Mortal Kombat 3 Review
Played on PC
Developed by Midway
Released 15th April 1995 ('Ultimate' update released 6th November 1995)
With 2 massive hits and a blockbuster movie adaptation on the way, 'Mortal Kombat' had reached highs that Midway continued to build off. 'Mortal Kombat 3' continued the commercial success that the series had going for it, and even when critical reception criticised the lack of certain characters, like the poster-child Scorpion, an updated version of the game came out for free which included these omitted characters plus some balancing changes, and is the version of the game I played for this review. Being the last game that series creator Ed Boon programmed himself, it is also his favourite of the 2D era, with many agreeing due to its revamped gameplay. It's more aggressive and fast-paced due to the new "chain combos", it's more brutal and over-the-top featuring new ways to end a fight like with the animalities, and the story finally takes a new route, abandoning the tournament duels in exchange for an all-out war. This led to the game being nominated for the Video Software Dealers Association's Game of the Year 1995 (beaten out by 'Donkey Kong Country 2') and generating 250,000 sales in the opening weekend.
Story
Like the previous 2 games, I won't be factoring the story into the final verdict because it plays too minor of a role in experiencing this game. There are some things to point out though; the game's narrative replacement of the tournament in exchange for an all-out war between realms is a very entertaining way to induce combat between characters and doesn't make the purpose of fighting as repetitive (from a storytelling point of view at least). To explain, the synopsis is that Shao Kahn, fed up with his continuous losses in the Mortal Kombat tournaments, decides to wage war against Earthrealm under the guise of resurrecting his wife, Queen Sindel, whilst Raiden sends out his trusted warriors to fight against this invasion. As fascinating of a story as this is, it is strictly presented in text boxes between fights, which makes it lose some of that excitement.
Gameplay
While the second game was considered to be a grand improvement of the series' formula, this entry in the franchise is the first clear and-cut showcase of this. It's faster, more aggressive, and more entertaining overall. For the elements that remained the same, the game continues the standard control scheme of having light and heavy variants of a kick and punch that could alter into jumping attacks, crouch attacks or special moves depending on the prior movement input. The only other thing that the game keeps the same as the previous entries is the absurd AI difficulty, which makes sense for the era in which this game was developed. However, one win on 'very easy' resulting in your next opponent constantly rushing you with 5-hit combos is not the fairest thing to go through, and God forbid what happens on higher difficulties.
While a few characters were lost in the move from 'II' to '3', the 'Ultimate' edition of the game, thankfully, fixed these mistakes that would've otherwise damaged the experience you would've had. As for the new stuff, most of it is worthwhile. The game now features a "run" meter which allows your character to sprint across the screen and remove that frustration that came with being trapped in a corner as a defending player. This rush down also opens up the potential for combos as some standard attacks and special moves would be viable to be continued into one another making for that standard, yet satisfying, combo meter that is seen in every fighting game, or as it is called in this game; "chain combos". With new characters also come new special moves, and unfortunately, they aren't up to par with what I've come to love about 'Mortal Kombat'. While yes the inclusion of air attacks, and a couple more special moves per character does add to the versatility, both the fatalities and special moves in this third instalment lack that flair and epic factor that propelled the previous 2 games' moves to icon status. Maybe I'm just nitpicking, but there really isn't anything to write home about these new attacks, both for new and returning characters, as they feel like the bare minimum in making the game run smoothly.
On the upside, and continuing off this idea of "variety", there are several more ways to engage with the 1995 title. Alongside the regular AI-filled towers and option for 1v1s with friends, there are also options for 8-player tournaments and 4-player 2v2s. I wasn't able to experience the extra two game modes due to the emulator not cooperating so I don't have anything to comment on their quality, other than the fact that these extra options are appreciated for those who will want to use them. Another form of "variety" is that stage transitions can occur by uppercutting your opponent which makes for some gratifying moments as you switch arenas and reset your positions. The addition of a "Mercy" (where you can give your opponent a second chance after defeating them) and "Animality" (a fatality where the character transforms into an animal) are also neat additions that I didn't necessarily encounter much with my time playing the game. Despite the number of changes, the quality of the gameplay is no different from the previous 2 games; it's fun for a short burst of competition amongst friends, slightly annoying for diving in solo, but worth it if you've come to love the series.
Characters
Similarly to the first 2 games, I won't be considering the characters in the final score given how little involvement it has in the overall experience. It doesn't go far beyond the standard, awesome, in-depth lore vaults of text that we've seen up to this point in the series, with a continuation of the character dynamics and stories told in 'Mortal Kombat II'. Yes, they're still intriguing to read, but no, they don't affect much outside of that.
Atmosphere
The atmosphere here comes down to preference, and it just so happens that I prefer Midway's previous efforts to make this supernatural world interesting visually and audibly. The stages don't have as much of an appealing colour palette and design, feeling murkier and too bland to house such unique characters. The artistic focus of steering away from its original East Asian influences in favour of a brutalist Western art style makes much of the character designs and environments lose that old 90s charm that had previously entrapped me into these early entries. The audio is the only thing that benefits from this cultural shift, having a prominently electronic soundtrack, but even then it barely stands to be compared to the legendary OSTs from before. Some things to note are that I do like just how wild the game tries to be, introducing cyborgs into the fray with Elder gods and ninjas, and the blood colour differing for each character's origin is a nice detail.
Gameplay - 6.5/10
Atmosphere - 6.5/10
MEDIOCRE
An improvement on some fronts, but as equal of a downgrade in others, this entry in the series balances itself out to be on par with the others so far.
