Mortal Kombat is a 1992 fighting video game, developed by Midway and published by Midway, Acclaim Entertainment, and Virgin Interactive Entertainment.  The game focuses on a group of characters who enter a martial arts tournament with the fate of the world hanging in the balance. 

The story and setup is actually pretty interesting having fighters from Earthrealm compete in a tournament against fighters from Outworld. Yeah, the backstory, level design and the variety of characters paint a great picture and for fighting games of that time that’s typically what we got. However, where the game falls flat is in its arcade mode and that’s because it lacks an actual story.  It’s not engaging, lacking any kind of cut scenes or stills (except for the various endings) unlike current gen games, which again was the formula for that time.  Players can choose one of seven characters to compete in the arcade mode, each having an ending explaining more about themselves and their motivations and how it relates to the tournament.  It’s a good intro into the Mortal Kombat mythology. (3 out of 5)

I believe it’s safe to say that the gameplay itself has not aged well though it’s still entertaining. The fighting itself is slow paced, the mechanics are a bit clunky and players will find it difficult to adjust.  When we’re talking about the competency of the AI it’s just ridiculous.  I’ve played all manner of fighting games over the years and have yet to take a beating the way I did playing this game.  Now, is it because I wasn’t able to adjust properly to the controls and mechanics? Probably.  But damn is the AI hard.

But let’s talk about the good in the gameplay.  We have seven characters and their basic moves are nearly the same but they do have distinguished special moves as well as a fatality. Fatalities help to differentiate it from other fighting games of that era giving players that rush of triumph after killing your opponent in bloody fashion. The controls are simple and respond well enough. Now this game has been ported from arcade to several consoles and the quality does seem to differ from console to console. (2 out of 5)

For its time Mortal Kombat was groundbreaking with its digital graphics. One of the first games to implement realistic character designs, it helped usher in a video game revolution.  And even though the graphics don’t hold up it is still impressive to see the level of depth to characters and the level design. (2 out of 5)

The music doesn’t have any flavor and in fact, feels very bland. Voice performances are serviceable and the shouts are pretty funny. Sound design works. Play a game like this especially during its early game years and it doesn’t really need to have deep complex sound design. (2 out of 5)

The game does feature some replayability.  First, each character has their own road to walk and beating the arcade mode will reveal their story and motivations.  Of course, players have the versus mode and if you got friends you don’t mind beating the crap out of then it’s solid to come back to.  For the bulk of gamers this will be the where they’ll spend most of their time. Then there is the “Test Your Might” minigame where players have to break through materials by rapidly pressing buttons to charge a meter. Honestly, it’s as fun as it is ridiculous. (3 out of 5)

The Verdict: In the end, Mortal Kombat is a surprisingly fun game with dated graphics, music, and mechanics. It’s pretty light on the content but if a game like this can stay entertaining after all these years then it has to be more than nostalgia. It is no wonder that this game has not only helped shape video games but stays as a beacon to many players till this day. But I have to be fair with the scoring and weigh the good and the bad. Mortal Kombat gets 2 out of 5.