Karateka
Shares rank 48 of 78 video games by recommenders
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.
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.
7 people gave an opinion
- recommend it
- 6
- criticize it
- 1
- approval share
- 86%
Recommended in 1 of 13 months
- November 2025: not recommended
- December 2025: not recommended
- January 2026: not recommended
- February 2026: not recommended
- March 2026: not recommended
- April 2026: not recommended
- May 2026: not recommended
- June 2026: recommended
- July 2026: not recommended
- August 2026: not recommended
- September 2026: not recommended
- October 2026: not recommended
- November 2026: not recommended (month in progress)
Why it doesn’t carry the badge
- 6 people recommend itNeeds 10 or more, not met.
- 6 recommenders for every criticNeeds 2 to 1 or better, met.
- Recommended in 1 of 13 monthsNeeds 4 or more, not met.
The same three rules apply to every product, and the badge can’t be bought. How the badge works
What people say about it
The reasons people give, with the number of comments that give each one. Open a reason to read what they said.
Why people recommend it
Each mark is one comment
Apple II version holds special fondness
“I have an even softer spot for Karateka, its (rotoscoped) predecessor on an ancient green phosphor Apple //e”
Comment from 12 Jun 2026 in “How we made hit video game Prince of Persia” “My favorite easter egg by far in this domain, was the Apple II version of Karateka.”
Comment from 12 Jun 2026 in “How we made hit video game Prince of Persia” Loved by early fans
“It's amazing that he made that on his own as a college student. I loved that game.”
Comment from 12 Jun 2026 in “How we made hit video game Prince of Persia” “The first two games to fall in love with”
Comment from 12 Jun 2026 in “How we made hit video game Prince of Persia”
Other video games people recommend
The four most recommended other video games, with the same counts for each, so you can compare like for like. The tick on each bar marks the 2 to 1 line the badge needs.
| Product | Recommend | Criticize | Approval | Months | Owned | Badge |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Helldivers 2 | 50 | 34 | 60% | 10 | 1.9 yrs3 owners | — |
| GPU building game | 49 | 16 | 75% | 2 | — | — |
| Triple-A Minesweeper | 40 | 25 | 62% | 1 | — | — |
| Quake II | 33 | 8 | 80% | 10 | — | Approved |
| KaratekaThis page | 6 | 1 | 86% | 1 | — | — |
What people said
All 7 comments that mention it, newest first. Each links to the original comment.
“My favorite easter egg by far in this domain, was the Apple II version of Karateka.”
“Everything about the game is just so smooth and well-done”
“I spent a lot more hours playing the author’s previous rotoscoped platformer from a few years earlier, Karateka”
“I had the flawed Atari 7800 version as a kid.”
“It's amazing that he made that on his own as a college student. I loved that game.”
“The first two games to fall in love with”
“I have an even softer spot for Karateka, its (rotoscoped) predecessor on an ancient green phosphor Apple //e”
Counts come from 1,795,640 Hacker News comments, November 2025 to November 2026. How we count. Report a mistake.