Karateka is a 1984 beat 'em up created by Jordan Mechner during his time at Yale University, originally developed for the Apple II and subsequently ported to a wide range of home computers and consoles, including the Commodore 64, Atari platforms, ZX Spectrum, Amstrad CPC, MSX, DOS, and others. Published in North America by Brøderbund and in Europe by Ariolasoft, it was Mechner's debut title. The game follows an unnamed martial artist fighting his way through the fortress of a warlord named Akuma to rescue the captive Princess Mariko. Blending side-scrolling movement with one-on-one combat, the player defeats guards and ultimately Akuma himself using punches and kicks. There are no checkpoints or save states, requiring the entire game to be completed in a single session. Karateka was notably praised for its fluid, realistic character animations and marked the beginning of Mechner's career, which would later produce the Prince of Persia series.
