Mortal Kombat Mythologies: Sub-Zero
0 plays 1997 #RPG
Mortal Kombat Mythologies: Sub-Zero is a 1997 action-adventure game developed and published by Midway for the PlayStation and Nintendo 64. A spin-off of the Mortal Kombat franchise, it is the first installment not to be a fighting game. Set before the original Mortal Kombat game, it follows Bi-Han, the elder Sub-Zero, in his quest to find Shinnok's amulet. It also introduces characters and story elements that would be used by Mortal Kombat 4, which was released later the same year. Mythologies is the final game in the series to use digitized actors.
The game drew a divisive response from critics, with the PlayStation version considered the superior of the two releases. Praise was directed at the transition from the fighting game genre to action-adventure and the PlayStation version's live-action cutscenes, but the controls and punishing level design received criticism. Retrospective reviews have been more negative and some consider the game as one of the worst in the Mortal Kombat franchise. The game was re-released in 2025 as part of the Mortal Kombat: Legacy Kollection compilation.
From Wikipedia's article Mortal Kombat Mythologies: Sub-Zero
Keyboard controls
| N64 | Player 1 |
|---|---|
| Stick | ↑↓←→ |
| A | X |
| B | C |
| Z | Z |
| L | A |
| R | S |
| C buttons | IKJL |
| D-pad | TGFH |
| Start | Enter |
Hotkeys
- 1 Quick save state
- 2 Quick load state
- 3 Change save slot
A gamepad with an analog stick plays much better than the keyboard.
Gamepads are detected when you press a button. Remap any key from the emulator’s Controls menu (gear icon).
Live chat
Connecting…
Keyboard controls
| N64 | Player 1 |
|---|---|
| Stick | ↑↓←→ |
| A | X |
| B | C |
| Z | Z |
| L | A |
| R | S |
| C buttons | IKJL |
| D-pad | TGFH |
| Start | Enter |
Hotkeys
- 1 Quick save state
- 2 Quick load state
- 3 Change save slot
A gamepad with an analog stick plays much better than the keyboard.
Gamepads are detected when you press a button. Remap any key from the emulator’s Controls menu (gear icon).
1.5 Wake me up when it's over
GameRankings 45%
Review scorecard
- Graphics 1.5 out of 5 Overall fallback
- Sound 1.5 out of 5 Overall fallback
- Control 1.5 out of 5 Overall fallback
- Fun Factor 1.5 out of 5 Overall fallback
Overall fallback: GameRankings 45%. Overall source The same 45/100 overall rating fills missing categories using the face scale; these are not separate category scores.
What the reviews talk about
Key wordsuglycheapcomplexfrustratingentertainingsolid
What the critics said
On the other side, GameSpot's Jeff Gerstmann hailed it as "a pretty amazing meld of fighting and platform jumping".
— GameSpot, 1997 (Jeff Gerstmann)
Spanish magazine Superjuegos focused praise on the game's blend of genres, and called it "una auténtica delicia que sorprende tanto a los aficionados a los beat-em-up como a los maniacos de las adventuras estilla Flashback."
— Superjuegos
GamesRadar's Mikel Reparaz opined that while the concept of giving Sub-Zero his own game was interesting based on his popularity, the game "ended up a terrible mess of ugly sprites, cheap deaths and a button you had to hit just to change the direction you were facing, and the less that's said about it, the better."
— GamesRadar+, 2011 (Mikel Reparaz)
John Ricciardi commented in Electronic Gaming Monthly, "Do you remember the old days of the NES when some games were entirely frustrating because of their horrible control? Well take the worst of the bunch, multiply it by 10, and you have MKM: SZ. The control is really that bad."
— Electronic Gaming Monthly, 1997 (John Ricciardi) · about another version
From the Reception section of Wikipedia's Mortal Kombat Mythologies: Sub-Zero article.
Scores
- 100 Super Game Power1997 5/5; 5/5
- 50 GameFan1997 170/300; 150/300
- 49 GameSpot1997 7.5/10; 4.9/10
- 46 Electronic Gaming Monthly 4/10, 7.5/10, 4.5/10, 5.5/10; 5/10, 4/10, 5/10, 4.5/10
- 30 IGN1997 3.5/10; 3.0/10
- 10 GameRevolution 0.5/5
- 9 N64 Magazine1998 true; 9%
- 90 Superjuegos 90/100 · other versions
- 86 Consoles + 86% · other versions
- 82 HobbyConsolas1998 82% · other versions
- 20 Next Generation 1/5 · other versions
From the review table in Wikipedia's Mortal Kombat Mythologies: Sub-Zero article.
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