# Karateka

6 Hacker News commenters recommended Karateka and 1 criticized it, November 2025 to November 2026. It was recommended in 1 of 13 months.

**Verdict:** Recommended as a well-made, memorable early game by Jordan Mechner, written while he was a college student, with the Apple II version especially loved. One critic calls the Atari 7800 version flawed.

## Why people recommend it

- Apple II version holds special fondness (2 comments): "I have an even softer spot for Karateka, its (rotoscoped) predecessor on an ancient green phosphor Apple //e" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48500579)) "My favorite easter egg by far in this domain, was the Apple II version of Karateka." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48508402))
- Loved by early fans (2 comments): "It's amazing that he made that on his own as a college student. I loved that game." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48501542)) "The first two games to fall in love with" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48500708))

## Alternatives hackers recommend

- [Helldivers 2](https://hackerapproved.com/p/helldivers-2.md): 50 recommend
- [Triple-A Minesweeper](https://hackerapproved.com/p/triple-a-minesweeper.md): 40 recommend
- [Quake II](https://hackerapproved.com/p/quake-2.md): 33 recommend
- [Red Dead Redemption 2](https://hackerapproved.com/p/red-dead-redemption-2.md): 28 recommend
- [Grand Theft Auto (1997)](https://hackerapproved.com/p/grand-theft-auto.md): 28 recommend

## Cite as

Hacker Approved, "Karateka", https://hackerapproved.com/p/karateka/ (counts from 1,795,640 Hacker News comments, November 2025 to November 2026).