Jordan Mechner remaking Karateka for PSN and XBLA

Prince of Persia creator Jordan Mechner helped reignite the Prince of Persia franchise with Ubisoft, and now he's going to attempt the same with his other classic, the atmospheric martial arts fighter Karateka – on his own.

Venturebeat reports that Mechner has raised money through an angel investor and is now working with a small team on a remake of the fighter for release on PSN and XBLA this year. "Making the original Karateka was a labor of love," Mechner told Venturebeat. "To have so many people embrace it and share their stories of playing it has been really rewarding. I am always surprised to hear how much impact that game had. In remaking Karateka, I want to honor the original game with a compact, pick-up-and-play game that is fluid, atmospheric, and beautiful."

The original Karateka, for those of you not as old as us, stars a black belt who storms an evil warlord's fortress, defeating all of his guards and finally the warlord himself, to rescue a captured princess. We're doubtful that a new Karateka will have the same impact without the beautiful 2D animation ... but we thought the same about Prince of Persia, and that didn't turn out too badly.

[Image: original Karateka, Apple II version]