Mortal Kombat (series)

''Mortal Kombat'' is an American media franchise centered on a series of video games originally developed by Midway Games in 1992. The development of the first game was originally based on an idea that Ed Boon and John Tobias had of making a video game starring Jean-Claude Van Damme, but when that idea fell through, a science fantasy-themed fighting game was created instead. Still, the developers paid homage to him with Johnny Cage (one of the main characters in the franchise), a fictional film star whose personal style resembles Van Damme's. The original ''Mortal Kombat'' was the first fighting game to introduce a secret fighter, reached if the player fulfilled a set of requirements.

The original game spawned many sequels with several action-adventure games. It also has a comic book series and a card game. Movie producer Larry Kasanoff licensed the rights to the game in the early 1990s and produced the first movie of the franchise. Kasanoff also produced the second movie, animated TV series, live-action TV series movies, the first one million platinum-selling album, and a live-action tour. ''Mortal Kombat'' has become the best-selling fighting game franchise worldwide and one of the highest-grossing media franchises of all time.

The series has a reputation for high levels of graphic violence, including, most notably, its fatalities, which are finishing moves that kill the defeated opponents instead of knocking them out. Controversies surrounding ''Mortal Kombat'', in part, led to the creation of the Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB) video game rating system. Early games in this series were also noted for their realistic digitized sprites and an extensive use of palette swapping to create new characters. Following Midway's bankruptcy, the ''MK'' development team was acquired by Warner Bros. Entertainment and reestablished as NetherRealm Studios.

Gameplay

The original three games and their updates, ''Mortal Kombat'' (1992), ''Mortal Kombat II'' (1993), ''Mortal Kombat 3'' (1995), ''Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3'' (1995), and ''Mortal Kombat Trilogy'' (1996), were 2D fighting games. The arcade cabinet versions of the first two used a joystick and five buttons: high punch, low punch, high kick, low kick, and block; ''Mortal Kombat 3'' and its updates added a sixth "run" button. Characters in the early ''Mortal Kombat'' games play virtually identically to one another, with the only major differences being their special moves. Through the 1990s, the developer and publisher Midway Games kept their single-styled fighting moves with four attack buttons for a different array of punches, kicks and blocks. '' Mortal Kombat: Deadly Alliance''
was the first Mortal Kombat game in which the characters could move in three dimensions, and ''Mortal Kombat 4'' was the first to use 3D computer graphics. From ''Deadly Alliance'' to '' Mortal Kombat: Deception'', characters had three fighting styles per character: two unarmed styles, and one weapon style. While most of the styles used in the series are based on real martial arts, some are entirely fictitious. Goro's fighting styles, for example, are designed to take advantage of the fact that he has four arms. For ''Armageddon'', fighting styles were reduced to a maximum of two per character (generally one hand-to-hand combat style and one weapon style) due to the sheer number of playable characters. ''Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe'' dropped multiple fighting styles for most characters in favor of giving each character a wider variety of special moves 2011's ''Mortal Kombat'' returned to a single 2D fighting plane, although characters are rendered in 3D; unlike previous ''MK'' games, each of the controller's four attack buttons corresponds to one of the character's limbs, the buttons thus becoming front punch, back punch, front kick and back kick ("front" indicates the limb that is closer to the opponent, and "back" indicates the limb that is farther away from the opponent). This concept takes heavy inspiration from ''Tekken''.

''Mortal Kombat: Deception'' and ''Mortal Kombat: Armageddon'' feature "Konquest", a free-roaming action-adventure mode that significantly expanded on the single-player experience. Both games also include distinct minigame modes such as "Chess Kombat", an action-strategy game similar to ''Archon''. Two other bonus minigames, "Puzzle Kombat" inspired by ''Puzzle Fighter'' and "Motor Kombat" inspired by ''Mario Kart'', feature super deformed versions of ''Mortal Kombat'' characters. The games also contain various unlockable content and hidden "cheats".

Finishing moves

One of the most notable features of the ''Mortal Kombat'' series is its brutal and gruesome finishing moves, known as " Fatalities".
The basic Fatalities are finishing moves that allow the victorious characters to end a match by murdering their defeated, defenseless opponent. Usually Fatalities are exclusive to each character, the exception being ''Mortal Kombat: Armageddon'', which instead features Kreate-A-Fatality, a feature that allows players to perform their own Fatalities by conducting a series of violent moves chosen from a pool that is common to all characters.

Other finishing moves in the various ''Mortal Kombat'' games include Animalities (introduced in ''Mortal Kombat 3''), in which the victor turns into an animal to violently finish off the opponent; Brutality (introduced in ''Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3'') which consists of bashing the opponent into pieces with a long combo of hits; and Stage Fatalities/Death Traps (introduced in the original ''Mortal Kombat'' Pit Stage where the victor can uppercut their opponent off of the platform into a bed of spikes below, later made more difficult in ''Mortal Kombat II'' by requiring a character-specific button sequence) utilizing parts of certain stages to execute a lethal finishing move (such as a pool of acid). ''Mortal Kombat: Deception'' added the Hara-Kiri, a move that allows the loser to perform a suicidal finishing move, giving way to a potential race between both players to see if the winner can finish off their opponent before they can kill themselves.

There are also two non-violent finishing moves in the series, which were introduced in ''Mortal Kombat II'' as a satire to the outrage the first game caused due to its violent content. Friendship moves, which result in a display of friendship towards the enemy instead of slaughter, and Babalities, which turn the opponent into a baby.

Plot

The series takes place in a fictional universe consisting of eighteen surviving realms which, according to in-game backstories, were created by an ancient, eternal, and ethereal pantheon of preternatural divine beings, known as the Elder Gods. The ''Mortal Kombat: Deception'' manual described six of the realms as: "Earthrealm, home to such legendary heroes as Liu Kang, Kung Lao, Sonya Blade, Johnny Cage, and Jax Briggs, and also under the protection of 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 such as Quan Chi and Noob Saibot; Outworld, a realm of constant strife which Emperor Shao Kahn claims as his own; Seido, the Realm of Order, whose inhabitants prize structure and order above all else; the Realm of Chaos, whose inhabitants do not abide by any rules whatsoever, and where constant turmoil and change are worshiped; and Edenia, which is known for its beauty, artistic expression, and the longevity of its inhabitants." The Elder Gods decreed that the denizens of one realm could only conquer another realm by defeating the defending realm's greatest warriors in ten consecutive Mortal Kombat tournaments.

The first ''Mortal Kombat'' game takes place in Earthrealm (Earth) where seven different warriors with their own reasons for entering the tournament with the prize being the continued freedom of their realm under threat of a takeover by Outworld. Among the established warriors were Liu Kang, Johnny Cage, and Sonya Blade. With the help of the thunder god Raiden, the Earthrealm warriors were victorious, and Liu Kang became the new champion of Mortal Kombat. In ''Mortal Kombat II'', unable to deal with his minion Shang Tsung's failure, Outworld Emperor Shao Kahn lures the Earthrealm warriors to Outworld, where Liu Kang eventually defeats Shao Kahn. By the time of ''Mortal Kombat 3'', Shao Kahn merged Edenia with his empire and revived its former queen Sindel in Earthrealm, combining it with Outworld as well. He attempts to invade Earthrealm, but is ultimately defeated by Liu Kang once more. After the Kahn's defeat, Edenia was freed from his grasp and returned to a peaceful realm, ruled by Princess Kitana. The following game, ''Mortal Kombat 4'', features the fallen elder god Shinnok attempting to conquer the realms and kill Raiden. However, he is also defeated by Liu Kang.

In '' Mortal Kombat: Deadly Alliance'', the evil sorcerers Quan Chi and Shang Tsung join forces to conquer the realms. By '' Mortal Kombat: Deception'', after several fights, the sorcerers emerge victorious; having killed most of Earthrealm's warriors until Raiden steps forth to oppose them. The Dragon King Onaga, who had been freed by the warrior Reptile at the end of ''Mortal Kombat: Deadly Alliance'', had deceived Shujinko into searching for six pieces of Kamidogu, the source of Onaga's power. Onaga confronted the alliance of Raiden, Shang Tsung, and Quan Chi to obtain Quan Chi's amulet, the final piece of his power. Only a few warriors remained to combat the Dragon King and his forces. Shujinko eventually triumphed over Onaga and removed his threat from the realms.

In '' Mortal Kombat: Armageddon'', the titular catastrophe begins. Centuries before the first ''Mortal Kombat'', Queen Delia foretold the realms would be destroyed because the power of all of the realms' warriors would rise to such greatness that it would overwhelm and destabilize the realms, triggering a destructive chain of events. King Argus had his sons, Taven and Daegon put into incubation and so one day they can be awakened to save the realms from Armageddon by defeating a firespawn known as Blaze. In the end however, Shao Kahn is the one who defeats Blaze, causing Armageddon.

The crossover ''Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe'' does not share continuity with the other games. After the simultaneous defeats of both Shao Kahn and the alien warlord Darkseid in the DC Universe causes both villains to fuse into the entity "Dark Kahn", both the ''Mortal Kombat'' and DC Universes begin to merge. This brings the warriors and heroes into conflicts after suffering bouts of uncontrollable rage. The heroes and villains of both universes repeatedly battle each other, believing each other to be responsible for the catastrophe, until only Raiden and Superman remain. The two confront Dark Kahn and team up to defeat their common foe. After Dark Kahn's defeat, the two realms defuse, with Shao Kahn and Darkseid trapped in each other's universes to face eternal imprisonment.

In the 2011 ''Mortal Kombat'' reboot, the battle of ''Armageddon'' culminated in only two survivors: Shao Kahn and Raiden. On the verge of death by the former's hand, the latter sent visions to his past self in a last-ditch attempt to prevent this outcome. Upon receiving the visions, the past Raiden attempts to alter the timeline to avert ''Armageddon'' amidst the tenth Mortal Kombat tournament. While he succeeds in preventing Shao Kahn's victory with help from the Elder Gods, he is forced to kill Liu Kang in self-defense and loses most of his allies to Queen Sindel; leaving Earthrealm vulnerable to Shinnok and Quan Chi's machinations.

''Mortal Kombat X'' sees Shinnok and Quan Chi enacting their plan, leading an army of undead revenants of those that were killed in Shao Kahn's invasion of Earthrealm. A team of warriors led by Raiden, Johnny Cage, Kenshi Takahashi, and Sonya Blade oppose them, and in the ensuing battle, Shinnok is imprisoned within his amulet and various warriors are resurrected and freed from his control, though Quan Chi escapes. Twenty-five years later, the sorcerer resurfaces alongside the insectoid D'Vorah to facilitate Shinnok's return. A vengeful Scorpion kills Quan Chi, but fails to stop him from freeing Shinnok. To combat him, Cassie Cage leads a team composed of the next generation of Earthrealm's heroes in defeating him. With Shinnok and Quan Chi defeated, Liu Kang and Kitana's revenants assume control of the Netherrealm while Raiden taps into Shinnok's amulet.

''Mortal Kombat 11'' and its expansion, Aftermath, sees the architect of time and Shinnok's Mother, Kronika, working to restart the timeline following her son's defeat and Raiden's tampering with her work. In doing so, she brings past versions of the realm's heroes to the present, aligning herself with some while the rest work to defeat her. After nearly killing Liu Kang a second time, Raiden discovers Kronika has manipulated them into fighting across multiple timelines as she fears their combined power. Despite her interference and attacks by her minions, Raiden gives Liu Kang his power, turning him into a god of fire and thunder so he can defeat Kronika. In the Aftermath expansion, it is revealed that Liu Kang inadvertently destroyed Kronika's crown, the item needed to restart the timeline. Her defeat also revives Shang Tsung, who was absent in the base game due to his imprisonment by Kronika. To recover the crown, Liu Kang sends Shang Tsung other Earthrealm heroes back in time to obtain it before Kronika, though Shang Tsung manipulates events so that he comes into possession of the crown. At the end, the player can choose to start a new timeline with either Shang Tsung or Liu Kang.

Characters

Through its iterations, the series has featured scores of player characters, some of them becoming mainstays, such as Baraka, Cassie Cage, Cyrax, Ermac, Fujin, Goro, Jade, Jax, Johnny Cage, Kabal, Kano, Kenshi, Kintaro, Kitana, Kung Lao, Liu Kang, Mileena, Motaro, Nightwolf, Noob Saibot, Quan Chi, Raiden, Rain, Reptile, Scorpion, Sektor, Shang Tsung, Shao Kahn, Sheeva, Shinnok, Sindel, Skarlet, Smoke, Sonya Blade, Stryker, Sub-Zero and Tanya. Among them are Earth's humans and cyborgs, good and evil deities, and denizens of Outworld and other realms.

Furthermore, starting with ''Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe'', which featured several DC Universe heroes and villains, all subsequent games have included guest characters such as Freddy Krueger from ''A Nightmare on Elm Street'' franchise, Kratos from the ''God of War'' franchise (exclusively for Play Station 3), Jason Voorhees from the ''Friday the 13th'' franchise, the Alien from the ''Alien'' franchise, Leatherface from the ''Texas Chainsaw Massacre'' franchise, the Predator from the ''Predator'' franchise, the Terminator from the ''Terminator'' franchise, RoboCop from the ''RoboCop'' franchise, Spawn from Image Comics, John Rambo from the ''Rambo'' franchise and the Joker from DC Comics, who was previously in ''Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe''.

Development

Origins

''Mortal Kombat'' started development in 1991 with only four people: Ed Boon (programming), John Tobias (art and story), John Vogel (graphics), and Dan Forden (sound design). According to ''Mortal Kombat'' actors Richard Divizio and Daniel Pesina, the first game actually began as a ninja-themed project by John Tobias (a young new employee of Midway Games at the time) and them as well as Carlos Pesina, however their pitch to Tobias' boss Ed Boon was rejected by the entire management of Midway. Midway was then abortively approached to create a video game adaptation of the then-upcoming 1992 film '' Universal Soldier'', starring Jean-Claude Van Damme,''GamePro'' 58 (May 1994), page 28-31. and Tobias imagined a fighting game featuring a digitized version of Van Damme. Intending to make a game "a lot more hard edge, a little bit more serious, a little bit more like ''Enter the Dragon'' or ''Bloodsport''" than contemporary cartoonish fighting games,Reyan Ali
Ed Boon's 12 Biggest Mortal Kombat Memories
, Complex.com, September 12, 2012. Tobias and Boon decided to continue their project even after the deal to use the ''Bloodsport'' license fell through. The first of ''Mortal Kombat'' characters, Johnny Cage (Daniel Pesina), became "a spoof on the whole Van Damme situation." Divizio credits himself with convincing Tobias to go back to the original idea and trying again.

It was the success of Capcom's '' Street Fighter II: The World Warrior'' that finally convinced Midway Games to let the team produce their own arcade fighting game (the genre chosen by Tobias for his game as to let him use as large digitized sprites as possible), but there was not much influence by ''Street Fighter II'' on the actual project. According to Tobias, who cited 1984's ''Karate Champ'' as an actual inspiration, they even intentionally worked on making a game different than Capcom's title in every way. Besides the digitized characters that differentiated it from its contemporaries' hand-drawn ones, one stark difference was in the very high amount of blood and violence. Capcom's senior director of communications later compared ''Street Fighter'' and ''Mortal Kombat'' by asking if the interviewer preferred the "precision and depth" of ''Street Fighter'' or the "gore and comedy" of ''Mortal Kombat'' and also stated that the ''Street Fighter'' and ''Mortal Kombat'' rivalry was considered similar to the Coke and Pepsi rivalry in the 1990s.

John Tobias said that his inspirations for the game's story and characters came from Chinese mythology and some of the stories and rumored events about the Shaolin monks. Regarding the film ''Big Trouble in Little China'', Tobias wrote that although this movie "kind of Americanized my obsession for supernatural kung fu films from China, it was not my biggest influence. My biggest influences came from Tsui Hark films -- ''Zu Warriors'' & '' The Swordsman''. We had to get them from bootleggers in Chicago's Chinatown." In 1995, he said about their general process of designing characters for the series: "First we figure out the type, like she or he and will she/he be big or small. Then we'll get the theme of the characters, like ninja or robot. Then we'll design the costume, and while doing that we create the storyline and how s/he fits into the universe. Then we'll find an actor that kinda resembles our character." Tobias' writing and artistic input on the series ended around 2000 following the release of ''Mortal Kombat 4''. In 2012, he said: "I knew exactly what I was going to do with a future story. A few years ago, I rotea sort of sequel to the first ''MK'' film and an advancement to the game's mythological roots."

The title ''Mortal Kombat'' was the idea of pinball designer Steve Ritchie, following difficulties trademarking the original title of ''Mortal Combat''. Since then, the series often intentionally misspells various words with the letter "K" in place of "C" for the hard C sound. According to Boon, during the ''MK'' games' development they usually spell such words correctly, only making the substitution when one of the developers suggests it.

Graphics

The characters of the original ''Mortal Kombat'' and its initial sequels were created using digitized sprites mostly based on filmed actors, as opposed to hand-drawn graphics. ''Mortal Kombat'' games were known for their extensive use of palette swapping, which was used for the ninja characters. In fact, many of the most popular characters have originated as simple palette swaps. In the first game, the male ninja fighters were essentially the same character; only the colors of their attire, fighting stance, and special techniques mark a difference. Later games added further ninjas based on the same model, as well as several female ninja color swap characters initially also using just one base model. All of them gradually became very different characters in the following installments of the series. Eventually, ''Mortal Kombat 4'' brought the series into 3D, replacing the digitized fighters of previous games with polygon models animated using motion capture technology.

Hidden content

''Mortal Kombat'' included secret characters, secret games, and other Easter eggs. Popular characters Reptile and Jade were originally introduced as hidden enemies, becoming playable after returning in subsequent games. There is also a hidden game of ''Pong'' in ''Mortal Kombat II'', and ''Mortal Kombat 3'' includes a hidden game of ''Galaga''. Many extras in the series have only been accessible through very challenging, demanding, and sometimes coincidental requirements. The Sega Mega Drive/Genesis versions contain a unique finisher, named "Fergality". The Sega CD version also contained an additional code (known as the "Dad's Code"), which changed the names of the fighters to that of characters from the classic BBC
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