Mortal Kombat is a 2D fighting game developed in the early 90’s. It was originally conceived to be a game starring Jean-Claude Van Damme (who ironically starred in the Street Fighter movie) but when that fell through the game went a fantasy route instead. The idea behind the game is that there is a group of non-earth people who compete against the Earth (and other realms) in fighting tournaments called Mortal Kombat in order to take over those realms. A small number of warriors are chosen to defend the realm and if won they guarantee the freedom of the realm for another 100 years (I believe). I might be mixing up the movie lore with the original video game lore. Either way the tournament is for the freedom and safety of the realm.

Graphics 6/10 – I don’t feel like I could honestly rate this game higher on the SNES when I know how the future games look in comparison. This game has alright graphics but they seem pretty limited. More than likely because of how the games development went (the original developing company went bankrupt) that this was as good as it was going to get on the first try.

The sprites for each character were average at best. There were even 3 characters (2 regular and 1 hidden) that had the same design with only a color difference. The animations and the overall feel of the characters visually was good though. They respond in a more or less normal fashion to what I’m used to.

The place where this game redeems itself (like so many games I’ve reviewed) is in the backgrounds to the levels. There was a good amount of effort to build a feel for what the tournament location. It didn’t feel like 10 random levels all thrown together but different locations in a similar environment.

Sound 8/10 – This is a place where I feel this game did a good job. The music for this game is great. There is an overall eerie and oppressive feel to the music throughout the game. It sounds like the kind of music you get in a war movie when the defending force is looking at an overwhelming army coming at them and they know it’s going to take everything they’ve got in order to survive and win. This game has that feel to it. Every song feels like it is bearing down on you. It’s a great theme for a fighting game like this. It fits really well.

The sound of the fighting is also good. The sounds of getting hit sound like getting hit and blocking sounds like blocking. It’s obvious when you get hit. I also like the various voices you get to hear from the “Fight!” to the “Come here!” or, “Excellent!” and then the “Finish Him!” at the end of the fight. The sounds just fit into the game so well. Also, the sounds of people getting hurt sound good too. Not sure who was involved in the sound and music design for this game but they hit the nail on the head in my opinion.

Addictiveness 9/10 – I loved playing this game so much. Playing through the game itself was enjoyable because you had 7 different characters to choose from and each time through was different because of who you started fighting each round. There were also a handful of secrets to find (like Reptile) which made the game more fun. I also really enjoyed the tests of strength the game had. More often than not I used a spoon for the top ones because they helped you hit buttons faster than just using your fingers. That little addition made the game even more fun to play because it was an extra fun thing to do that wasn’t the fighting but seemed relevant in a martial arts fighting game.

Story 7/10 – I actually feel like the story for this game makes more sense than just about any other fighting game story I’ve come across. Sure, it’s a strange fantasy story but at least it gives a solid reason why most of the characters are competing rather than just assuming they will for reasons we never get. Every character has public, and some private, reasons for competing and each is quite different that the others. I won’t go into them because that will take too long but the individual stories as part of the backdrop of the overall story of the game makes it even more compelling to learn about.

Also, the story itself is interesting. A sorcerer is using a tournament as a way to take over Earth. The Earth is tasked with coming up with fighters on its side to defend the Earth and Shang Tsung, the sorcerer, has some people that he brings in himself. If Shang Tsung wins then he can take control of the Earth. If the Earth’s defenders win then they keep the Earth safe for 100 years. Not the most amazing story but in the fantasy setting it exists in this is quite an interesting and compelling reason to fight.

Depth 5/10 – This game is not nearly as in depth as the games that come after it. With only 7 players to choose from in the beginning it is pretty lacking in characters to choose from. Especially when compared with Street Fighters 8-12 that it had at the same time. Still, those characters were pretty well developed as characters. There was also a hidden character and 2 final bosses as part of the game that weren’t playable.

There is also a versus mode which is fun as well. With only 7 playable characters it doesn’t remain fun forever but it’s still a solid second mode to use. Still, knowing the games that come after it this one is pretty lacking in depth.

Difficulty 6/10 – I was going to rate this game higher but thinking about it some more it really wasn’t that tough to beat. I could beat most of the enemies I faced without using any special moves at all. If knowing the special moves of each character is not needed in order to beat the game then it can’t be that tough to play. Still, it’s a fighting game and does require good reaction speed and skill in order to beat so I gave it an above average score.

Overall 6.8/10 – While this game spawned one of the most successful fighting game series ever made the first game was lacking. The graphics were average for sure. Improvements made to later games are so noticeable it is almost hard to play the original compared to Mortal Kombat 3. The sound did a lot to make up for the bad graphics though. It built the overall feel for the game where the graphics didn’t measure up. The game itself is fun to play. The gameplay is pretty solid for a first try and doesn’t frustrate like other games do. The story is one of the more interesting parts of the game and the multiple endings depending on who you pick definitely kept me coming back to beat the game over and over. Overall I think the game was a good starting point for the genre and unlike some others games this was NOT the peak but the start of what would be a great and varied franchise for years to come.