Mortal Kombat 3 is a fighting game released in 1995 by Midway for arcade machines. It was later moved to other systems, such as the Sega Genesis, Super Nintendo Entertainment System, Game Boy, and PlayStation. This game is the third main part of the Mortal Kombat series and follows 1993's Mortal Kombat II. Players choose from a group of characters and control them through battles against other fighters. Unlike earlier games, it does not follow a tournament story. Instead, characters fight against Shao Kahn, who has brought back his wife, Sindel, and begun an attack on Earthrealm.

The game kept the violent and bloody attacks that were a key part of the series. It also added new types of finishing moves called Animalities. Other new features include combos, which are pre-set attack sequences, and a "Run" button that lets players move quickly toward opponents. A new system called "Kombat Kodes" allows players to enter symbols before two-player matches to unlock special game features.

Mortal Kombat 3 was successful and generally well-received. However, it faced criticism for leaving out some popular characters from earlier games. It is the only main game in the series that does not include Scorpion, the series' mascot. Characters not in this game were later added in two updated versions: Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3 (1995) and Mortal Kombat Trilogy (1996).

Gameplay

Mortal Kombat 3 continues to improve the gameplay from the previous game. A "Run" button, along with a meter that shows how much running is left, was added. This change was made to solve a problem that fans had, as they felt earlier games gave too much advantage to the player who was defending. The Run meter decreases when a character runs forward (they cannot run backward) or when they perform combo moves.

"Chain combos," also called "dial-a-combos," were introduced. These are sequences of button presses that cannot be stopped once the first hit lands. Some chain combos end with an uppercut or another move that sends the opponent into the air, allowing for more damage through a traditional juggle combo. To help players of all skill levels, a "Choose Your Destiny" screen appears in single-player mode, letting the player choose the game's difficulty.

For the first time, some levels became interactive. Characters could uppercut each other through the ceiling, causing the battle to move to a different stage. This could change the order of levels. Both regular uppercuts and uppercuts used in ground combos would cause a level change. Kung Lao’s "Whirl Wind Spin" move had the same effect. However, if a character is defeated by an uppercut, the level does not change.

All finishing moves from Mortal Kombat II, including Fatalities, Babalities, and Friendship moves, return in MK3. A new feature called "Animalities" is also added for the first time. In an Animality, a character turns into an animal to defeat their opponent. To perform an Animality, the player must first use a new feature called "Mercy," where the character can slightly restore the opponent’s health after winning two rounds. If the opponent is defeated again, an Animality can be performed. Three new Stage Fatalities are available in the Subway, the Bell Tower, and the Pit 3.

A new concept called "Kombat Kode" was introduced. This is a six-symbol code entered at the VS screen during a two-player game to change gameplay, fight hidden characters, or display messages. Another feature, the "Ultimate Kombat Kode," is a 10-character code using symbols. It could be entered on the game over screen after the continue screen disappears in single-player mode. This code unlocks a robotic version of the character Smoke, which can be done by the player or the arcade operator. The arcade owner could reset this code by using the game’s diagnostic menu and resetting the game to factory settings (except in version 2.1, which requires accessing the EJB menu). The codes were shared in gaming magazines, promotional materials, and other Mortal Kombat media. Three pinball machines released around this time—Jack-Bot, No Fear: Dangerous Sports, and Theatre of Magic—also provided codes. Some text messages in the game were designed to guide players to find hidden codes in those games.

Plot

Shao Kahn, tired of losing in battles, uses a plan that is 10,000 years old. He asks his Shadow Priests, led by Shang Tsung, to bring back his former queen, Sindel, who died young. However, Sindel is not brought back to Outworld but to Earthrealm. This allows Shao Kahn to cross into Earthrealm and reclaim her. When Sindel is reborn in Earthrealm, Shao Kahn takes over Earthrealm, taking the souls of billions. Only a few people are protected by Raiden. Raiden tells them they must stop Shao Kahn, but he cannot help directly because he has no power in Outworld, and Earthrealm is partly merged with Outworld. Shao Kahn sends killing squads to eliminate Earthrealm survivors. Raiden’s protection only saves souls, not bodies, so warriors must fight the killing squads and stop Shao Kahn. When Shao Kahn is finally defeated, all humans in Earthrealm are restored.

The game includes several subplots:

• After defeating Shao Kahn in Outworld, Liu Kang becomes a target of Shao Kahn’s killing squads. He joins Kung Lao and leads a rebellion against Shao Kahn and his forces. He also wants to free Kitana’s home, Edenia.
• The Lin Kuei clan decides to turn their human assassins into soulless machines. Four ninjas—Cyrax, Sektor, Smoke, and Sub-Zero—are chosen for this. Sub-Zero and Smoke refuse and leave the clan. Smoke is captured and turned into a machine with Sektor and Cyrax, who are programmed to hunt Sub-Zero. Sub-Zero later joins the rebellion.
• Jax finds Sonya and Kano in Outworld. He frees Sonya, but Kano escapes into Outworld and joins Shao Kahn. Sonya and Jax return to Earthrealm to warn their government about the threat but are ignored. They then join the rebellion.
• The Centaurians and Shokan have been fighting for years. Sheeva, Sindel’s bodyguard, suspects Motaro, who is now Shao Kahn’s general, of betrayal. She plans to fight Shao Kahn if her fears are true.
• Kabal, who needs a respirator and wants revenge on the Black Dragon clan, joins the rebellion after learning Kano survived.
• Stryker survives the Outworld Invasion but does not know why. After a vision from Raiden, he joins the rebellion.
• Nightwolf has had visions about the invasion for years. Feeling guilty for not acting, he joins the rebellion and uses magic to protect North America, a key area for Earthrealm.
• Johnny Cage is killed by Shao Kahn’s killing squads, apparently by Motaro.

Characters

The game features 14 characters that players can control, along with one secret character.

Playable Characters:
• Cyrax (Sal Divita) – A yellow-colored Lin Kuei cyber assassin and the first of three cyber assassins.
• Kabal (Richard Divizio) – A former Black Dragon warrior.
• Nightwolf (Sal Divita) – A Native American shaman.
• Sektor (Sal Divita) – A red-colored Lin Kuei cyber assassin and the second of three cyborgs.
• Sindel (Lia Montelongo) – A resurrected queen of Edenia who is controlled by Shao Kahn. Sindel was originally named Mushasha in early versions of the game.
• Sheeva (stop motion) – A female Shokan who serves Shao Kahn and protects Sindel.
• Stryker (Michael O'Brien) – A riot control officer.

Returning Characters:
• Jax (John Parrish) – A Special Forces officer who works with Sonya to capture Kano.
• Kano (Richard Divizio) – A Black Dragon thug who escaped arrest by Sonya and Jax.
• Kung Lao (Tony Marquez) – A Shaolin monk who tries to stop Shao Kahn’s plans.
• Liu Kang (Eddie Wong) – A Mortal Kombat champion who defeated Shang Tsung and Shao Kahn in previous tournaments.
• Sonya Blade (Kerri Hoskins) – A Special Forces lieutenant who returns to capture Kano.
• Sub-Zero (John Turk) – A rogue Lin Kuei ninja who left the clan after refusing to become a cybernetic unit.
• Shang Tsung (John Turk) – A sorcerer who works for Shao Kahn.
• Smoke (Sal Divita) – An indigo-colored Lin Kuei cyber assassin and the last of three cyborgs. Smoke was once a close friend of Sub-Zero and can be unlocked using the Ultimate Kombat Kode.

Other Characters:
• Motaro (stop-motion) – A centaur and a sub-boss in the game.
• Shao Kahn (Brian Glynn, voiced by Steve Ritchie) – The emperor of Outworld and the game’s final boss.

Noob Saibot (Richard Divizio) also returns as a hidden opponent.

Development

The development team thought about using 3D graphics for Mortal Kombat 3 but decided to continue using the sprite graphics from earlier games.

The game has a different tone compared to its earlier versions and uses a less bright color scheme. Characters in the game were created using digital technology, unlike the mix of digital and hand-drawn styles in Mortal Kombat II. For the first time, many of the game’s backgrounds were made with pre-rendered 3D graphics. The overall look of the game is also different from previous Mortal Kombat games. Instead of the strong ancient East Asian themes in the first two games, Mortal Kombat 3 has a more Western and modern style. The game’s settings include modern places like city highways, bank buildings, and rooftops. Three characters are cyborgs, and traditional martial arts clothing, such as Sub-Zero’s outfit, has been replaced with modern clothing. This change is also seen in the soundtrack, which no longer includes Asian musical themes and instead uses electronic music.

Some characters from earlier Mortal Kombat games returned in Mortal Kombat 3, but they were played by new actors. This happened because the original actors left Midway due to disagreements about how much money they would receive for using their likenesses in console versions of the game. Actors such as Ho Sung Pak (Liu Kang and Shang Tsung in the first two games), Phillip Ahn (Shang Tsung in Mortal Kombat II), Elizabeth Malecki (Sonya Blade), Katalin Zamiar (Kitana, Mileena, and Jade), and Daniel Pesina (Johnny Cage and Scorpion/Sub-Zero/Reptile/Smoke/Noob Saibot) were not involved in the production of Mortal Kombat 3. Before Mortal Kombat 3 was released, Daniel Pesina appeared in an advertisement for a different fighting game called BloodStorm, which caused a false rumor that he was fired by Midway. Because of these changes, new actors were used for Liu Kang (Eddie Wong), Sonya Blade (Kerri Hoskins), and Shang Tsung and Sub-Zero (both played by John Turk). Richard Divizio (Kano) also took over the role of Noob Saibot, as the character was based on a recolored version of Kano in this game. Carlos Pesina, who played Raiden in the first two games, did not appear in Mortal Kombat 3 as a punishment for his involvement in BloodStorm. However, he still worked for Midway, and his character returned in Mortal Kombat Trilogy using recycled sprites from Mortal Kombat II and new sprites performed by Sal Divita.

Release

Q: The removal of characters like Scorpion and Kitana led to changes in the Mortal Kombat 3 game. What was the reason for leaving them out, and was it correct to add them back in? A: Removing them was not the reason for changes in UMK3. UMK3 was created to please arcade owners and keep the arcade version of Mortal Kombat 3 fresh after its home version was released earlier than expected.

Mortal Kombat 3 was first released in North American arcades on April 15, 1995. It was later released on three home consoles: Sega Genesis, Super NES, and PlayStation. The PlayStation version was described as the same as the arcade version by Ed Boon. As part of a deal with Midway, Sony Computer Entertainment received exclusive worldwide rights to the 32-bit version of the game until the end of the first quarter of 1996. This is why versions for Sega Saturn, 3DO, and Atari Jaguar were planned for the second quarter of 1996. A Sega representative said Sony paid Midway $12 million for these rights.

Following a tradition from the first two games, it was announced that the Genesis, Super NES, Game Boy, and Game Gear versions would all be released on "Mortal Friday," October 13, 1995. However, the Game Gear version was never released in North America. Williams Entertainment handled publishing for the 16-bit and portable versions in North America, while Acclaim Entertainment handled publishing for the European version of Mortal Kombat 3. Sculptured Software developed the 16-bit and PC MS-DOS versions, and the PlayStation and PC Windows versions were created by Leland Interactive Media, a division of Midway’s parent company, WMS Industries.

On the Game Boy, only nine of the original 15 fighters (Kano, Sonya, Sub-Zero, Cyrax, Sektor, Sheeva, Sindel, Kabal, and Smoke) are available. There are only five stages, no special move combinations, and no finishers except Fatalities and Babalities. Shao Kahn uses moves from Mortal Kombat II, and Motaro is not included. This version was the first Game Boy game rated M by the ESRB. It includes less visible violence and gore compared to other versions but retains some "burning" Fatalities, which show a defeated opponent turning into a burnt skeleton.

A simplified version of Mortal Kombat 3 was released for the Game Gear in Europe. It is similar to the Game Boy version but includes color and features Noob Saibot as a hidden character. This version is the only Game Gear Mortal Kombat game without blood and gore. A version for the Master System was also made, nearly identical to the Game Gear version but with added blood and a wider view of the stage and fighters. It was only released in Brazil by Tec Toy, the distributor of Sega’s products in that country.

There are two versions of Mortal Kombat 3 for IBM PC compatibles. The first is an MS-DOS version that does not closely resemble other ports. It supports up to 12 players on IPX LAN and includes a hidden redbook audio track (Track 47) with a story narrated in reverse. The second version is a port of the PlayStation version to Microsoft Windows.

Mortal Kombat 3 was originally planned for the Atari Jaguar in the second quarter of 1996, according to a press release from Atari and Williams Entertainment on March 13, 1995, but was never released. A version for the 3DO Interactive Multiplayer was also announced for early 1996 but was never released. A version for the Sega Saturn was also planned for early 1996 but was canceled to make way for a port of Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3.

Mortal Kombat 3 is included in Midway Arcade Treasures 2 for the GameCube, PlayStation 2, and Xbox. It is also part of Midway Arcade Treasures Deluxe Edition for Windows, which includes a documentary about the game. Additionally, it is included in Midway Arcade Treasures: Extended Play for the PlayStation Portable.

In 2021, Mortal Kombat 3 was re-released by Arcade1Up along with Mortal Kombat, Mortal Kombat II, and Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3 on one of their Countercades. To celebrate the 30th anniversary of the first Mortal Kombat game, Arcade1Up released an arcade machine in 2022 that includes Mortal Kombat 3 along with Mortal Kombat, Mortal Kombat II, Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3, Toobin', Rampage, Joust, Tapper, Wizard of Wor, Gauntlet, Defender, Bubbles, Paperboy, and Klax.

Reception

In May 1995, RePlay reported that Mortal Kombat 3 was the most popular arcade game. Mortal Kombat 3 was one of three games awarded the American Amusement Machine Association's Diamond Awards in 1995. These awards are given based only on sales numbers. The other two games were Daytona USA by Sega and Neo Geo MVS by SNK. Mortal Kombat 3 was the highest-selling arcade conversion kit in the United States in 1995.

Williams Entertainment, which published the Super NES and Genesis versions of the game, reported that these versions sold 250,000 copies combined in the first weekend they were available. This made them among the best-selling games of 1995. By November 23, 1995, the Super NES version had sold more than one million copies. It became the best-selling home video game of 1995 in the United States. Mortal Kombat 3 was nominated for the Video Software Dealers Association's "Video Game of the Year" award for 1995 but lost to Donkey Kong Country 2.

Although Mortal Kombat 3 was commercially successful, some people disliked the addition of new characters, such as Stryker, instead of returning favorites like Scorpion and Kitana. The new combo system and run mechanics also received criticism. A 1998 article in PC Gamer said that Mortal Kombat 3 had "monkeywrenched gameplay" and "needlessly stupid finishing moves." A 1995 review in Next Generation stated that Mortal Kombat 3 did not deliver the innovation needed to keep the gaming industry fresh. A 2007 article in Retro Gamer noted that while some fans believed Mortal Kombat 3 was the best game in the series, others felt it marked the beginning of the series' decline.

At the time, Mortal Kombat 3 received mostly positive reviews. Electronic Gaming Monthly (EGM) gave the PlayStation version its "Game of the Month" award. EGM and IGN both praised the PlayStation version's graphics, content, and controls, which closely matched the arcade original. However, IGN criticized the game itself for its flaws and recommended Street Fighter 2 over Mortal Kombat 3 unless a player was a dedicated fan. A later IGN review said that Mortal Kombat 3 did not generate the same enthusiasm as its predecessor.

A Next Generation critic noted that the Genesis version of Mortal Kombat 3 looked better on a 16-bit console than in the arcade, where it seemed outdated compared to newer games with 3D graphics. The critic praised the game for meeting the needs of Mortal Kombat fans but said the series as a whole needed major changes. GamePro said the Genesis version was a weak copy of the arcade game, especially in character design and sound effects. They called the PlayStation version a more accurate copy but said it was still "an awesome home version of a game that wasn't so great to begin with."

Electronic Gaming Monthly reviewers said the SNES version was the best 16-bit version of the game. They praised its challenging enemy AI, accurate graphics, and many special options. GamePro also said Williams Entertainment did a good job of keeping key elements of the arcade game in the SNES version. PC Gamer gave the PC version an 89% score, calling it "yet another excellent arcade experience." Next Generation called it "one of the best fighting games ever released for the PC" and said fans should own it. PC Magazine said the PC version had "startlingly accurate" graphics and allowed up to 12 players to play online. GamePro criticized the Game Boy version for its poor controls and hard-to-see graphics. In 1996, GamesMaster ranked the Mega Drive version as the best game for that system and placed the SNES version fifth in its "SNES Top 10" list.

Legacy

Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3 was released in arcades in 1995. It is an updated version of Mortal Kombat 3, with changes to gameplay, more characters, and new game locations. Later, several versions of the game were released for home consoles, but none matched the arcade version exactly. Additional home versions came out between 2002 and 2010, including Mortal Kombat Advance for the Game Boy Advance and Ultimate Mortal Kombat for the Nintendo DS. The Nintendo DS version includes a minigame called "Puzzle Kombat," which was first introduced in Mortal Kombat: Deception.

Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3 was also updated to include content from earlier games in the series and served as the base for the 1996 console-exclusive game Mortal Kombat Trilogy. In 2011, the game was remastered and released as part of the Mortal Kombat Arcade Kollection.

Story elements from the game were used in the 1997 movie Mortal Kombat Annihilation, which followed the first Mortal Kombat film adaptation.