Developer: Atlus
Publisher: LJN
Release Date: December 1987
(This cover art certainly gets bonus points for having the most Pat Morita of any game so far. Did you know he's only in 26 episodes of Happy Days? That's half as many as Ted McGinley)
My THQ profile went so well last year that I figured I would go all out and look at some LJN games. I've always wondered why LJN has such a terrible reputation compared to THQ considering their games barely even work and look like they were drawn by little kids. LJN games at least look professional. I think it's partially because LJN came along so early in the console's run. There weren't very many games by the end of 1987, and these early LJN games were everywhere. If you were there at the time, you probably saw some of these games at video stores for years even if you never played them. I certainly never played The Karate Kid when I was a child. I never saw the movie, so it's not a game I would've played because I was a fan. I certainly saw it around though. December 1987 was before we had a Nintendo and just a little bit after I was potty trained, so to me it's a game that has practically always existed. No wonder LJN games have such a large cultural impact despite not actually being that interesting. People my age grew up with that rainbow logo. Also, much like how THQ utilized a very young Bethesda, The Karate Kid was made by Atlus. Their name is on quite a few of my all-time favorite games including the Etrian Odyssey and Persona series. It's another case of a future great getting their feet wet on a licensed NES game.
(Despite what they tell you online, head shots were in fact legal in the movie)
As we go through LJN we will see some instances where the developers made some strange games. The Karate Kid, however, plays it safe. The game starts with a karate tournament, but after this brief section it turns into a mostly standard martials arts side scroller. If you've ever played Kung Fu or Black Belt than you probably know what to expect. The levels are dotted with bonus games that earn you special movies. I always accidentally use my special moves the second I leave the bonus rooms, but I'm not going to fault the game for that. I can't complain too much about the controls. It's an up-to-jump game, but most martial arts games from the era are, and I certainly didn't have any trouble controlling Daniel-San. It's also a very nice-looking game for such an early release. 1987 was still dominated by chunky neon sprites. The Karate Kid has much more realistic character designs and a muted color palate that makes it look like it actually takes place in our world. This is something I would expect from a game a few years newer. If you're looking for a nostalgic game that doesn't come up as often this might be a decent choice, especially since it's still fairly cheap. Of course, it does have some major flaws.
(Most of the game looks like this. I appreciate the map.)
Recently I saw The Karate Kid on a list of the top ten most difficult NES games. I have a feeling that the person who made the list didn't actually play it. It's the kind of inexplicable pick that can only come from one source: The Angry Video Game Nerd. The Karate Kid was one of his earliest videos, and sure he struggled with it. But it was a scripted video and not an authentic playthrough. You guys know he exaggerates the difficulty of games for comedic effect, right? He really dwells on those bonus levels which are purely optional and don't cost any health. My major complaint with The Karate Kid is just the opposite. It's too easy and too short. I had a bit of trouble finishing it now that I am an old man, but when I was young I beat The Karate Kid the same day I first played it. There are no continues, but the whole thing only takes about twelve minutes, and there are plenty of health drops. I believe the only enemies that require more than one hit are the bosses, and they're just like the regular enemies except stronger. Many of my deaths were of the cheap variety. Sometimes I'll get stuck on the scenery and can't fight back and one unlucky time I respawned above a hole and experienced instant death. If all goes well this really is one of the shortest platformers on the whole console. I can see why someone might feel ripped off by The Karate Kid. Imagine getting this as a full-priced game in the late 80s. Games were closer to $100 in today's money, and there weren't that many to choose from. You would certainly want a game that lasted. It's too repetitive to be one you'll want to play over and over, so it really is just a one-and-done. I can definitely see 1987 kids taking this game back to the store and getting The Legend of Zelda instead. That was even before rental stores were that common. Difficulty on NES is a balancing act, and unfortunately The Karate Kid swings too much in the easy direction.
(Here's that funny thing. It's not so interesting out of context)
Not surprisingly, The Karate Kid is right in the middle of my listings. On the NES-specific list it is 27/52. I can't believe I've ranked 52 NES games without hardly writing about any that people actually care about. When all 700+ games are ranked The Karate Kid will likely be a bit farther down than the middle, but it's not a complete disaster. This was a game made for rentals and cheap thrift stores. A lot of people who got into collecting around the time I did likely bought it as one of their earliest used games. Even now it's only about $12, which is about as cheap as it gets for non-sports titles. It's not a great game, or hardly even a good one, but it certainly has its place in the world of NES.
NES Quality Percentage: 25/52 or 48.07%
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1G01RKJ7-caaal5lgFfGgPfZRGcqWlv4E3E2E615UYKg/edit?usp=sharing
