The Making of Karateka

After making several memorable appearances in The Wheel of Time season 2’s first four installments, the Prime Video series’ Seanchan invaders finally take center stage in episode 5, “Damane.” They make the most of it, too, showing off everything from their culture and politics to their fashion over the course of the episode’s hour run time. What’s more, “Damane” also hammers home what Wheel of Time’s second season has already made abundantly clear: The Seanchan are a major threat, and one whose motivations hit closer to home than your standard fantasy army with world conquest in its sights.

Happy September, Polygon readers!

At today’s surprisingly brief State of Play online event, Sony revealed a diminutive slate of titles that are sure to please gamers in coming months. Bandai Namco showed off Tales of Arise: Beyond the Dawn, a direct follow-up to 2021’s Tales of Arise that is due to arrive later this year.

The is around the corner, and fans are wondering when they can start streaming the documentary.

Mirage feels like a return to the series' roots but the smart implementation of mechanics and features from later games ensures it still feels modern.

Love hurts — just ask The Wheel of Timeprotagonist Rand al’Thor (Josha Stradowski). In season 1 of the Prime Video fantasy series, Rand effectively walked out on his childhood crush, Egwene al’Vere (Madeleine Madden), after finally owning up to his destiny as the prophesized world savior/destroyer, the Dragon Reborn. The former sheep herder’s love life only gets worse in season 2, after he seeks solace in a rebound fling with Selene (Natasha O’Keeffe): an entrancing innkeeper who shows her true — and decidedly terrifying — colors in season 2’s fourth episode, “Daughter of the Night.”

ComingSoon is debuting an exclusive recipe from. The book, which was written by Tom Grimm and Jordan Alsaqa, features over 65 recipes with step-by-step instructions and full-color photography. The book is set to release on Tuesday, October 17 and will cost $34.99.

We're thrilled to announce the return of GamesBeat Next, hosted in San Francisco this October, where we will explore the theme of «Playing the Edge.» Apply to speak here and learn more about sponsorship opportunities here. At the event, we will also announce 25 top game startups as the 2024 Game Changers. Apply or nominate today!

The latest episode of VGC: A Video Games Podcast is now available on all major audio platforms.

When Amazon Studios’ The Wheel of Time season 1 wrapped up in December 2021, things were looking pretty grim for our heroes.

The Making of Karateka is a rare treat. It's part documentary, part archive, part collection of old games, and part remaster. It's also a wonderful example of just how far we can go with game preservation if we put the work in, and the gold standard for how we should approach collections of classic games going forward.

The first published game by Prince of Persia creator Jordan Mechner has been given the star treatment in an interactive documentary that includes the original Karateka, its early prototypes, a full remaster with dev commentary and a brand new game.