It all started with slot machines
Mortal Kombat debuted in 1992. It was then that her first game in the series appeared, which was available on slot machines. Its creators were Ed Boon and John Tobias. As it was very popular, Acclaim Entertainment quickly converted it to a version available for PC, Xbox, Playstation or Amiga. A year later, its second part was also released. The game was known for its brutality. The heroes fought to the death here, every now and then we saw splashes of blood, and the so-called Fatalities , in which characters torn off each other’s heads and other body parts, ripped guts out or thorned opponents with spikes, went down in the history of computer games. It was through Mortal Kombatin 1994, the Entertainment Software Rating Board was established, i.e. an organization dealing with rating the content of the game and setting age limits. Although theoretically not everyone should have access to a fight, the kids continued to beat each other with characters on the screen, and the publishers released subsequent parts of the series. In 1997, we got the first three-dimensional version, Mortal Kombat 4 , which also made its debut on GOG not so long ago.
GOG.com
Save the Earth. Again
Although for many players Mortal Kombat is primarily a brawl in which we choose a character and fight enemies to the death, the game also has its story background. As in the previous parts, also in its fourth installment, our task is to participate in the tournament in order to save the Earth. Our main enemy this time is the Elder God Shinnok, who, with the help of the sorcerer Quan Chi, escapes from his prison and wants to conquer new worlds. As usual, the thunder god Raiden stands guard over our planet. He summons warriors and tries to counter the threat with them.
Bee, zabij!
In terms of mechanics, Mortal Kombat 4 does not differ much from its predecessors. We still choose one of the available heroes and fight 1v1 with it. Of course, we can play the duels against the computer or with another player. The one who survives the battle wins. Among the novelties we get access to weapons. Each character has its own unique, well-matched weapon. In addition, we can use elements of the environment and throw stones or dice at the opponent. In addition, thanks to the introduction of 3D graphics, it is also possible to perform dodges by moving not only backwards and forwards, but also sideways. The last novelty are other heroes. For example, Tanya, Kai, Jarek and Reiko make their debut here. Well-known tournament participants, including Johnny Cage, Sub-Zero and Scorpion, are also still available.
GOG.com
It does not look good
23 years after the premiere, Mortal Kombat 4 looks very bad. Three-dimensional, which probably made a huge impression in 1997, now looks terrible. Angular shapes, clunky movement or too many visible pixels are repulsive. The game has aged much worse than its previous parts. It’s much better to look at, for example, Mortal Kombat II where the characters look and fight more realistically.
If, on the other hand, you decide to buy the fourth installment of the series for GOG and play it on PC, its control will also be a big disadvantage. The buttons responsible for individual attacks and movement are spread all over the keyboard, and it would take three or even four hands to deal with it. Unfortunately, at the moment it is not possible to introduce your own settings, so this version of the game is aimed mainly at Kintaro.
To play or not to play?
As an Amiga owner in the 90s, I often reached for the first or second installment of Mortal Kombat . I never had a four, so I was happy to test it. Unfortunately, I was very disappointed. The off-putting graphics don’t make a good first impression, and the inability to set the controls doesn’t encourage the game either. True fans of the series may be tempted by it, but personally I was not convinced by this installment. If you want to play a fight and do some fatalities , there is also a 3-pack with the first three parts of the game on GOG Galaxy. I believe it will be a much better choice.