Karateka

The NES game Karateka, or "Karateka", is an arcade fighting game developed in 1984 by a student in the United States. The game quickly gained popularity and was released in the United States and Europe on various platforms, including the NES.

The plot of Karateka is unremarkable: an evil warlord named Akuma has imprisoned Princess Mariko in his castle. The main character must reach the castle, win his battles with the guards and fight Akuma himself on the way.

The gameplay of Karateka corresponds to the classic fighting game genre, but also has its own peculiarities. Instead of fighting in a single location, the character moves around the level, moving closer and closer to his goal, and each fight takes place in the location where the player meets his opponent. The character is able to perform a variety of kicks and punches, as well as greet his opponent with a bow.

The main character in Karateka has only one life and a health bar so you must kill all of your opponents while saving your health to survive, otherwise you must play the game anew. Overall, Karateka looks more like an action game than a fighting game, but that is the highlight of the game. The main disadvantage is that there is no two-player mode, but perhaps you don't need it because of the unusual gameplay.