Over the years a number of people have attempted to provide a history of gaming that goes into detail about games of note and the stories behind them but often they lack the one thing that makes games unique in entertainment – the ability to play them. The team over at Digital Eclipse look like they have found the secret sauce to make this work, and after hitting a home run with the Atari 50 collection they’ve kicked off a new collection called the Gold Master Series. The first of these begins with Jordan Mechner and his first hit game Karateka.

It’s likely a lot of people now may not be aware of Karateka but plenty would be familiar with Mechner’s next big game Prince of Persia which continues to this day as an established franchise produced by Ubisoft. What Digital Eclipse have done is provide fans with everything they need to know about why Karateka is an important part of gaming history with a variety of interviews, images and of course games (some with commentary). I think a highlight is seeing Jordan with his father Francis who not only provided the game’s music but was also the animation model for a number of the main character’s movements. That they both got to share that experience together is awesome to see.

In terms of the game, not only do you get the original Apple II version, but there’s also the Commodore 64 and Atari 8bit versions. In additional there’s also a number of prototypes which is then topped off with a remastered version of both Karateka and his earlier game Deathbounce. There’s a lot to see and play which will keep people occupied for a number of hours and the controls for them all are quite well done. On Xbox, achievements are scattered across the majority of games with the remastered ones getting the lion’s share.

For anyone wanting to know more, I’ve previously read Mechner’s books and highly recommend them as they help fill in more of the detail of his time when developing the game and his life in general. Putting the face to the words and then seeing it all come together as a game really helps create an in-depth experience that’s rare to come by. I can understand why he was such a good candidate for the first Gold Master title – there is so much here he has recorded that can be used it really helps set a tone and establish a standard for what future titles will offer.

The Making of Karateka feels like a genuine love letter to the game. Not only do Jordan and Francis get time to talk about the game but other contributors from publisher Broderbund like Veda Cook (C64/Atari versions), Doug Carlston (co-founder) and more get to share stories too. Being able to experience the game in its various forms lets players see how different these early platforms were to each other and the great work done to make the game work consistently. The bonus is getting a version with a fresh coat of paint that respects the source material. I don’t know if anyone could do it better than what Digital Eclipse have done here, and I can’t wait for their next title in the series.

The Making of Karateka is out now on Xbox, PlayStation, Switch and PC. Played on an Xbox Series X.