Play Karateka Online

Karateka is a martial arts action game released in 1986 for MS-DOS, published by Brøderbund Software. The game presents its story and action from a side view perspective, casting the player as a lone warrior navigating a castle to rescue a captive princess.

The player controls this warrior through a series of castle courtyards and hallways. The primary objective is to reach the final chamber by moving from left to right across the screen. Progression is punctuated by one-on-one combat encounters with enemy guards. Between these fights, the character traverses empty screens, with the perspective occasionally shifting to show an approaching enemy, increasing the pace of screen transitions as a battle nears. The core gameplay involves direct martial arts fights where the player can execute a variety of punches and kicks, adjusting their height and type. The player character has a health meter that depletes upon taking hits, and in some versions, health can slowly recover by avoiding attacks. There is no ability to save progress, but the game is designed to be completed in a single, continuous play session.

Movement and combat are governed by a two-stance system. By pressing up or down, the player switches between a combat stance for fighting and a non-combat stance for faster sprinting. However, being caught in the sprinting stance by an enemy results in an immediate defeat. This system requires careful timing when approaching adversaries. A notable interactive detail occurs at the very start of the game; if the player approaches the first guard while bowing in the non-combat stance, the guard will reciprocate the bow and will not attack unless the player gets too close or adopts a fighting posture.