New Release of Karateka®, the 1980s Karate Classic by Prince of Persia Creator, Jordan Mechner, Available Today on Xbox LIVE Arcade

LOS ANGELES, Nov. 7, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Karateka®, a modern take on the 8-bit karate classic by Prince of Persia® creator Jordan Mechner, is available today on Xbox LIVE® Arcade for the Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system from Microsoft published by D3Publisher. A free trial version on Xbox LIVE Arcade is available now; the full game can be purchased here for 800 Microsoft Points. PlayStation Network from Sony and Steam and iOS versions will follow later this month.

(Photo:  http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20121107/LA07204)

(Photo:  http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20120215/LA53783)

Created on an Apple II by Jordan Mechner in his Yale dorm room, Karateka became a #1 bestseller and influenced a generation of gamers with its groundbreaking rotoscoped animation and cinematic cutscenes. 28 years later, Mechner returns to his indie roots with a reimagined Karateka for today's digital game platforms, featuring art by Jeff Matsuda (The Batman) and music by Grammy-winning composer Christopher Tin (Civilization IV).

A karate-wrapped love story set in feudal Japan, Karateka will delight both nostalgic fans and new players as they fight to save the lovely Mariko from the evil warlord Akuma and reunite her with her True Love.

Game Features:

• Rhythm-based combat mechanic. Easy to grasp yet challenging to master, the cinematic gameplay seamlessly blends a series of escalating karate battles with a simple, human story.
• Three playable characters. Three endings. Three suitors vie for Mariko's love: A fearsome Brute, a noble Monk, and her brave True Love. Rescuing Mariko as the Brute is within the grasp of beginning players, but the most satisfying and romantic ending can only be unlocked by winning as the True Love.
• Highly replayable. Innovative "three suitors" system offers a compact 40-minute single-playthrough experience – yet it challenges players to keep trying again, unlocking more difficult achievements and endings as their skill improves.
• Unique real-time score by Christopher Tin tells the story of each fight through the music. Authentic Japanese instruments and themes associated with each character let you "hear" the onscreen action.

"The original Karateka was extremely challenging to master, yet so simple and straightforward that players of all ages immediately became immersed in the story," said Mechner, Creative Director of the new Karateka.  "I wanted to recapture that simplicity in a fun, accessible, reasonably priced downloadable game, while evoking the romantic atmosphere of medieval Japan with the visual and sonic beauty possible on today's consoles."              

Release Details:

• Genre: Rhythm-Based Story Fighter
• Rating: ESRB Teen - Violence, PEGI 12+ Violence, USK 12 Violence, DJCTQ 12 Violencia
• Developer: Liquid Entertainment
• Publisher (PSN/Steam/iOS): Karateka LLC   (Xbox LIVE Arcade for Xbox 360): D3Publisher
• Xbox LIVE Arcade Release Date: NOVEMBER 7, 2012 Price: 800 Microsoft Points, free trial version available at launch.
• PSN Release Date: NOVEMBER 2012
Price: $9.99 (US), free trial version available at launch.
• Steam Release Date: NOVEMBER 2012
Price: $9.99 (US), free trial version available at launch.
• iOS Release Date: NOVEMBER 2012  Price: COMING SOON Supported Devices: iPhone 4S/5, iPad 2/3


About Jordan Mechner
Jordan Mechner is a video game designer, author, screenwriter and filmmaker, best known as the creator of the Prince of Persia franchise.  His games include the 1980s classics Karateka and Prince of Persia, The Last Express (whose recent iOS re-release earned 90+ Metacritic scores), and Ubisoft's award-winning 2003 Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time. Over 17 million Prince of Persia games have been sold worldwide.  In 2010, Jordan became the first game creator to adapt his own work as a feature film with Disney's Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time, produced by Jerry Bruckheimer. He has published his game development journals from the 1980s as a book, The Making of Prince of Persia.  Follow Jordan at jordanmechner.com and @jmechner.

Karateka® and Prince of Persia® are registered trademarks of Waterwheel Licensing LLC. LIQUID® is a registered trademark of Liquid Entertainment, LLC. All rights reserved.  Xbox, Xbox 360 and Xbox LIVE are registered trademarks or trademarks of the Microsoft group of companies.

Media Contact:
Abby Topolsky on behalf of Jordan Mechner
[email protected] 
415.602.0306

SOURCE Jordan Mechner