Games

Mortal Kombat 4

Midway Games, Eurocom Entertainment Software

1997•Fighting•ESRB M•About 4 hours

Taste attributes: actionmartial artsfasttried & testedunsavouryheavysimplelineargrittybig & variedemotionally undemandingall consuming questfighting evilhuman spirit/resilience/survivalinjustice/tragedy/vengeancerescue/escape/jeopardyunderdog triumphs

See which match your taste

Boxlist takeA breakneck fighting game that is simple, sweeping and morally murky. Best if you like pace over patience.

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

IGDB rating

69 / 100

213 ratings

Your matchTake the taste test to see your match

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 4 is 1 vs 1 fighting game, similar to the other Mortal Kombat games, but this is first game in series with 3D characters models. The player can choose from 15 different fighters at the start (and several unlockables later on). Many fighters from earlier games in the series make a comeback (like Scorpion, Sub Zero, Liu Kang, Sonya Blade, Johnny Cage etc.) while other new fighters join in, like Shinook (who is the main evil character in this game), Fujin, Jarek, and Kai. Goro returns as a boss.

Summary: IGDB

Story

Thousands of years before the setting of the first game, Shinnok, one of the Elder Gods who control the six realms in the Mortal Kombat universe, attempted to become the conqueror of them all. Thunder god Raiden fought and defeated Shinnok in a war that spanned hundreds of years, sending him to the Netherrealm, where he would be trapped forever. Now, Shinnok has managed to escape from the Netherealm with help from the sorcerer Quan Chi, and seeks vengeance against the Elder Gods who banished him. In his plan, he first conquers the realm of Edenia, with the aid of a traitor, Tanya, while he...

Characteristics

Where this game sits on each taste spectrum

SlowPACEFast

FamiliarORIGINALITYOriginal

DarkTONEWholesome

LightWEIGHTINESSHeavy

FantasyREALISMRealistic

SimpleINTRICACYIntricate

Non-LinearLINEARITYLinear

UnderstatedSTYLEStylised

IntimateSCALEEpic

RestrainedEMOTIONIntense

Genres and themes

ActionMartial artsAll consuming questFighting evilHuman spirit/resilience/survivalInjustice/tragedy/vengeanceRescue/escape/jeopardyUnderdog triumphs

Keywords

Martial artsBloodyGravityNinjaDeathCompilationHand-to-hand combatPsychic abilities

Where to play

Details

Developers: Midway Games, Eurocom Entertainment Software
Publishers: Midway Games, Gradiente
Released: 11 September 1997
Series: Mortal Kombat
Platforms: Arcade, Nintendo 64, PC (Microsoft Windows), PlayStation, Dreamcast
Modes: Single player, Multiplayer, Co-operative
Perspective: Side view
Time to beat: 1h rushed, 4h normally, 10h 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.