The original Karate Kid film from 1984 is one of the most iconic films in history, with memorable characters and quotes still referenced to this day. Alongside three sequels, an animated series, a remake, and a highly successful TV spinoff, there were also various video games. Publisher, GameMill Entertainment, and developer, Odaclick Game Studio, bring us us the latest game adaptation, The Karate Kid: Street Rumble, now available on Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4|5, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One and PC.

The Karate Kid: Street Rumble takes the plots of the original films and condenses them into one overarching story, beginning with Daniel LaRusso and his mother arriving in Miami, where they meet Ali Mills who invites him to a beach party later that day. No matter where Daniel goes, everyone always seems to pick a fight with him, and players will experience a variety of familiar places and events from the movies, such as the arcade, Cobra Kai Dojo, the All Valley Karate Tournament, Okinawa, and Mr Miyagi’s home.

In this beat ’em up game, up to four players can team up by taking control of the four playable characters; Daniel LaRusso, Mr. Miyagi, Ali Mills, and Kumiko. Each character has unique moves, but for the most part, they feel the same. The controls are simple, and you’ll soon master the light and heavy attacks, jumping and dodging, and with the focus meter filled enough, a signature move that deals heavy damage. This is particularly handy for taking out a large number of enemies when things get overwhelming, but it also makes quick work of the boss battles. Unfortunately, the controls don’t always feel as responsive as they should be, occasionally failing to do anything when you need it most, so it can make certain battles feel incredibly unfair.

The boss battles aren’t much fun either. They tend to drag on, with players having to chase them down to land an attack on them. Rather than creating an exciting and intense battle, it feels more like they’re delaying the inevitable, and players will just want it to be over. It’s worse if you end up losing and have to restart the stage from the beginning. Aside from that, it’s nice to see familiar faces from the movies, with the boss fights being against the likes of Johnny Laurence, John Kreese, Sato, Chozen, Mike Barnes, and Terry Silver.

Between stages, you’ll occasionally play a selection of minigames, which happen to be more fun than the main game. They each reference iconic moments from the movies such as catching a fly with chopsticks, practising the crane kick on post at the beach, or the drum technique. These can also be played again in the Other Modes section, where you’ll also find Boss Rush, Endless, and Arcade. They are nice additions to keep players busy, but it would be better if the game was more fun than it is.

Beat ’em up games, in this day and age, need to be fun and hold the player’s interest so they can get the most out of the experience, but the fun factor in this game doesn’t last for long. The gameplay has some nice ideas overall, but it feels generic and repetitive. Fans of the Karate Kid franchise will enjoy seeing familiar faces and locations from the three films, so the game is worth playing for that reason, but that’s all there is to it, and there’s not much incentive to play again after completion. It is more enjoyable when you’re playing with friends, but unfortunately, there is no online play, so you’re relying on having some people over.

Aside from the fun factor, the game does have a nice retro presentation by using a pixelated art style. The animations are also incredibly well done, making them fun to watch as all the characters perform their familiar moves from the movies, including the iconic crane kick, as well as a variety of new ones that take inspiration from the Street Fighter series. Seeing Ken’s Flaming Tatsumaki Senpukyaku or Chun-Li’s Hundred Lightning Kicks may not make sense, but they do add a bit of excitement, and while Ali and Kumiko may not have fought in the movies, making them playable characters brings some nice diversity.

Characters all have a bit of a cartoonish appearance, but the main characters have defining features that make it easy to define who they are. Additional outfits can also be unlocked for the playable characters, as well as Johnny Laurence, who makes more than one appearance as a boss. He has a different outfit for each battle, such as his red leather jacket, skeleton costume, and his Cobra Kai karate gi.

With how backgrounds, cars, and clothing are presented, it does a good job of making you feel like you’re in the 80s. The stages have a lot of detail put into them, so it almost feels like a different game as players take in the peaceful sights of Okinawa, which is a nice break from the more hyperactive Miami. Aside from the occasional minigame, there are cutscenes between the stages, and these use some good-looking comic-style art replicating scenes from the movies, and these are short and get straight to the point.

The soundtrack has various upbeat tracks that complement their respective stages, all with a retro tune. It’s clear to see that the development team put a lot of love and care into this project as everything looks fantastic and pays homage to the movies.

Music can also be listened to in the Extra Content section, where players can also view a gallery featuring all of the 2D character sprites, background pieces, and various stages. It’s nice to see all of these, but they’re exactly the same as what you see in the game, whereas galleries would normally feature concept sketches and give insights into the process behind the game’s design, but none of that is in this game. It’s just things you have already seen as you played.

The Karate Kid films were more than just fighting, they also taught some valuable life lessons thanks to the performances of Ralph Macchio as Daniel LaRusso, and the late great Pat Morita as Mr. Miyagi. A game adaptation doesn’t necessarily have to feature everything from the movies, but it skips over so many important moments. There’s no “wax on, wax off”, none of the training between Daniel-san and Mr. Miyagi – none of their bonding moments at all. There are also some changes to the story, which isn’t always a bad thing for game adaptations, but here, it just comes across lazy writing.

The Karate Kid franchise has all the elements required to make a fun game, but The Karate Kid: Street Rumble falls short of the fun factor. It looks fantastic, but as an average beat ‘em up game, at best, it takes around 2 to 3 hours to complete, so it severely lacks substance. It’s not the worst game of its kind out there, and fans of the films will enjoy playing through it once or twice, but it has no real replay value. The genre is filled with better alternatives, particularly with beat ’em ups being increasing in popularity over the last few years. The Karate Kid: Street Rumble aims to land the perfect crane kick, but it’s taken out by a chap leg sweep.

Written by: Sammy Hanson