Karateka began its life on personal computers — the Apple II, in fact — and completes the cycle with its launch on Steam today. (And it’s on sale this week.)
To commemorate the making and remaking of the game, Earl Newton shot a terrific series of how-we-did-it videos, the first two of which are embedded below.
In the first video, I love the dust cover Jordan Mechner’s mom made for his Apple II, complete with cord flaps. In the second video, check out the Super-8 footage Jordan used for rotoscoping. Watching it, you realize how handmade digital things can be.
In some ways, these videos feel like a Kickstarter campaign for something that’s already available in the world. You don’t have to pledge for a dream. You can get it today on Steam and Xbox, and very soon for iOS and PS3.
Part 1: Inspiration
(link: Inspiration: Making and Remaking Karateka)