If you’re like me, then you grew up on anime and over-the-top martial arts films and shows. Seriously, it was everywhere 30 years ago, with shows like Power Ranger and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles making sure that every kid fully understood the sheer power of being a professionally trained martial artist in a weird outfit. Well, aside from the weird outfit, Karate Survivor is basically all of 80’s marital arts nostalgia in game form.
The Vampire Survivors-like genre is a burgeoning one right now with regular new entries refining on what came before. As a genre, it offers up a chance to constantly get the thrill of levelling up and getting stronger, along with letting you discover new and absurd combinations as you do so. Whilst a more toned-down entry in the genre, Karate Survivor still allows you to mix and match moves you unlock as you level up, and order them as you like. You get bonus damage for not only putting moves from the same style together but also ordering them correctly.
Along with that, you unlock the ability to interact with the environment by running up walls, or doing absurd spinning kicks while sitting in a chair. It’s all very improv, and that even extends to your ability to throw bottles, plant pots or even kick chairs at your enemies. Like many of the best games in the genre, there are loads of things to unlock as you go, including new moves and abilities, as progress through new levels and difficulties.
Arguably the one key difference from other games in the genre is the importance of timing but it’s a difference that the game is all the better for and truly encapsulates that martial arts feel. Beating levels will make you feel like a true master of the martial arts, especially if you’ve managed to end up with a really strong build with plenty of power and defensive abilities. Overall, Karate Survivor is a huge amount of fun and with runs asking around 20 minutes, it’s a perfect game to pick up and play without the need for a dedicated, length play session.
