C64 Karateka
Play 'Karateka' on C64 online.
Karateka game data
Commodore 64 game name: Karateka | Release date:
1985 |
Publisher: Broderbund |
Game media type: d64 |
Language: en
User rating of this C64 game (you can also rate it under the C64 emulator):
About Commodore 64 Karateka
Karateka is a martial arts action game from 1984, developed by Jordan Mechner, initially for the Apple II. The game combines elements from both side-scrolling 2D platformers and fighting games.
The unnamed hero ascends a mountain to infiltrate Akuma’s fortress and rescue Princess Mariko. As the player guides the hero through the fortress, various enemies appear, each challenging him one by one on separate screens. The hero assumes a fighting stance to punch, kick, and dodge each opponent. Health bars for both the player and the enemy are shown at the bottom of the screen, decreasing with each hit. If neither fighter is hit for a while, their health bars slowly regenerate. Losing all health ends the game, requiring the player to start over.
In addition to human adversaries, Akuma occasionally sends a trained hawk to attack, which the player can counter with well-timed punches or kicks. The game also features deadly environmental hazards, such as cliffs and falling portcullises. Cutscenes show Akuma commanding his men to attack the hero, while Mariko anxiously awaits her fate.
Eventually, the player confronts Akuma directly before entering Mariko’s cell to rescue her. If the hero approaches Mariko in a fighting stance, she will deliver a kick that instantly kills him. Only by approaching in a non-fighting stance can the hero successfully rescue Mariko, allowing them to escape the fortress together.
An Easter egg was included in the Apple II floppy disk version with Broderbund’s approval. Although the disk was labeled as single-sided, it could be inserted upside down to play a full version of the game with the display mirrored vertically, appearing upside-down and backward. According to Mechner, this was intended as a joke, leading users to call tech support, where they were advised to flip the disk over to play the game correctly.
In order to play Karateka online, click on the start button located below the Commodore 64 emulator window.
This file type doesn't support auto Joystick port detection. Please choose 'Joystick Swap Ports' if needed.
Karateka C64 keyboard mapping
When you start a game, each joystick port is automatically turned on. Sometimes this causes a problem as the joystick port is mapped to the keys below. If a game uses these keys, you need to turn off the joystick ports.
C64 emulator joystick - keyboard mappings| DIRECTION | JOYSTICK 1 | JOYSTICK 2 |
|---|---|---|
| LEFT | A | CURSOR LEFT |
| RIGHT | D | CURSOR RIGHT |
| UP | W | CURSOR UP |
| DOWN | S | CURSOR DOWN |
| FIRE | LEFT / RIGHT CTRL | LEFT / RIGHT SHIFT |