The Making of Karateka

Release Date: August 29, 2023

Action, 2D, remaster/remake, karate, indie games, side-scroll, experimental/artistic, historical, 80s, singleplayer

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An interactive documentary dedicated to an iconic fighting game from the 1980s, developed by Jordan Mechner - the creator of Prince of Persia. The Making of Karateka showcases the creation process of one of the 1980s most iconic games.

Plot
Mechanics
Technical aspects
Other information

The Making of Karateka is a production dedicated to the titular groundbreaking martial arts game, developed in 1984 by Jordan Mechner, initially designed for 8-bit Apple II computers. It was created by Digital Eclipse (the creators of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Cowabunga Collection and Atari 50: The Anniversary Celebration) and is an interactive documentary, showcasing the making of Karateka, including its early builds and the remastered version of the original.

Plot

This document tells the story of young Jordan Mechner, who, during his student years, created one of the best-selling games of 1984. The martial arts themed Karateka was inspired by works of Japanese culture, early Disney animations and silent films. The Making of Karateka lets players witness how it was created, in stages, like in a museum, analyzing every detail at their own pace.

Mechanics

The game includes an extensive archive of design documents, video materials dedicated to the production process and the impact the game had on the industry, as well as the final product and its early, playable builds. The player can play both the original, perfectly reproduced version and the never-before-published initial concepts. There is also some additional functionality added, such as saving progress at any point, chapter selection and director commentary.

The product also includes two remasters. The first is a new release of the game - Karateka: Remastered - including cut content, commentary and achievements. The second is a twin-stick shooter, Deathbounce: Rebounded, based on Jordan Mechner's unpublished prototype.

Technical aspects

The product is a documentary, showcasing the individual stages of creating Karateka. The games themselves feature 2D pixelart visuals reminiscent of the 1980s.

Other information

The Making of Karateka is the first installment of the Gold Master Series created by Digital Eclipse. It aims to showcase iconic games as interactive documentaries, combining histories of games and their creators.

Videos and Screens

[1:42] The Making of Karateka trailer #1