Mortal Kombat was a game changer when it was first released, and fighting games were never the same. Many later series tried to copy Mortal Kombat but often fell short of what made it great and relied on either digitized actors or gore to sell itself. Most of the games were absolutely abysmal but some managed to actually be good. Today, let’s take a look at five titles inspired by Mortal Kombat that were good.
Weapon Lord
Weaponlord is a 2D fighting game that brought in some interesting ideas, such a blocking system that was similar to the Parry system seen in Street Fighter III, called thrust blocking.. A counter move system called Deflect Moves was also added and helped set the game apart well. While going for the gore and violence, Weaponlord managed to actually be a great fighting game and bring some variety to the 2D formula. Many of its ideas would be picked up by other developers later, as was mentioned with Street Fighter III’s parry system, and the game has managed to age surprisingly well. It may not be a masterpiece, but it has a certain charm to it.
Clay Fighter
Clay Fighter may not be what comes to mind as a Mortal Kombat inspired game at first, but a look into why and how the game was made should explain it all. Interplay saw the violent fighting game trend that was going on in the aftermath of Mortal Kombat’s release and decided to simply parody it. The use of Claymation visuals was done to parody the digitized graphics and the fighting itself was meant to be an all ages alternative. The resulting game was actually well made and is remembered fondly for a reason. There were revisions of the first game to correct some issues and add features, and the game only got better with each subsequent entry. While the series has fallen off, by being a parody and alternative, Clayfighter stood out above the garbage.
Eternal Champions
Sega wanted in on the fighting game genre in the 90’s and while Sega of Japan pursued Virtua Fighter, Sega of America released Eternal Champions. A gory Mortal Kombat clone, Eternal Champions managed to stand out by having a fighting system that set itself apart and relied on the six button Genesis/Mega Drive controller. This six button control scheme was not a clone of Street Fighter’s though, but a variation on it. Each character stood out on their own and had a very unique moveset that made the game feel superior to the generic titles being spat out. Yes there was gore and violence, but the fighting was actually deep here. Sadly, as Matt McMuscles pointed out in his flophouse files series, Sega of Japan killed the series due to it becoming more popular than Virtua Fighter. Maybe with the return of Streets of Rage, we can see the return of this game as well.
WWF WrestleMania The Arcade Game
Yes, a wrestling game was inspired by Mortal Kombat, and for good reason as well. WrestleMania The Arcade Game was designed by Midway (though by a different team than the Mortal Kombat Team), and went for the digitized graphics look and played far more like a fighting game than a wrestling game. Think of this as a western version of Saturday Night Slam Masters, with a Mortal Kombat flavor compared Slam Master’s Street Fighter. Each wrestler had unique moves, and the Undertaker even had a fatality move with other fatalities planned but abandoned due to time constraints. The game had commentary by Jerry Lawler and Vince McMahon and reused some lines from the NBA Jam games as well. The game was extremely over the top and less realistic than previous games, such as Razor Ramon having a transforming blade arm and powerful uppercuts that knock the opponent into the sky. This was the merging of wrestling and fighting games at their absolute best.
Killer Instinct
Killer Instinct may have been heavily inspired by Mortal Kombat, complete with finishing moves, unique visual design and a heavy western influence, but it transcended the rest. Killer Instinct introduced a heavy combo system and made excellent use of double life bars to create a game that appealed to newcomers to the genre and veterans fighting game fans alike. With amazing music and characters that stood out, Killer Instinct had that X factor that so many games lack. Killer Instinct may have started out as a Mortal Kombat inspired game, but it moved beyond those origins and became its own thing very quickly, which helped when the series was revived for the Xbox One.
And there you have it, five games that were inspired by Mortal Kombat but managed to be excellent. What games were your favourites?
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