Unless you're a real industry enthusiast or just a lover of classic games, it's possible you may not even recall a game called Karateka. Originally released for the Apple II, this is truly a game that would be considered part of the retro gaming era. The title did however receive a couple of console makeovers for play on the Atari systems as well as Nintendo's own original Gameboy. While it may come as a surprise to some, the beat-em-up that was in some senses the first of its kind will be coming back from the dead to XBLA and PSN with a rumored November 14th release date.

If you haven't played Karateka before, the mechanics of the game are essentially very simple. As is right on par with the eighties video game experience, you play as an unnamed hero charged with the quest of trying to rescue the beautiful Princess Mariko, from Akuma's castle fortress before she is harmed by her captor. In order to save the day you must use beat-em-up and platforming mechanics to guide your character through a series of rooms until you finally reach your intended destination. What made this game unique and possibly even clunky was that it relied heavily on stances for switching between walking and attack control sets.

In terms of the modern iteration, the game's art is said to be created by Jeff Matsuda who is most known for his work on the Batman animated series. From the screenshot it would appear that both the original feel of the game as well as Matsuda's cartoon flair will be well represented in this digital experience. There is no word on how much Karateka is going to cost, but maybe we'll hear more about it come November. Get ready to duel!

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