International Karate +

Did You Know?

• The music for the original game was written by Rob Hubbard.
• In August 2005, the game's music was performed at the third Symphonic Game Music Concert in Leipzig, Germany.
• Another International Karate Deluxe game (IK++) was ready but unreleased for the Atari ST and Amiga in 1987/1988.

Gameplay

Three karateka battle on a beach, each trying to reach six points first. A bonus round follows every two rounds, where players either deflect bouncing balls or kick away bombs; the Commodore 64 version only includes the ball-bouncing bonus. One or two human players can play, but the computer always controls at least one fighter. Unlike the earlier International Karate, this game has a single backdrop, though players can recolor different parts of it into several themes using specific keystrokes. In the Amiga, Atari, and Commodore 64 versions, background antics include a Pac-Man appearing, a spider descending, and a U-boat periscope occasionally visible in the harbor. Pressing certain keys makes all three fighters' trousers fall down, prompting a double-take. On the Amiga version, typing four-letter curse words first draws a rebuke, and a second offense resets the game.

Ports

16-bit versions for the Atari ST and Amiga home computers were released in 1988. The Atari ST version was created entirely by Archer Maclean, with music arranged by Dave Lowe. Background graphics and sprites were drawn using the bitmap editor NeoChrome, and the code was written in assembly language on an IBM PC-based development system that cross-compiled 800 KB of source code in seven seconds, transferring the program to the Atari ST's RAM via a parallel cable. Development took six months. The subsequent Amiga port was completed in just seven days.

Reception

The original version of the game earned critical praise and won the 1988 Golden Joystick Award for Best 16-Bit Soundtrack. Its Game Boy Advance port, however, was widely panned. Advance magazine scored it 54%, pointing out shallow gameplay and a very limited move set. GamesMaster’s Jim McCauley gave it 43%. Nintendo Power was especially harsh, with four reviewers handing out 1 out of 5 stars and a fifth giving 1.5, slamming the awkward controls and jerky animation. Seanbaby of Electronic Gaming Monthly mocked the port in his column for its clumsy controls and what he saw as a lack of developer effort.