The Making of Karateka

Video game preservation is vitally important, but it requires so much more than just keeping old files around so that enthusiasts can experience the games of years gone by. It requires efforts to keep the stories alive, too—stories of the people who made them, and the historical context in which they were made. This year Digital Eclipse, a studio known for its emulation chops, launched its new Gold Master series of re-releases, and the first entry, The Making of Karateka, sets a new standard for how classics should be handled.

Read More: This ‘Playable Documentary’ About A 1984 Classic Is One Of The Year’s Best Games

Karateka is a 1984 side-scrolling action game that was a huge success upon release. Today, however, it might be tough to see just what a monumental achievement it was—the technical challenges it overcame, the remarkable craftsmanship that went into its animations. The Making of Karateka, however, makes all this apparent, offering up a kind of “playable documentary” that brings the game’s creation to vivid life with archival footage, new interviews, journal entries by Karateka creator Jordan Mechner, and more. I’ve long yearned for classic games to get the same kind of treatment that companies like Criterion give to classic films. Now, Digital Eclipse is doing just that, and in doing so, opening up the beauty and excitement of these games to a whole new generation of enthusiasts. — Carolyn Petit