O
that	O
nearly	O
30	O
years	O
after	O
the	O
game	O
's	O
release	O
,	O
he	O
was	O
still	O
being	O
interviewed	O
about	O
Karateka	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
He	O
envisioned	O
retelling	O
the	O
story	O
without	O
the	O
limitations	O
of	O
the	O
Apple	B-Device
II	I-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
He	O
was	O
inspired	O
by	O
the	O
resurgence	O
of	O
small	O
,	O
independent	O
game	O
development	O
in	O
2010	O
and	O
2011	O
,	O
and	O
games	O
such	O
as	O
Limbo	B-Application
that	O
"	O
created	O
a	O
powerful	O
emotional	O
atmosphere	O
within	O
a	O
limited	O
budget	O
and	O
scope	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
