The Karate Kid Macchio Man Daniel-San Savage James Browne 04.27.03 _____________________________ Version 1.0 I do not forsee any revisions Copyright 2003 James Browne Used with permission ziplock1977@yahoo.com _____________________________ The Karate Kid Info- System: NES Publisher: LJN Release Date: 1987 _____________________________ Table of Contents: I. Introduction II. Story III. Controls A) Title Screen B) Game Menu C) In Game IV. Game Modes A) One Player B) Two Player C) One-On-One V. Items A) Crane Kick B) Life Boosters 1) Monkey 2) Child 3) Mr. Miyagi C) Typhoon Child D) Checkpoints VI. Enemies A) Student B) Ninja C) Spear Ninja D) Flying Items 1) Stick 2) Bird 3) Pot 4) Boulder 5) Small Rock 6) Cabbage E) Chozen VII. Statistics A) Crane Kicks B) Drum Punches C) Chances D) Life Meter E) Score VIII. Bonus Levels A) Chopstick Fly Catch B) Ice Block Break C) Swinging Hammer D) Bonuses IX. Walkthrough A) The Karate Tournament 1) First Round 2) Quarter Final Round 3) Semi Final Round 4) Final Round B) Daniel-San In Okinawa C) The Typhoon Strikes D) The Last Battle With Chozen X. Glitch XI. Notes ............................................................................... I. Introduction I remember when this crap came out many years ago and I was so excited to try it. Karate Kid was probably my favorite movie, having seen it in the theatre several times years before, and I just couldn't wait to play as Daniel-San overcoming obstacles, picking up wisdom from my father figure, and kicking some serious patootie. What I ended up with was a couple of scene adaptations and the same enemy on all four stages (that's right - four) who looked suprisingly like me without the headband. You play as Daniel-San, Miyagi protege, through the tournament, then through Okinawa. So basically, the end of the first movie through the second, without the girl, drama, or story. But, along the way, you collect bonus points by catching flies in chopsticks, dodging swinging hammers, and breaking ice blocks. As far as graphics, they're OK. But the pallete swapping obviously takes away from the appeal. There is one enemy. On stage four, he carries a spear thing. That's it. If you're going to put bosses in a game, don't make it the same boss at the end of every level. Super Mario Bros. barely got away with that one. But, as annoying as it is, it doesn't look awful. Music you ask? Two songs - one for the stages, one for the bonus levels. Distorted clips fill the gaps. We've heard repeating songs in many games (Zelda springs to mind) but none that make you so irritated and restless. The gameplay in The Karate Kid is just aboslutely terrible. Using the special attacks can be executed only by standing still, which gives you virtually no edge over the enemy. Jumping either left or right is difficult, and if you bump into an enemy or obstacle, it knocks you back about thirty feet. Getting caught between two villians almost certainly leads to your doom, and on top of it all, there's no way to jump down from a platform once you're on top! The third level is insane with all the stuff flying at you and your character being constantly pushed back, and with only four levels and absolute predictability, this shouldn't have taken the hour it took me to beat. No Miyagi to guide your path, no girl to win, and we don't know who Chozen is or why you need to beat him stupid. And why can't we use the crane kick or drum punch as often as we want to? No substance, no glory, no challenge (apart from a few nuisances). If I want a mindless game, I'll play Taboo. You might pick it up again to see if you can beat it, but you won't play for long. Yet another crappy movie to video game translation from LJN to try to rake in a profit before the craze of the movie dies down. Bang out a game in three weeks and don't make too many of them. Let's just say it didn't heighten my spirits as much as the movie did. ............................................................................... II. Story As mentioned in the introduction, there is none. We don't have any clue who Chozen is, where Mr. Miyagi is, or why we're going through this. It's clear this one didn't take too long to produce before the luster of the movie died down. The following is the only story you'll ever receive for The Karate Kid NES game and it's found only in the manual (and the internet): Think you can handle a real Martial Arts challenge? Then how about guiding DANIEL SAN through the series of hazzards, obstacles and challenges that stand in his path? But don't think that just being able to fight will get you through. This time its not enough to just punch, kick, and jump...this time your total Martial Arts training will be put to the test. Your discipline and inner control could be what saves your life. You must prove that you are capable of thinking, reasoning, and reacting. Catching a fly with your chopsticks, or splitting blocks of ice with your bare hand is just as important as fighting face to face with your enemy. This challenge will take you to the Karate Tournament in L.A., the back roads of Okinawa and many strange areas beyond. Always keep your mind clear and remember all that you've been taught and maybe...just maybe... you'll make it. Well that clears everything up - the story, the girl, the enemy. I've been stuck in the bathroom, freaked out with nothing to read, and had more interesting toothpaste stories to tell. And, 15 years ago, someone at LJN at some point pitched the toothpaste ingredient game to the committee, but they rejected it until a movie came out about it. They were masters at bastardizing movies, but they had a million dollars. I could have had a million dollars, but I was only 10 in 1987. But, and as much as the sweater and Edward James Olmos face creeped me out, I could have come up with a better Nightmare on Elm Street video game. ............................................................................... III. Controls A) Title Screen Start - Jump to game menu B) Game Menu Up/Down/Select - Scroll game options Start - Choose game C) In Game Left/Right - Move Daniel-San left/right Up - Jump Down - Crouch A - Punch B - Kick Up + A - Jump and punch Up + B - Jump and kick Down + A - Crouch and punch Down + B - Sweep Kick A - Drum Punch (Special power needed) B - Crane Kick (Special power needed) A/B - Close chopsticks (During Chopstick Fly Catch bonus stage) A/B - Dodge swinging hammer (During Swinging Hammer bonus stage) A/B - Break ice blocks (During Ice Block Break bonus stage) Start - Pause ............................................................................... IV. Game Modes A) One Player One player moves Daniel-San through the four levels of The Karate Kid. B) Two Player Two players alternate turns playing the four stages. C) One-On-One Two players battle each other, one playing as Daniel-San and player two controls the game's boss enemy, Chozen. Chozen has the same moves but inflicts more damage than Daniel-San. ............................................................................... V. Items A) Crane Kick A crane kick, represented by a letter "C" may appear when enemies are hit. It will add one crane kick to your inventory and replenish your life two bars. B) Life Boosters 1) Monkey The Monkey refills your life by eight bars. 2) Child The child refills your life by eight bars. 3) Mr. Miyagi Mr. Miyagi refills your life bars completely. C) Typhoon Child The child at the top of the ladder on stage three must be collected to finish the level. D) Checkpoints If Daniel-San is defeated on stages stages two through four, he may begin the level at a certain point in the middle of the stage rather than at the beginning. Not exactly items, these checkpoints are received as you progress through the levels. ............................................................................... VI. Enemies A) Student Stage one is a Karate Tournament divided into four different levels, during which time you will fight other competetors with different skill levels. Students are worth 2000 points and fight just like Daniel-San. B) Ninja Ninjas wear orange for levels two and three, and an off-white gi for level four. During levels two and three they can receive one hit of damage and two hits in level four. Ninjas fight like your character and are worth 200 points. C) Spear Ninja During level four, some ninjas will carry spears and have yellow outfits. First, Daniel-San must knock the weapon away by hitting the enemy, thereby turning him into a normal ninja with the off-white suit, able to sustain one more hit of damage. Spear ninjas are worth 500 points. D) Flying Items Flying items do not inflict damage to Daniel-San, but they will knock him back or forward quite a distance if they connect. Each item if destroyed is worth 100 points. 1) Stick The stick appears on level three and flies through the air straight from left to right. 2) Bird The bird flies in a circular pattern from left to right on level three. 3) Pot During stages two and three, pots may be thrown in any area with potted plants around from behind the scenes. 4) Boulder In level four, "The Last Battle With Chozen," Boulders may roll from off-screen either left to right or vice versa. In order to destroy them, Daniel-San can kick or punch them, or jump directly on top of them. 5) Small Rock During stage four, in an area with a rock patch, small rocks will be thrown from behind like the potted plants or cabbages. 6) Cabbage Cabbages appear during stages two and three in the midst of a cabbage patch, and are thrown like the potted plants on the same stages. E) Chozen Chozen fights Daniel-San at the end of stages two, three, and four. He moves and attacks just like Daniel-San. On stage two, he has eight life bars, and on stages three and four, he holds sixteen. He rewards Daniel-San with 2000 points for defeating him and winning the battle on stage four completes the game. ............................................................................... VII. Statistics A) Crane Kicks You begin the game with four crane kicks and they are executed by pressing the B button alone. As in the movie, Daniel-San will jump in the air and kick his opponent twice. More crane kicks may appear when enemies are damaged, and they may also be rewarded during the bonus stages. The number of crane kicks you may use is displayed in the upper right hand corner of the game screen, represented by the letter "C." B) Drum Punches Drum punches are performed like the crane kicks, only using the A button. Like the second movie, your character will spin, inflicting powerful damage on his opponents. Drum punches are only received from the bonus stages. The number of drum punches to which Daniel-San has access are next to the crane kicks in the upper right portion of the screen, represented by the letter "D." C) Chances Chances, or lives, are the number of times Daniel-San may be defeated before the game is over. You begin the game with three chances, but an extra one is rewarded every 20,000 points. D) Life Meter The upper left corner displays Daniel-San's energy. He begins each stage with 16 bars of life and some is taken away every time he receives damage. When Daniel-San's life meter reaches zero, he dies and must begin the stage again from the last checkpoint. E) Score The number of points your character has received is displayed in the upper right corner of the screen, above your crane kick and drum punch count. During the game menu screen, the highest score of any player since the game has been turned on is shown. ............................................................................... VIII. Bonus Levels A) Chopstick Fly Catch Six flies buzz around in a circular motion. Repeatedly press A when one is near your chopsticks to catch it. You will hear a beep indicating you have caught it and you can move onto another. Their movements are predictable and you should concentrate on one at a time. Hope to get the chopstick fly catch bonus every time you go into a room. It's certainly the easiest to master and, in just a few tries, you'll get the maximum bonus every time. B) Ice Block Break Watch the upper left corner where your character's energy level is. A moment after you enter the screen, it will start to rise fast and lower again. Unfortunately, the peak varies each time and you won't always have the opportunity to break all six blocks. No matter how high it goes, get a good feel for the maximum power you can get out of it by watching it go up and down a few times and hit A or B at the top to break as many blocks as you can. Note: If you don't break any, a fly buzzes down and lands on your nose. It's supposed to be cute. It isn't. C) Swinging Hammer This is definitely the most difficult bonus level. Face the hammer when it falls toward you. Press either button to drum punch and you will spin around to dodge it (don't worry - it doesn't actually use up your collected drum punches). When you spin, turn to face the hammer coming in the opposite direction. Again, press a button to dodge it again. Do this up to six times. If you get hit, you'll fall into the water and your bonus will be over. You can jump and clear the hammer as it comes at you, but it won't count towards your bonus. The hammer only swings six times. D) Bonuses Your rewards for the bonus levels are for the number of blocks you break, flies you catch, or hammers you dodge. It is the same for all three. 0 - no bonus 1 - no bonus 2 - no bonus 3 - 1000 points, 1 drum punch, 1 crane kick 4 - 2000 points, 2 drum punches, 1 crane kick 5 - 3000 points, 3 drum punches, 2 crane kicks 6 - 5000 points, 4 drum punches, 3 crane kicks ............................................................................... IX. Walkthrough A) Karate Tournament 1) First Round Grey Student - 8 Life Bars You begin the game with four crane kicks, and they're too hard to hold on to, so just wait for him to come to you and kick him twice. The crane kick will execute automatically, and two shots will do it. 2) Quarter Final Round Yellow Student - 10 Life Bars With two crane kicks left, use the same technique as the first round. After you kick him twice, he might have a smidgen left, so just wait for him to come at you and kick him one more time. 3) Semi Final Round Blue Student - 12 Life Bars It should take about six kicks to finish this guy off. If you're noticing the pattern, you're pretty sharp. Wait for him to approach you, kick him back, and repeat. Get your 2000 points and proceed to the final round. 4) Final Round Dark Blue Student - 14 LIfe Bars See above. Pretty much a no-brainer, just kick all of these guys and they keep coming at you. It makes you wonder how they ended up in this tournament. After this guy, you'll be sporting 8000 points, well on your way to a free guy, and ready to start level two - where you get to move. B) Daniel-San In Okinawa You begin in front of a few palm trees and a little hut thingie, obviously the type of hut thingies that people from Okinawa live in to drink their tea and catch flies in their chopsticks. You are facing right with an adamant look on your face, so proceed in this direction. In just a few steps, you should run into a ninja style karate boy who looks suprisingly like you without the headband. Possibly, you'll run into two. Get used to this look, as he is just about the only enemy you'll see for the next two stages. There are others, but they hide behind bridges and throw pots at Daniel-San. The kick is about the only move you'll use for the next two stages. Don't try to hang onto your crane kicks, as it's too difficult to advance on an enemy and kick at the same time. Whenever you see one of these little guys coming, hold your ground and kick away. Every once in a while, you will be trapped between two enemies. This is where you'll use your drum punches. They will knock you back and forth and beat you to death. Take a breath, count to one, and hit the A button alone, as in don't try to hold left or right. This will activate the drum punch, and you might get both of them. Make sure, however, that you're facing right when you hit it so you get the guy who is in your path, not behind you. A bit of a flaw is the maximum two enemies per screen. If you can time it right, while on the highest point of a screen, it's possible to get two enemies behind you and make them follow you for a while, and sometimes to the end. If you pull this off, it's better than two free "chances" and 16 crane kicks, so skip all the bonus rooms until they drop into the water or get stopped by an empass and jump around like idiots. Okinawa is a straight forward, so to speak, sort of level, and you'll want to execute the two-enemies-behind-you method right away, but hit a couple of bonus rooms until you get there. Proceed right until you're on a bridge. Enemies will be coming in both directions, and this might be a good place to build up your points, while simultaneously learning the skill of taking out the chop suey ninja masters. Every one you kill gives you 200 points, so for every 100 you take out, that's a free life. I wouldn't spend too much time here, but if you get lucky here, you'll end up with two behind you. If that happens, move along until you hit the water. Moving right, in a minute, you'll run into some more paper wall hut houses with a walkway in front of them. As a result of poor planning and programming, once you jump up to that walkway, you cannot decend, and the same is true for all the platforms throughout the game. You need to find the end or a hole to get down. And, unlike the true karate master knows, having the higher ground is really terrible when it comes to fighting in The Karate Kid. It is much better to be underneath the enemy and kick upward. It would seem that using the sweep kick would give you an advantage over an enemy beneath you, but it's harder to pull off than the swinging hammer bonus stage, so if you're above an enemy on a platform, you had better just back off until he jumps up to equal footing. A ways to the right, you'll see an entrance to the hut, which might magically transport you to a bridge with a swinging hammer, or you might simply meet the owner, put your hands together, bow, and eat some flies. These rooms are everywhere for the next three stages and you will have one of three tasks to master: The ice block break, the swinging hammer, or the chopstick fly catch. See the "Bonus Levels" section for a full description of maximizing your potential in the bonus levels. After you finish your bonus, you'll automatically exit the room, and to the right you'll see some more indigenous palm trees and the common Okinawa cabbage patch. Somebody is back there throwing these things at you, so watch your step. They don't take off any damage when the hit you, but they will knock you back for miles, so kick them if you can for 100 points, but get out of there as fast as possible. Up and down some steps, you'll come to a little pit in the ground with some water. Make sure there are no enemies around you and jump over it. Yes, it will kill you if you fall. A few steps later, you'll find another hut entrance, so get in it when you can. Complete the bonus and exit. In a second, you'll see another entrance that looks exactly the same as the last. And as a funny trick, it's not. But in just a second there is another one. Go on in and do another bonus stage. When completed, go down to the right and watch for falling karate champions. In a second, you'll come to yet another entrance. April fools - it's another fake. Halfway there. There is a bit of a ledge in front of the not-a-door, so catch your breath here and get ready to have an enemy behind you and one in front of you for the next few meters. If it doesn't happen, you're pretty lucky. Just keep moving right and get to the next bonus stage quick. You're also going through another cabbage patch, so be real careful. You will eventually come to an extremely large opening to a bonus stage, so go get some more crane kicks. Upon exiting, to the right you'll see what looks like another entrance to a bonus, but isn't, and beyond that a small area with wicker woodworking and potted plants. Yeah, those plants get thrown at you, but in the center MIGHT be one of three things: A monkey, little girl, or Mr. Miyagi. These all replenish your life bars in different increments. After you have maybe collected your bonus life, move to the right and enter the obvious door, the last one on this level. To the right there is are some wall scrolls with "I tried to imitate Japanese writing and failed" and some highly organized sickles. Wipe out the last couple of ninjas and then you will meet Chozen, who is just a ninja who takes more than one hit and wears a brown gi. Like the first student in the tournament, he only has 8 bars of life and two crane kicks take him out, but even if you've depleted your source of magical crane kicks, just stand your ground and kick him when he approaches. The technique doesn't need to be flawless, and he goes down like a ton of bricks. Defeat Chozen for 2000 bonus points and some musical fanfare. You're onto the real challenge - stage three. C) The Typhoon Strikes Every Okinawan child knows when the weekly typhoon hits, watch out for sticks, birds, and ninjas. The white streaks flying at you represent the 75 mph southwestern winds and if you stand still, it will push you back. But your hair will always be perfect with that headband and black belts have developed cold proofing skills to allow them to wear a tank top, even in freezing rain. Jump onto the moldy bricks to the right and move along. Avoid the debris if you can, but don't waste too much time trying to hit it. Sometimes it's better to take it and roll with it (like Steve Winwood) and get on with the level. Worry about the flying terrors when you get to the water, but until then, get onto the first bonus level. With all the stuff in the air, it's basically impossible to get two enemies behind you for too long, so don't even bother trying. Your first bonus stage is across the bridge, and at the end of the walkway you come to. Cross your chopsticks and win some crane kicks. Moving to the right, it looks like the game has glitched up with unfitting wicker patterns, stones, and bricks, with one of the life bonuses in the middle. The problems with making a game in three months show. You'll see a hut to the right and in front of that are top and bottom walkways. You'll probably fall to the bottom if you try to stay in the sky anyway, so get to the bottom, jump the pit, avoid falling dragon clan lords, and skip the "not really a bonus room" at the end. Cross the log bridge and climb the steps to the palm trees. Chill here for a second until there are two guys beneath you to the right. When you've got them trapped, jump over them, run to the right, grab a life bonus if it's there, and get in that room. To the immediate right after this bonus stage is another one, so go in there, get hit by the swinging hammer on the first try, and exit. Up the steps, you'll see an annoying cabbage patch, which is the most amount of stuff flying at you the human brain can handle. Once through, go up the one-two-three wooden step thingies and go in the bonus room on the top. It's difficult going up these with the ninjas so time it right. Back off until you've cleared the way. Now you're halfway there and at the most annoying part of any game ever created for the NES. Beneath you will be some Mexican-jumping-karate-champs, small platforms, and lots of water. This carries on for a minute, so time everything perfectly. Try to stay on top for as long as possible, but if you drop to the bottom, keep moving and don't try to get back up. Kick flying sticks when you can so as not to get knocked back into the water. Crouch when you need to stand still and catch your breath. And once you have fallen to the bottom, and you will fall to the bottom, keep away from holes in the top platforms where enemies can get the drop on you. Maintain your patience and sigh with relief when you get to that bonus stage. After that, it's not quite over yet, but in just a couple of jumps you'll come to some steps getting you out of there. Here, it's real easy to get knocked back into the water by decending greaser looking orange jumpsuits, but kick high and power through it. You're safe when you get to the top, so go a bit to the right, and in the midst of the bamboo mess, there is a secret bonus stage. After this, climb to the top and avoid flying pots in addition to everything else. Then avoid flying cabbage patch kids, and go to the bottom to meet Chozen again. You'll see a ladder, made in Japan, with a bell and a crying child, who doesn't seem to be too affected by the typhoon. In a second, Chozen will come out with a whopping 16 points of life. That means you need to kick him a whole eight times before you wipe him out. If you don't want to deal with this level of difficulty, you can simply jump up the rungs and rescue the girl, but you'll never know if you're the true Karate Kid until you kick that brown suited guy eight times in the face. Plus, you get another 2000 points. Rescuing the child actually ends the level, so upon dispensing the gangstar, grab her and proceed to the final level. D) The Last Fight Against Chozen To prepare for the last fight against chozen, you deck yourself out in the red karate gear, complete with matching headband. In this purple clouded, rocky area of Japan, there are no cabbages or potted plants, but offscreen bad guys roll boulders at you for fun. And, they hide behind rock patches and throw them at you. And to boot, the ninjas have changed into a creamy color top with black pants, but nobody wears any shoes. They now take two hits to defeat and reward you with the same 200 points. Sometimes, they carry spiky spears, which can be annoying, but one drum punch will knock it away. These baddies are worth a big 500 points and fabulous prizes. This is certainly an easy stage, however, to get two enemies behind you and simply run to the end. To the right a bit, you'll see a pot on the ground with a hidden bonus stage. Don't enter it, rather stand at the highest point and wait. If someone comes behind you, wipe him out. When there are two angry, anxious, jumping ninjas below, jump far to the right and let them follow you for as long as possible. Down the mountain, you'll see what looks like a bonus area. Even if it was, you'd skip it, as having these two guys at a distance behind you is a blessing. You can jump on boulders for 100 points ala Mario and mischevious mushrooms, but don't get hit by them. You need to keep these two guys away from you. Up and down three times, then up, then down, then up a bit higher, and so on, you will eventually come to a bonus stage. Skip it and move right. Halfway there, keep those chumps behind you. You'll go up another mountain and then come to a long straight path. Stay on top and keep on truckin'. With luck, they won't fall into the only hole in the floor, but don't give these guys too much credit. They will. It doesn't matter too much, because shortly after this, you're at the end. You'll know, because all Japanese gang lords with pompadors are protected by fat puppy statues. The cubes in the water beneath are important as well for chakra balance, which is why he is just as difficult to take out as the last round - with an equal number of 16 life bars. Stand here for a second to watch the ninjas jump at you into the water. It's really kinda funny. When the time is right, jump to the platform. There's a girl sitting there, who might be Chozen's girl or might be your girl. You're not really sure, as nobody has really told you yet exactly why you're putting your life on the line. You cannot be knocked off the platform, so just kick away. Use the drums if you have any leftover. The game's over after this and you don't even get a second quest with the return of Chozen. Miyagi says something uplifting and winks, then "The End." That's all there is to it. ............................................................................... X. Glitch Suprisingly, I only found one in the entire game. I guess when a game is this awful, poor brain-power and programming are glitchy enough. When in two player mode, after player one dies, player two begins the game with an extra life. ............................................................................... XI. Notes The Karate Kid is the third of my walkthroughs, the first of which was a tiny Zelda first quest start-up walkthrough, as of yet unpublished, and the second is a complete game description for Rygar, which can be found on www.gamefaqs.com. In the future, I intend to move onto other original NES games like Section Z, and I am currently working on a project for Trojan.