IK+ (1988), Way of the Exploding Fist (1985)

IK+ aka Chop N' Drop (1988), developed and published by System 3 Software for Amstrad CPC464 

Despite IK+ is a fantastic game, which plays very well even today, I don't really have much to say about it. As a game, it is a karate battle royale, where 3 fighters try to take each other out. Each round is won by the fighter, who gets the most points. After you've won enough rounds, there is a bonus level, where you try to block balls thrown in your direction. And that's pretty much it.

The game plays and controls very, the animations are very smooth and you have quite a decent array of moves at your disposal. The graphics are also very good for an Amstrad title, though the whole game takes place on one screen.

That's all I have to say about IK+. It is a game, that still is pretty playable, even for modern standards. It isn't a complex game, nor does it offer a lot of options. You just play it as long as you can. After you are out, you are rewarded with an appropriate belt matching your success. I assume the black belt is the highest rank you can get, but overall, I assume most players will either perish or get bored long before that.

Way of the Exploding Fist (1985), published by Melbourne House

I played Way of the Exploding Fist quite a bit as a kid. It is, just like IK+, a relatively simple kung-fu fighting game.  Two fighters match to gain two complete yin-yang symbols. A successful takedown scores either a half or a full symbol. And that's the game in its entirety.

In comparison to IK+, The Way of the Exploding Fist has aged rather poorly. The controls feel a bit stiff and at times somewhat unresponsive. Graphically the game is bland and the animations are sparse.

Overall, I do prefer IK+ over tWotEF, as it has aged more graciously, whereas the other might have been a good game in its time, but that time has come and gone.

I don't know if the other versions of tWotEF are any better, at least as far as gameplay goes. I do think the C64 version is graphically better looking, but if that translates into gameplay, I can't say.

If you are hankering to play a good martial arts game from the '80s, I'd recommend you to pick up IK+. sure, it isn't a complex game, but it does play well and it has been ported to several different platforms, including the iPhone.