Apple II brawler Karateka gets remade on iOS, will hit the App Store at midnight

Jordan Mechner is perhaps best known for creating Prince of Persia. That wasn't, however, his first game.

Five years before Prince of Persia was released, Mechner published a fondly remembered Apple II beat-'em-up called Karateka.

Earlier this year, Mechner (and developer Liquid Entertainment) completely remade the game for consoles. Now, that HD reboot is available on iOS.

This new version has a clever way of dealing with difficulty. Remember: in the original Karateka, you had just one life, and if you lost a bout, you'd be sent back to the start of the game.

In this new edition, you have three lives, personified as three different characters. If the first hero falls in battle, he'll be replaced with the Monk, and then with the Brute.

Anyone can beat the game as the Brute, but you'll get a crap final cutscene if you do. To get the 'proper' ending, you need to keep the first hero - Mariko's true love - alive in every fight.

The game's also got lush new graphics from The Batman artist Jeff Matsuda, and a dynamic score from Civilization IV composer Christopher Tin.

The combat is all rhythm based, and you'll fight using different touchscreen taps and gestures.

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Whether you wasted your youth on an Apple II computer or you hadn't heard of Karateka until this very second, it's something to check out.

The game will hit the App Store at about midnight. You'll need an iPhone 4S, iPhone 5, fourth-generation iPod touch, fifth-generation iPod touch, or any iPad to play it.

It'll cost you £1.99 / $2.99.