Karateka Game Walkthrough

Karateka

Submitted by: DJ Simo

THIS FILE IS WRITTEN IN ORDER TO TEACH YOU HOW TO WIN THE GAME "KARATEKA," BY
BR0DERBUND.

UNLIKE AN ADVENTURE WALK THROUGH, YOU STILL HAVE TO LEARN THE MOVES. I WILL
EXPLAIN WHAT TO DO TO WIN THE GAME, AFTER THAT, IT IS UP TO YOU.


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I CONSIDER THE GAME IN 3 LEVELS. THE FIRST LEVEL IS OUTSIDE OF THE CASTLE,
THE SECOND LEVEL IS INSIDE, AND THE THIRD IS UNDER THE FIRST LEVEL. EACH LEVEL
HAS ITS OWN GROUP OF FIGHTERS, ALTHOUGH THE THIRD LEVEL IS SOMEWHAT
INTERMIXED.

YOU MUST HAVE COMPLETE MASTERY OF THE CONTROLS IN ORDER TO WIN THIS GAME.
IF YOU CAN'T CONTROL YOUR MAN, PRACTICE. IT IS NOT TOO DIFFICULT, USING THE
JOYSTICK OF COURSE.


LEVEL ONE
---------

WHEN YOU START THIS LEVEL, YOU HAVE JUST CLIMBED THE CASTLE AND YOU ARE
STANDING IN FRONT OF AN ENEMY. NOTICE THIS MAN'S HEAD. IT IS BY THE HEAD, OR
MASK, THAT EACH FIGHTER IS DISTINGUISHED FROM THE OTHER.

AGAINST THESE FIGHTERS OF LEVEL ONE, THERE ARE TWO STRATEGIES YOU CAN USE.

1. KICK IN THE FOOT METHOD

THIS METHOD IS ALMOST "CHEAP." THESE FIGHTERS WILL MOVE TOWARDS YOU
CONSTANTLY. ALL YOU HAVE TO DO IS STAND BACK AND WHENEVER THEY MOVE
FORWARD, DO A DOWNWARD KICK THREE TIMES. IF YOU DO THIS A SUFFICIENT
NUMBER OF TIMES, THE MAN WILL DIE. YOU MIGHT SUFFER A FEW BLOWS, BUT
THAT IS NO PROBLEM. YOU WILL KILL ALL THE GUARDS.


2. BANZAI METHOD

THE OTHER STRATEGY YOU CAN USE ON THE FIRST LEVEL GUARDS IS THE SO
CALLED BANZAI METHOD. ALL YOU DO HERE IS PRESS BOTH BUTTONS ALL THE
TIME WHILE MOVING FORWARD. BY PRESSING BOTH BUTTONS, YOU WILL BE KICK-
ING AND PUNCHING RANDOMLY, THUS CONFUSING AND KILLING THE GUARD. THIS
METHOD WILL NOT
WORK ON ANY OTHER LEVEL, I
GUARANTEE IT.


HINTS: REMEMBER THAT THE FIRST LEVEL GUARD WILL ALWAYS BE MOVING FORWARD.
TAKE
ADVANTAGE OF THIS BE REMEMBERING THAT HE WILL BE ON THE WRONG FOOT FOR
AN ATTACK.

AFTER YOU KILL THE FIRST GUARD, RUN IMMEDIATELY. AFTER THE INTERNAL
DISPLAY, AN ENEMY GUARD WILL BEGIN TO RUN TO YOU. KEEP RUNNING WHEN THE
SCREEN
SWITCHES BACK TO YOU. WHEN IT SWITCHES BACK TO THE GUARD, AND THEN TO YOU,
COUNT TO TWO AND LET UP. YOU WILL BE IN PERFECT POSITION FOR AN ATTACK.



LEVEL TWO
---------

(THE BIRD APPEARS IN THIS LEVEL. PLEASE SEE THE EXPLANATION OF THE BIRD IN THE
THIRD LEVEL)


NOTE THAT THE FIRST GUARD ENCOUNTERED IN THE SECOND LEVEL IS A FIRST LEVEL
GUARD!

THIS LEVEL IS MUCH LIKE THE FIRST, EXCEPT THAT THE GUARDS DO NOT MOVE FORWARD
ALL THE TIME. THIS ELIMINATES THE "KICK IN THE FOOT" METHOD. ALSO, THE BANZAI
METHOD WILL NOT WORK BECAUSE THE GUARDS ARE OFTEN WAITING FOR AN ATTACK.

WHEN YOU ENCOUNTER A LEVEL TWO GUARD, HE WILL USUALLY, AFTER THE USUAL
TANGLE
AND SEPERATION, BEGIN A KICKING SEQUENCE. BY SAYING THE "USUAL TANGLE AND
SEPERATION," I AM ALLUDING TO THE FACT THAT YOU WILL RUSH UP TO HIM, FIGHT A
BIT, AND THEN BACK OFF OR BE KNOCKED OFF. ANYWAY, WHEN YOU SEPERATE, THE
GUARD
WILL DO SEVERAL 1-KICKS, AND THEN EITHER MOVE FORWARD OR BEING DOING 3-KICKS.
A 1-KICK IS A SINGLE KICK, WHILE A 3-KICK IS A SERIES OF 3 KICKS.

HERE IS WHAT YOU CAN DO: WHEN THE GUARD DOES A 1-KICK, AS SOON AS HIS FOOT
BEGINS TO RETREAT, MOVE FORWARD AND PUNCH. I USUALLY PREFER TO PUNCH
DOWNWARD IN THIS ATTACK, BUT IT IS NOT THAT IMPORTANT. NOW, YOU MIGHT BE
ASKING WHAT IF HE IS DOING A 3-KICK AND I THINK IT IS A 1-KICK? THE ANSWER IS
THAT YOU WILL GET KNOCKED SEVERAL TIMES. KNOWING THAT THE FIRST SEVERAL TIMES
ARE 1-KICKS, YOU CAN EITHER WAIT UNTIL HE BEGINS 3-KICKS OR JUST GUESS AND
HOPE. IF YOU GUESS WRONG AND THE BLOWS START FALLING, PULL OUT BECAUSE YOU
ARE
IN A BAD POSITION TO KICK, YOUR LEGS ARE CROSSED, AND YOU CAN NOT BENEFIT OUT
OF A 1 FOR 4 TRADE OFF.

IF THE GUARD BEGINS TO CHARGE AT YOU, THE KICK IN THE FOOT METHOD WILL NOT
ALWAYS WORK, MAINLY BECAUSE THE GUARD COMES AT YOU WITH A KICK ALREADY GOING.
WHAT YUO SHOULD DO HERE:

1. HOPE HE IS DOING A 1-KICK AND GET KNOCKED BUT THE PUNCH HIM.

OR--

2. PULL BACK QUICKLY, WAIT UNTIL HIS FOOT IS RELEASING, AND THEN GO IN FOR
THE KILL.

IF YOU ARE LOSING THE FIGHT, I WOULD RECOMMEND THE SECOND METHOD.


THE FALLING GATE:

WHEN YOU GET TO THE END OF THE SECOND LEVEL, THERE IS A GATE. IF YOU RUN OR
WALK THROUGH THE GATE, IT FALLS ON YOU AND YOU DIE. ALWAYS. THIS IS WHAT YOU
DO. WALK VERY SLOWLY UP TO THE GATE AND GET RIGHT NEXT TO IT. THEN QUICKLY
MOVE FORWARD AND THE BACK. YOU MUST DO THIS FAST OF YOU WILL DIE. THE GATE WILL
THEN FALL, BUT, NOT ON YOU. AS THE GATE BEGINS TO RISE, RUN INTO IT. NOTICE I
SAID, RUN, NOT WALK. YOU WILL LOSE A POINT EVERY TIME YOUR HEAD HITS THE GATE,
BUT KEEP RUNNING AND START EARLY SO YOU HAVE TIME. AS YOU RUN THROUGH THE
GATE, YOU GET TO THE THIRD LEVEL.


LEVEL THREE
-----------

THE LEVEL THREE GUARDS ARE NOT STUPID AND ARE FAST. THEY WILL NOT CHARGE
FOOLISHLY TOWARDS YOU, AND WILL WAIT FOR THE KILL. ALSO AT THIS POINT,
YOU HAVE VERY FEW POINTS COMPARED TO THE GUARDS, SO BE CAREFUL AND WATCH
HOW
MANY POINTS YOU HAVE.

THE BASIC STRATEGY THAT I EMPLOY WHEN FIGHTING LEVEL THREE GUARDS IS THIS:

1. WAIT UNTIL THE START DOING KICKS.

2. MOVE IN QUICKLY AND HIT THEM WITH A PUNCH, MAYBE TWO IF YOU ARE LUCKY.
IF THEY STAND THERE, KICK THEM, IF THEY MOVE BACK, THAT IS FINE. YOU JUST
INFLICTED 1 OR 2 POINTS ON THEM AT NO COST TO YOURSELF.

3. IF THEY INSIST ON FIGHTING, YOUR BEST BET IS TO PUNCH. IN THE TIME THAT
IT TAKES TO GET A KICK GOING, THEY WILL PUNCH YOU AWAY.

REMEMBER THAT IF ONE KICK NAILS YOU, MORE ARE COMING, SO GET OUT OF THE
WAY FAST.


THE BIRD: THE BIRD IS VERY DIFFICULT TO KILL. HOWEVER, ONCE YOU GET IT DOWN,
IT BECOMES EASY.

AFTER YOU HAVE KILLED 4 LEVEL 3 GUARDS, YOU WILL SUDDENLY GET A LARGE AMOUNT
OF POINTS. YOU WILL GET TO A BLOCKED DOOR IN FRONT OF YOU.

WHEN YOU GO TO KICK IT IN, DO AN UPWARDS KICK. AS SOON AS THE DOOR BREAKS
IN, WAIT A MILLISECOND, AND THEN DO 2 MORE UP KICKS. THIS WILL KNOCK THE
BIRD BEFORE IT GETS A CHANCE ON YOU.

FROM HERE ON, IT IS UP TO YOU. I PREFER KICKING THE BIRD AND IT IS EASIEST
WHEN IT IS ON THE TOP LEVEL. JUST WAIT UNTIL THE BIRD IS 1 1/2 INCHES IN
FRONT OF YOU, AND THEN KICK 3 TIMES. IF YOU GET IT GOOD, IF NOT, TRY AGAIN.


AKIMA HIMSELF: HE REALLY IS NO DIFFERENT THAN ANY OTHER LEVEL 3 GUARD. IGNORE
THE FACT THAT HE APPEARS BIGGER AND CONCENTRATE ON GETTING IN 1
OR 2 PUNCHES AFTER SOME KICKS.

KILL HIM, RUN INTO THE ROOM WHERE THE PRINCESS IS STANDING. IF YOU WALK,
SHE KILLS YOU. JUST RUN RIGHT INTO HER.


ONE TECHNIQUE THAT I DID NOT MENTION IS SPAR FIGHTING. IN THIS METHOD, JUST
WAIT UNTIL HE IS NOT KICKING, JUMP UP AND PUNCH. THERE IS A DELAYED REACTION,
SO PULL BACK RIGHT AFTER YOU HAVE HIT THE BUTTON. YOU MIGHT THINK YOU WILL NOT
PUNCH, BUT YOU WILL AND USUALLY HIT. SOMETIMES YOU WILL GET HIT BACK, BUT NOT
ALWAYS. YOU CAN USE THIS TECHNIQUE ON THE LEVEL 3 GUARDS WHICH CAN BE
DIFFICULT SOMETIMES.


I HOPE THIS EXPLAINS HOW TO WIN IN THIS GAME. JUST PRACTICE, AND IT BECOMES
EASY.