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Gamers in 1992 were living it up – arcades were still hot, home consoles were the rage, and kids were playing whatever they wanted as their parents just smiled. “Thank you, video games, for all that you do,” cried every parent everywhere (probably)…that was until the 1992 release of Midway’s Mortal Kombat, a one of a kind fighting game.
What made it one of kind? For starters, players could “juggle” each other, a concept introduced by way of knocking your opponent in the air and following up with a combo while your opponent remains defenseless. But what really made the title stand out was its unapologetic gore and introduction of fatalities. No other fighting game had their characters bleed before, and fatalities took everything a step further involving mutilation, burning, etc. When a player wins the final round, the words “Finish Him” appear on screen as the winning player is given a chance to execute a certain combination of buttons to brutally end the opponent character’s life. Developers used digitized sprites of real actors for the game’s fighters, a revolutionary game animation style that added realism to the violence. This didn’t sit well with many parents, but with no ESRB rating on games at the time, kids were free to purchase and walk out of Toys”R”Us with no hassle.
The game’s lore involves the evil Shang Tsung who has been banished to Earthrealm for 500 years. However, he decides to take control of the Mortal Kombat tournament as a way to doom the realm. If Tsung’s monster Goro wins another tournament, Earthrealm falls under the rule of evil Emperor of Outworld, Shao Kahn. In order to stop it, a new blood of warriors must challenge and defeat Goro. Players choose from seven different Earthrealm fighters to stop Shang Tsung and Goro. At the time, the bulk of the game’s backstory was told only in comic book but would later cross into animated films and anime.
Mortal Kombat was ported to the SNES and the Sega Genesis/Mega Drive in 1993 to huge commercial success, selling 1.5 million copies worldwide and becoming the best selling video game in the US in 1992. It won several awards including ‘Game of the Year’ by Electronic Gaming Monthly and ‘Best Fighting Game’ by the Academy of Interactive Arts and Sciences. IGN has hailed it as a “stunning achievement in 2D fighting games.”
Mortal Kombat has since spawned a number of sequels that continue into the modern era, spun off into live action movies, and maintained a status as one of the bestselling franchises despite its early controversy. In 2023, on a PlayStation Showcase online, it was announced that a remaster/reboot of Mortal Kombat is releasing this year for PlayStation and later confirmed, PC and Xbox.
As someone who who recently spent a good chunk of time on the latest Mortal Kombat games. Mastering Kombos and Fatalities to many Kharacters a reboot/remaster of the franchises debut game is very welcoming and exciting. The story line in MK almost feels like watching a movie before you’re launched into continuous fights. I for one am very excited for the release later this year.
ABACABB BLOOD CODE!!!! I miss the simplicity of the original, before plp could hita you with an unblocable 70% combo.