Karateka (1985)

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Karateka is a 1984 martial arts action game by Jordan Mechner, and was his first published game, created while attending Yale University. It was originally programmed for the Apple II, then widely ported. The game was published in North America by Brøderbund, and in Europe by Ariolasoft. Along with Swashbuckler (1982), Karate Champ (1984), and Yie-Ar Kung Fu (1985), Karateka was one of the earliest fighting games. 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 similar to a beat 'em up. The player uses punches and kicks to defeat Akuma and his guards and make his way deeper into the fortress. A 2013 remake, spearheaded by Mechner, was released in 2013 as a downloadable title for the Xbox 360, Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 3, and iOS.

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