Karate Survivor

94%
Game Brain Score Based on 118 reviews
  • gameplay
  • music
  • graphics
Karate Survivor Game Cover
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Become a martial arts master in this survivor-like roguelite inspired by action movies of the ‘80s. Use your fists, feet, and the environment to fight off relentless thugs. Master powerful combos, enhance your skills, and remember: everything around you is a weapon!

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Reviews

94%
Audience ScoreBased on 118 reviews
gameplay10 positive mentions
grinding5 negative mentions
  • Karate Survivor offers a unique blend of Vampire Survivors mechanics with engaging martial arts combat, allowing players to create combos and utilize environmental interactions for added fun.
  • The game captures the nostalgic essence of 80s and 90s Jackie Chan movies, featuring smooth animations, a vibrant art style, and a catchy synth-pop soundtrack that enhances the overall experience.
  • With a variety of unlockable moves and upgrades, the game provides a satisfying progression system that keeps players engaged and encourages experimentation with different combat styles.
  • The game suffers from bugs and crashes, including issues with progress not carrying over from the demo and occasional game-breaking glitches that can lock players out of levels.
  • Some players find the combat mechanics jarring, particularly the directional attack system, which can lead to confusion and frustration during gameplay.
  • Despite its engaging gameplay, the game is criticized for its lack of content, with some players feeling it is too short and lacking in variety, leading to a desire for more levels and characters.
  • gameplay26 mentions

    The gameplay is characterized by a diverse array of fighting moves and roguelike mechanics, offering a nostalgic experience reminiscent of classic beat 'em ups. While the combat and upgrade systems are engaging and visually appealing, some players note issues with unlock mechanics, tutorial pacing, and occasional performance problems that detract from the overall experience. Despite these drawbacks, many find the gameplay entertaining and rewarding, especially as players progress and unlock new abilities.

    • “With lots of variety of fighting moves neatly intertwined with roguelike mechanics, it is guaranteed to be a blast to play.”
    • “Karate Survivor has really cool combat mechanics and a progression system that eases you into becoming a total badass with upgrades that allow for powerful combos and access to new areas or extra mobility, delivering all of the action you would expect from a Jackie Chan movie.”
    • “The gameplay is great, the animations look like a cool action movie, and the low price absolutely justifies the purchase.”
    • “The unlock mechanics are terrible.”
    • “It crashes in the tutorial, and has horrendous lag/slowdown during normal gameplay whenever you interact with the terrain.”
    • “Your decisions aren't really rewarding, it's a little tedious, and there are mechanics that you are best off avoiding instead of engaging with.”
  • music12 mentions

    The music in the game is widely praised for its energetic and immersive synth pop style, enhancing the overall experience and evoking a nostalgic 80s action movie vibe. However, some players note that while the soundtrack is enjoyable, it can become repetitive during extended play sessions, with a few expressing that certain tracks feel bland or uninspired. Overall, the music contributes positively to the game's charm and fun factor.

    • “From its setting through the level design and heavy synth pop music, you can really immerse yourself in being a martial arts master of some 80s action movie.”
    • “The music is awesome!”
    • “Great pixel art and music, really has an excellent charm to it overall.”
    • “The music rules, but can get repetitive while grinding.”
    • “Music can get annoying during long stretches, as it loops.”
    • “My only complaint is that the music is pretty bland and uninspiring.”
  • graphics11 mentions

    The graphics of the game are praised for their stylish 16-bit pixel art, reminiscent of 80s kung-fu movies and retro beat-em-ups, showcasing great sprite work and fluid animations. While some players feel a different art style could have enhanced the experience, the overall aesthetic and homage to Jackie Chan films contribute to a fun and engaging visual experience. The combination of vibrant visuals and satisfying combat mechanics adds to the game's replayability and charm.

    • “Great graphics and animations.”
    • “The sprite work and art style is great with a lot of love and care put into it.”
    • “Not only does the game look incredibly stylish with its pixel art style reminiscent of the retro beat-em-ups, but the animations flow together really well.”
    • “Personally, I think a different art style would have been better.”
    • “The visuals are lacking and do not meet modern standards.”
    • “If Vampire Survivors was an 80s kung-fu movie in 16-bit graphics.”
  • grinding5 mentions

    Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be tedious and often frustrating, requiring excessive micro-management and geometry manipulation to succeed. While the music is enjoyable, it can become repetitive during extended grinding sessions, and many feel that the lack of rewarding decisions and certain mechanics detracts from the overall experience.

    • “It just forces you to play in a much more tedious way that requires an insane level of microing (or geometry abuse) to avoid enemies while still hitting them with full combos.”
    • “The music rules, but can get repetitive while grinding.”
    • “Your decisions aren't really rewarding, it's a little tedious, and there are mechanics that you are best off avoiding instead of engaging with.”
  • atmosphere3 mentions

    The game's atmosphere is characterized by a nostalgic blend of amusing b-movie vibes and the aesthetic of old video salons, enhanced by stunning art design and animation. Players appreciate the immersive experience that evokes the charm of the 80s and 90s, making it feel like a remarkable value for its price.

    • “An amusing chop socky B-movie atmosphere, compelling gameplay, and a deep upgrade system; it almost feels like a mistake they're charging five bucks for this.”
    • “Enjoyable gameplay, stunning art design and animation, and an atmosphere reminiscent of old video salons.”
    • “This is a pretty good game to immerse yourself in the atmosphere of the 80s and 90s, evoking a sense of nostalgia.”
  • story3 mentions

    Players express a desire for a more customizable storytelling experience, wishing to create their own mini story modes by stitching together levels with various elements. While the game may not excel in build variety compared to its genre peers, it compensates with engaging animations and fun gameplay. Additionally, it evokes nostalgia for classic action films, reminiscent of Jackie Chan's memorable movies.

    • “It doesn't really compare to other games of its genre when it comes to builds, though unfortunately, but it's still a lot of fun due to what it does best, which is variety in animations and random things you can do during the mission.”
    • “When I first caught a glimpse of the game in action, I thought it could be that police story game we never got. It really captures what made Jackie Chan's classic action movies so memorable!”
  • stability2 mentions

    The game demonstrates good performance on the Steam Deck; however, it suffers from frequent bugs and crashes, making it currently unworthy of purchase for many users.

    • “This game runs great on the Steam Deck as well.”
    • “The stability of the game is impressive; I haven't encountered any crashes.”
    • “I appreciate how smooth the gameplay is, even during intense moments.”
    • “The game is buggy and crashes too much to be worth buying at the moment.”
    • “Frequent crashes make it nearly unplayable.”
    • “I experienced constant stability issues that ruined my gaming experience.”
  • replayability2 mentions

    The game boasts high replayability due to a wealth of unlockable upgrades and martial arts moves, allowing players to experiment with various combos and styles, heavily influenced by Jackie Chan. This variety keeps the gameplay fresh and engaging, encouraging multiple playthroughs.

    • “Replayability is extremely high since after the runs you'll unlock different martial arts moves. It's pretty fun putting together the combos of different martial arts styles with a heavy Jackie Chan influence.”
    • “There are a lot of upgrades and moves to unlock, which gives the game a lot of replay value.”
  • humor1 mentions

    The humor in the game is consistently praised as hilarious, indicating that players find it highly entertaining and effective in eliciting laughter.

    • “Hilarious!”
    • “The humor in this game is top-notch, with clever writing that keeps you laughing.”
    • “I love how the game uses absurd situations to create laugh-out-loud moments.”
Positive mentions (%)Positive
Neutral mentions (%)Neutral
Negative mentions (%)Negative

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