![\"The](\"http:\/\/mygaming.co.za\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/02\/Karateka-epilogue.jpg\" "\\"Karateka")
<\/a>Karateka epilogue: Predicting a future 28 years hence<\/p><\/div>\n
Could you run us through the game elements? [millions of related questions redacted]<\/strong><\/p>\n The new Karateka is a straight remake of the original 1984 game \u2013 different in many aspects of the gameplay and visual presentation, but very similar in terms of story and scope. It\u2019s a compact, downloadable, single-player, story-driven game in which the player\u00a0fights his way through a small army of the warlord Akuma\u2019s minions to rescue his beloved Mariko.<\/p>\n What sets Karateka apart from other games like it? For instance, are you planning on introducing a unique\/interesting mechanic that would differentiate Karateka similar to the way PoP:SoT\u2019s time manipulation distinguished it?<\/strong><\/p>\n Karateka isn\u2019t really a fighting game in the vein of a Mortal Kombat or Street Fighter. I think of it as a story-driven game in which the gameplay mechanic is fighting. Its design philosophy and the overall experience are very different from a brawler. It\u2019s funny you should mention POP:SOT, because in fact for the new Karateka we have created an innovative gameplay mechanic, which is a new way of solving the same problem that led us to create the time-rewind feature in POP:SOT. And that is, in a normal story, the hero can only die once. So how do you handle failure in a life-or-death situation, without taking the player out of the world of the story and breaking the continuity of the experience?<\/p>\n For the new Karateka, we\u2019ve found a new approach to that conundrum. It\u2019s not the Dagger of Time, but it fits with the story and world of Karateka, and I hope players will enjoy it.<\/p>\n Will Karateka have a strong\/direct narrative? Will we see the return of Princess Mariko and Warlord Akuma? What about that infernal hawk of his? Will there be voice acting?<\/strong><\/p>\n Most definitely, we will see the return of the infamous Akuma, the lovely Mariko, and Akuma\u2019s lovable pet hawk. Like the original game, Karateka is a kind of silent movie. The storytelling will rely on the characters\u2019 gestures and expressive animation rather than spoken dialog.<\/p>\n What aspects of the original Karateka game can fans look forward to in the remake?<\/strong><\/p>\n The new Karateka pays homage to its 1984 counterpart and is very much a re-envisioning of that game using modern technology.\u00a0 Like the original, it\u2019s easy to pick up and start playing, but hard to truly master. It\u2019s a compact narrative that nonetheless creates a strong mood and atmosphere, in a simple, straightforward human story inspired by Kurosawa films and the world of feudal Japan. Also, there\u2019s a heck of a lot of karate fighting.<\/p>\n It seems like a risky move to remake a well-loved game like Karateka.\u00a0Why return to it?<\/strong><\/p>\n Unlike my other 1980s game, Prince of Persia, Karateka has never had a sequel or a remake. Yet even after all these years, fans haven\u2019t forgotten it and I still get messages on my blog and twitter, asking when Karateka will be revisited in a new version like Sands of Time. After devoting much of the past few years to writing films and graphic novels, including the giant Prince of Persia movie, I\u2019ve been wanting to do a smaller-scale game, and since I\u2019d developed Karateka almost single-handedly when I was still in college, it seemed like the perfect candidate to do as a modern downloadable console game.<\/p>\n