International Karate is a fighting game developed and published by System 3 for various home computers in 1985. Epyx licensed and released the game in the United States as World Karate Championship in 1986. International Karate +, a successor which expanded the gameplay, was released in 1987.
Gameplay
The core game is a two-dimensional, one-on-one, versus fighting game. Players take on the roles of martial artists competing in a kumite tournament. Rather than wearing down an opponent's health, the goal is instead to score single solid hits. After each hit, combat stops and both combatants are returned to their starting positions. Depending on how well players hit their opponent, they score either a half-point or a full point. Matches can be quite brief, as only two full points are required to win, and a point can be quickly scored just seconds after a round begins. In single-player mode, successive opponents increase in difficulty from novice white belts to master black belts. Play continues as long as the player continues to win matches. Between fights, bonus mini-games focusing on rhythm and timing appear, including one in which the player must break a number of stacked boards using the fighter's head. As in newer games in the genre, starting specifically with Street Fighter, the fights take place against a variety of backdrops representing different locations in the world: the Mount Fuji, the Sydney Harbour, the Statue of Liberty, the Forbidden City, the Christ the Redeemer, the Palace of Westminster, the Parthenon, and the Great Pyramid of Giza. The title utilizes the standard one-button joystick, allowing players to execute a variety of karate techniques. Unlike modern 2D fighting games, players do not turn around if the opponent is behind them and must instead execute one of three "turn-around" maneuvers to change direction.
Ports
The Spectrum version was used as the starting point for the Amstrad CPC port. Another port exists for the MSX platform. A version for the Atari SThome computer was created by Andromeda Software and released in 1986. This version featured the most advanced graphics of all versions as the 16 bit hardware supported more colors and larger sprites. The port to the PC, published the same year, used 4-color CGA graphics.
Lawsuit
After the release of World Karate Championship in the US in late April 1986, Epyx was sued by video game publisherData East for infringement of copyright, trademark, and trade dress. The dispute was about similarities to the 1984 arcade gameKarate Champ and its home computer adaptations published in 1985. International Karate used the same colored fighters and had the same points system. The initial trial at the District Court for the Northern District of California began on 28 October 1986. In his decision of 28 January 1987, the court dismissed the allegations of trademark and trade dress infringement but found Epyx guilty of infringing upon Data East USA's copyright on Karate Champ. Data East obtained a permanent injunction against Epyx, Inc., and an impoundment that restrained Epyx from further sale or distribution of World Karate Championship. Epyx was required to recall from both customers and distributors all copies of the infringing work. The decision was appealed the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, who in November 1988 reversed the decision, stating that while the game was similar, it was not identical and that one game company can not monopolize one entire sport. As a result, Melbourne House did not sue System 3 nor Epyx, as the game The Way of the Exploding Fist is also very similar to both of these games, though the game itself also borrowed heavily from Data East's Karate Champ.
Reception
Computer Gaming World called the game "an original Karate Champ clone, but it's the best one available... Great scenery adds to the ambience".
Legacy
In 2000, a Game Boy Color version, created without input from Archer MacLean, was released as International Karate 2000. It sported some enhancements, and was the basis for International Karate Advanced released in 2001 for the Game Boy Advance. The C64 version saw re-releases in 2004 as a title on the C64 Direct-to-TV, and in 2008 on the Wii Virtual Console.
