International Karate +

International Karate +

Developer	System 3
Publisher	System 3
Designer	Archer MacLean
Composer	Rob Hubbard
Released	1987
Platform	Amiga, Amiga CD32, Amstrad CPC, Atari ST, Commodore 64, Game Boy Advance, PlayStation, Virtual Console, ZX Spectrum
Genre	Fighting
Gamemode	Single-player, Multiplayer
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International Karate + or as it is more commonly known IK+ is a 1987 Commodore 64 game released by System 3. The game is a sequel to the 1985 game which was simply titled International Karate (and was featured in the Jean-Claude Van Damme movie Bloodsport) International Karate + is regarded as one of the best fighting games on the Commodore 64. An interesting bit of trivia about this game is that in the USA the game is known by the name Chop N' Drop.

Design

This is a great looking game it is easily on par with many of the Nintendo Entertainment System and Sega Master System games of that era. Each of the three fighters looks amazing, but the real star of the games presentation has to be the drop dead gorgeous background. Even to this day it is really impressive to look at. If that was not enough the game moves very well and the animation of the various different karate moves is incredibly well done.

White wins

Gameplay

What makes this game so fondly remembered is the gameplay. The original International Karate would have you facing off against another karate fighter, but this game shakes things up a bit by making you fight two other karate fighters at once. You have an incredible 14 different karate moves at your disposal. You do them with combinations of the joystick and the fire button and as the control is so great it is actually possible to purposeful pull of specific moves. No other fighting game of this era had such a sophisticated fighting system and remember the Commodore 64 did all this with just one button.

The idea of the game is that you need to score six points. You get a point by knocking down one of the opponents with a kick or a punch. You get a point if you do so, but if you can do a good knockout then you are rewarded with an extra point. The idea is that you need to score six points before the time limit runs out. The player with the least amount of points is eliminated. If no one scores six points then the two fighters with the highest points will progress to the next round. Just like in real karate you move up levels by fighting for different belts all the way up to black. The game does get really tough and there is a great deal of skill required for the later levels. There is even a fun bonus round that sees you have to use a shield to keep a ball away. This is a great way to improve your high score.

One pretty amazing thing about International Karate + is the way that you can slightly modify the game. For example by using the number keys you can alter the speed of the game from speed 1-5. You can even change background details like this sun for example. The game is also known for the "cheat" that makes the karate fighters pants fall down.

International Karate + really is the best fighting game of this era. There honestly is not a better fighting game that was on either the more powerful Nintendo Entertainment System and Sega Master System. If you have a Commodore 64 then this is a game that simply needs to be in your collection.

Hints

Controls

Joystick	Fire button not pressed	Fire button pressed
Left	Walk backwards (or block)	Back flip
Right	Walk forwards	Stomach kick
Up	Jump upwards	Flying leap kick
Down	Footsweep kick	Reverse footsweep (and turn around)
Up-left	Reverse face punch (and turn around)	Double face kick
Up-right	Front face punch	Head butt
Down-left	Crouching stomach punch	Back face kick (and turn around)
Down-right	Shin kick	High face kick