If the words ‘Finish Him’, ‘Fatality’ and ‘Brutality’ sound familiar, you know what this is about. Dinesh Elumalai takes you through the most violent, and the most fun game ever played.


The most violent, action-packed, and blood-spattering fighting game ever created-Mortal Kombat-was inspired by the arcade classic Street Fighter from the late 1980s. The fantastic video game Mortal Kombat has been played for close to 30 years across a variety of gaming platforms. Yeah! This year will see the release of Mortal Kombat’s most recent version.

Let us get into the article to learn more about this game, its developer and publisher, game play, and so on.

Mortal Kombat Logo (Image Credit: WallpaperSafari)

Origin of the Masterpiece

Mortal Kombat (abbreviated MK) is a fighting game franchise founded in 1992 by Ed Boon and John Tobias for Midway Games. By Midway Games, the game was both published and created. The franchise is known for its over-the-top violence and finishing moves known as fatalities (there is an upgraded version of Fatality known as “Brutality”) that result in comically gruesome kills.

The series’ enormous popularity has aided its evolution into other mediums such as comic books, spin-off games, television shows, and multiple live-action and animated film adaptations. The original version of this MK was released on the Gameboy, Amiga, Arcade, Game Gear, Super Nintendo Entertainment System, Genesis, Sega CD, PC, and Sega Master system.

For a long time, Mortal Kombat was the forbidden game, the game that kids were not allowed to play under any circumstances. This clearly did not work out, as the franchise is still going strong today, so take a seat and join me on this cinematic journey through most of my favorite Mortal Kombat games.

Mortal Kombat in the 90s (1992-1997) (Image Credit: Reddit)

Game Plot

The Elder Gods, an ancient, eternal, and ethereal pantheon of supernatural divine beings, are the ones who, according to the in-game backstories, created the various realms that make up the fictional universe where the series is set.

Six of the realms were described in the Mortal Kombat – Deception manual as follows: “EarthRealm, home to legendary heroes like Liu Kang, Kung Lao, Sonya Blade, Johnny Cage, and Jax Briggs, as well as protected by the Thunder God Raiden. NetherRealm, the fiery depths of which are inhospitable to all but the most vile, a realm of demons and shadowy warriors like Quan Chi and Noob; There are three realms: Seido, the Realm of Order, where people value structure and order above all else; the Realm of Chaos, where people worship constant chaos and change; and Edenia, which is renowned for its beauty, artistic expression, and long life expectancy of its citizens.

The Elder Gods declared that the Combatants of one realm could only conquer another realm by defeating the top warriors of the opposing realm in ten straight Mortal Kombat tournaments.

Mortal Kombat 3 (Image Credit: TheGamer)

Understand the Chronology

My favourite games in Mortal Kombat series are “Mortal Kombat Shaolin Monks” and “Mortal Kombat X”. In this article we shall particularly discuss on “MK Shaolin Monks”. Fasten your seatbelts folks.

Image Credit: TME.NET

Mortal Kombat: Shaolin Monks is one amazing piece of action-adventure beat ’em up video game developed and published by Midway Games for the PlayStation 2 and Xbox in the period September 2005 with single and multiplayer modes.

Morbid Kombat – The Mortal Kombat 1 and 2 stories are combined in this game’s events, which take place in an alternate timeline. Shaolin Monks is the first and, sadly, the only game in the series to deviate from the conventional fighting game formula.

Image Credit: Wikipedia

Here in MKSM you can take control of either Liu Kang or Kung Lao are known as the Shaolin Monks as I mentioned earlier the game is no longer a fighting game but instead an action-adventure arcade beat ’em up. The game is everything you could hope for. When you hear the words Mortal Kombat beat ’em up you can do some crazy kung fu your opponents in the air and continue to beat the hell out of them.

Now you might think that the gameplay would get repetitive but no, you are constantly unlocking new abilities and combos to play around with as well as able to kill enemies with the environment. It is also incredibly charming to be able to travel and explore all these arenas that we have been playing throughout the years.

Image Credit: GameInformer

Shaolin Monk’s greatest strength is its co-op – meaning if you have a friend, you can both just Kung Fu the hell out of everything which I think is the best way to experience this game with a friend.

Image Credit: Tumblr

This format really gives you that extra bit of insight into the Mortal Kombat World since being able to run around the living Forest really fleshes out the world. It feels like you are in the Mortal Kombat world which is a horrifying thought. The boss battles are also quite unique as they add a bit more depth and creativity which makes for a fun break from constantly beating the bejesus out of the opponents.

Shang Tsung Kintaro Fatality finish (Image Credit: Game Rant)

Mortal Kombat: Shaolin Monks is about 6.5 hours long when focusing on the main goals. If you are a gamer who tries to complete every aspect of the game, it will take you about 15 hours.

Mortal Kombat Shaolin monks really feels like a passion project. A game that did not need to exist unless you really wanted it to. Every aspect of the game is fun. Some people aren’t into this kind of beat ’em up style saying it is too easy. But Ed Boone has stated that there was supposed to be a sequel called Mortal Kombat Fire and Ice following Scorpion and Sub-Zero that would have been awesome. There was even a prototype out there but it was eventually just cancelled and dropped altogether. I guess to make room for Mortal Kombat versus DC. Well, at least we still have Shaolin Monks one of the best games in this genre.

Image Credit: Amino Apps

Basic moves in PS2 and XBOX

The basic moves to play this game is mentioned in the below table. Once you have mastered these keys then you are going to have worthy gaming experience.

Image Credit: Shutterstock

Special Moves and Fatalities

The extravagant special moves used in the Mortal Kombat series, like Liu Kang’s bicycle kick and Kung Lao’s hat toss, have become recognizable. By using the Modifier button, players of Shaolin Monks can access these moves as well.

You can perform a different special move that is ten times as powerful as your standard attacks by holding down this button and pressing Quick, Launch, or Power Attack. Special Attacks can also be upgraded to a maximum of four levels, just like regular attacks. For instance, Kung Lao’s Hat Toss can ricochet off walls at level 2, and at level 4 it transforms into a momentary shield.

Once more, upgrades can be obtained by overcoming more adversaries and gaining experience. You are given fatalities early on, and there are three different versions of them.

Kung Lao Fatality top angle (Image Credit: Artstation)

You can instantly kill an enemy with the normal Fatality, but it depletes your blood gauge. You must enter five commands for the fatality after pressing the Fatality button. If you enter it incorrectly, the process will start over, but your blood gauge will still be filled. An enemy fatality known as a “Multality” can kill everyone within a certain range.

The last category is Brutalities, which is akin to “berserk mode.” You will develop superhuman strength and speed after inputting a Brutality, enabling you to dispatch enemies with great effectiveness.

Liu Kang Fatality (Image Credit: Make A GIF)

You must fill a blood gauge, which increases as you attack, for every fatality. Each fatality type requires a different level, making a total of three levels that you can fill. One level is required for regular fatalities, two for multalities, and three for brutalities.

Finally, the game is filled with unique abilities. There are a total of five unique skills that you can acquire in the game.

Conclusion

Image Credit: Polygon

This game was my favorite pastime and money-spender in gaming station post our school time along with my buddy Udhaya. I hope you too had enjoyed the moments you spent on this game with your partner and recollect on your sweet, sweet nostalgia.

Do not forget to leave your comments on your experience and if had missed out anything in this article. I would catch you all up with “Mortal Kombat X” and the characters and arenas used in this game in my next article.

In case you missed:

Dinesh is an aspiring commerce graduate who enjoys reading about technology and exploring video games and expressing his views through writing on the experience he had which keeps him satisfied.

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