Karateka (2012)

In February 2012, Mechner announced that he was leading a small independent development group to create a remake of Karateka for the Xbox 360 via Xbox Live Arcade and PlayStation 3 via PlayStation Network. He anticipated a release in late 2012,[17] later moved to November 2012.[36] The remake concept followed his work for the 2010 film Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time. He wanted a new project with a "guerrilla" feel and a much smaller scale than the film. He considered that nearly 30 years after the game's release, he was still being interviewed about Karateka.[37] He envisioned retelling the story without the limitations of the Apple II.[17] He was inspired by the resurgence of small, independent game development in 2010 and 2011, and games such as Limbo that "created a powerful emotional atmosphere within a limited budget and scope".[15] High-definition remake of Karateka, with quick time event-styled gameplay Mechner assembled a small independent team at Liquid Entertainment[36] backed by angel investment, to be more hands-on with development.[37] True to the original, he described it as "a compact, pick-up-and-play game that is fluid, atmospheric and beautiful". Cinematic elements include lacking dialogue.[13] His team focused on improving play controls, making them "hard to master", and encouraging replay for improved performance.[15] The team experimented with different approaches, ending up with "brand-new combat mechanics" and a "rhythm-based" fighter, where "you match the rhythm of your opponent's attacks and eventually earn your counterattack".[38] In anticipating frustration for younger players that may have not played the original game, he removed the one-shot deaths.[12] The player starts as Mariko's "True Love", but upon failing, becoming a second character, a monk. Gameplay continues, and then again as a third character, a Brute. The player can complete the game as any of the characters, maintaining immersion while transitioning between them, though the ultimate goal is reuniting Mariko with her "True Love". Mechner says this gives the approximate forty-minute game high replayability.[38] He stated that some of the humorous additions, such as the possibility of being killed by Mariko at the end of the game, would likely be removed. He said that "you can't surprise people twice the same way", and replaced this element with other secrets.[13] His focus on pick-up-and-play simplicity led to downloadable distribution.[15] Comic and animation artist Jeff Matsuda joined the team to help with character animations, and composer Christopher Tin developed the dynamic score.[36][38]