Karate Dou (Japan)

Arcade Video game published 41 years ago:

Karate Dou (c) 1984 Data East.

Karate Dou is a seminal one-on-one fighting game - the first of its kind - set over the course of a karate tournament. Each match utilizes a 'best-of-three' format and the game's control system utilized a dual joystick control system, with simultaneous joystick manipulation required to execute even the simplest of kicks.

Unlike the many similar games that followed, Karate Champ has no health bar; a successfully landed hit briefly pauses the match and earns the player or their opponent either a half or full point (a hit needs to earn between 600 and 1000 points to earn a full hit point).

The first combatant to earn two full points wins the match. Each round is set against a 30-second time limit and if time runs out with the match tied and neither fighter having earned two full points, the fighter with the highest number of points scored wins. If points scored are also even, the last fighter to have landed a hit wins.

After every second victory, the player has a chance to earn bonus points by dodging or striking targets. If the player loses a match, the game ends.

Attacking Moves and scoring (half/full points shown in brackets):
* Lunge Punch (high) (300/600)
* Lunge Punch (low) (200/400)
* Reverse Punch (standing) (200/400)
* Reverse Punch (crouching) (400/800)
* Round Kick (400/800)
* Front Kick (100/200)
* Low Kick (100/200)
* Back Kick (200/400)
* Back Round Kick (500/1000)
* Jumping Side Kick (500/1000)
* Jumping Back Kick (500/1000)
* Foot Sweep (100/200)
* Reverse Foot Sweep (100/200)

Defensive moves. Four defensive blocking moves are available:
* High Block
* Low Block
* Forward Somersault
* Reverse Somersault

- TECHNICAL -

Main CPU : Zilog Z80 (@ 3 Mhz)
Sound CPU : Zilog Z80 (@ 3 Mhz)
Sound Chips : (2x) General Instrument AY8910 (@ 1.5 Mhz), DAC

Players : 2
Control : Double 4-way joysticks

- TRIVIA -

Karate Dou was released in September 1984 in Japan.

The title of this game translates from Japanese as 'The Way of Karate'.

This is where an entire genre began; the 1-on-1 fighting game. The list of titles Karate Champ would go on to inspire is near-endless - needless to say, without this game, "Street Fighter", and countless others like it, might never have happened. The only description that can truly do this game justice is seminal.

This game is known outside Japan as "Karate Champ".

- PORTS -

* CONSOLES:
[JP] Nintendo Famicom Disk (jul.22, 1988) "Karate Champ [Model DFC-KAR]"
[JP] Sony PlayStation 2 (jul.21, 2005) "Karate Dou [Oretachi Geasen Zoku] [Model SLPM-62628]"
[JP] Sony PS4 [PSN] (oct.9, 2014) "Arcade Archives - Karate Dou [Model CUSA-01328]"
[AS] Sony PlayStation 4 [PSN] (jul.2, 2015) "Arcade Archives - Karate Dou"

- CONTRIBUTE -

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