Five hundred years ago, an ancient and respected Shaolin fighting tournament was corrupted by Shang Tsung, a wicked sorcerer. Shang teamed up with Prince Goro, a powerful warrior from the Shokan race, to ensure that if ten tournaments in a row were won, the Earth Realm would fall into darkness. To achieve this goal, Goro defeated Kung Lao and has been reigning supreme as the undefeated fighting champion for five hundred years. However, Raiden, the Thunder God, planned to change the course of events by selecting seven fighters to compete on Shang Tsung's mysterious island.
Mortal Kombat is a side-scrolling fighting game where one-on-one combat takes place. Players can perform various punches, kicks, and special moves to defeat their opponent. When an opponent loses for the second time, they can inflict a finishing move called a "Fatality" on their loser, resulting in a graphic and bloody finale.
Mortal Kombat initially started as a 2-player arcade title. It's notable for using digitized actors to represent its fighters and including copious amounts of blood during gameplay.