Games

Mortal Kombat

Midway Games, Midway

1992•Fighting•ESRB M•About 1 hours

Taste attributes: actiondetectivemartial artsmonster/alien/supernaturalfasttried & testedunsavouryheavyimaginarysimplelineargrittyall consuming questfighting evilhuman spirit/resilience/survivalinjustice/tragedy/vengeancerescue/escape/jeopardyunderdog triumphs

See which match your taste

Boxlist takeHeightened and very fast: a dark fighting game, simple rather than intricate. Best if you like pace over patience.

Pace: very fast · Originality: tried and tested · Tone: very dark · Weight: heavy · Realism: imaginary world · Story: simple · Structure: linear · Look: gritty · Scale: balanced · Emotional punch: balancedHow we score

IGDB rating

76 / 100

298 ratings

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Based on your film and TV taste: games are matched on the same ten characteristics, with your own match bands.

About This Game

Mortal Kombat is a side-scrolling fighting game. Fighting is set as one-on-one combat, allowing each player to perform a variety of punches, kicks, and special moves in order to defeat their opponent. When the opponent faces their second round loss, the winner can perform a finishing move called a "Fatality" on the loser. The Fatality is a move unique to each fighter that graphically kills the loser in a blood-soaked finale.

Summary: IGDB

Story

Seven martial artists from Earth must battle in sorcerer Shang Tsung's super secret tournament. For the past 9 of these tournaments, Shang Tsung's four-armed mutant bodyguard Goro has won all of them. Should he win the tenth, Earth will be left at the mercy of Shang Tsung's Outworld. Playable characters include Raiden, the Thunder God invited to fight in the tournament, in human (and thus killable) form; Liu Kang, a Shaolin monk determined to stop Shang Tsung; Johnny Cage, a Hollywood movie star who wants the publicity; Sonya Blade, a US Special Forces agent; Kano, a tyrant being pursued by...

Characteristics

Where this game sits on each taste spectrum

SlowPACEFast

FamiliarORIGINALITYOriginal

DarkTONEWholesome

LightWEIGHTINESSHeavy

FantasyREALISMRealistic

SimpleINTRICACYIntricate

Non-LinearLINEARITYLinear

UnderstatedSTYLEStylised

IntimateSCALEEpic

RestrainedEMOTIONIntense

Genres and themes

ActionDetectiveMartial artsMonster/alien/supernaturalAll consuming questFighting evilHuman spirit/resilience/survivalInjustice/tragedy/vengeanceRescue/escape/jeopardyUnderdog triumphs

Keywords

Martial artsBloodyGravityNinjaDeathHand-to-hand combatSkeletonSpecial forces

Where to play

Details

Developers: Midway Games, Midway
Publishers: Midway Games, Midway, Acclaim Entertainment, Virgin Interactive Entertainment
Released: 2 August 1992
Series: Mortal Kombat
Platforms: Arcade, DOS, Amiga
Modes: Single player, Multiplayer
Perspective: Side view
Time to beat: 1h rushed, 1h normally, 2h complete
Age rating: ESRB M
Taste scores: How we score
Source: IGDB

How game matches work

Games are scored on the same ten characteristics as films and matched with the same formula and your own match bands, from your film and TV taste. Game scores are estimates, made by fixed rules from IGDB genres, themes, keywords and descriptions.