10 Shameless Mortal Kombat Knock Offs
“Tattoo Assassins” (Canceled)
This is arguably the most famous example of “Mortal Kombat” clones, perhaps the poster child even. “Tattoo Assassins” was desperately trying to find ways to one-up Midway through some ridiculous advertising methods. One such example was the absurd number of fatalities that were implemented. Wow, fifty different ways to finish off my opponent?? Yeah, fifty lame, dumb, mundane, lackluster ways to finish off your opponent. Although the game was finished, it was never released. The only outlet that ever reviewed it, US game magazine Next Generation, had nothing but awful things to say about the game, citing poor controls and terrible performance.
“Way of the Warrior” (1994)
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“Way of the Warrior” had quite a bit going for itself. It had its own unique identity akin to martial arts movies, it had a unique cast of characters, and it leaned more into realism than “Mortal Kombat” did (more or less). Overall, it was a somewhat competent game when it came to presentation and performance. So, what went wrong? Well, launching your premier fighting game with questionable controls is going to immediately drive folks away. In short, “Way of the Warrior” never got the attention it could have garnered had its controls been less jank and busted. And would you believe Naughty Dog was behind this before they made “Crash Bandicoot”?
“Xenophage: Alien Bloodsport” (1995)
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Much like “Way of the Warrior”, “Xenophage: Alien Bloodsport” had potential to garner a decent following. Its concept of alien beasts fighting each other to save their home planets was kind of a cool premise that many teens would have gravitated towards. However, part of its failure could probably be pointed towards publisher Apogee Software. With “DOOM” garnering success through its initial freeware plans, many developers and publishers were trying to replicate the same thing; ship out enough free copies of the game in hopes of generating enough talk among players to make it the next big thing. Thing is, well…do you hear anyone talk about “Xenophage” these days?
“Street Fighter: The Movie” (1995)
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Funny how “Street Fighter” tried hard to evoke the look and feel of “Mortal Kombat” without the ultraviolence. Say what you will about how it wasn’t, but the use of digitized actors just to replicate the movie’s depiction of Capcom’s characters lumped it in with the rest of the MK clones. And quite frankly, it’s one of the worst “Street Fighter” games to ever launch. Regardless if it was being played on an arcade cabinet, PlayStation, or SEGA Saturn, anyone who played this expressed disappointment in the bland visuals, inaccurate controls, and frustrating glitches. And this is why no one wonders why this game is never included in Capcom collections.
“Catfight” (1996)
Entertainment often revolves around two things: sex and violence. Anyone working in games, movies, television, comics, and other media. But some think that’s all you need to be successful. Take a look at “Catfight”, which was just “Mortal Kombat” with an all-female cast. Oh, yes, you can already tell why this was made and who it was made for, especially when you realize this was published by an adult entertainment company. Developer Phantom Card even got Katalin Zamiar, the actress who played Kitana, Jade, and Mileena in MK2, to play as one of the game’s characters! And yet, sex appeal only gets you so far. The graphics, controls, and audio gave “Catfight” the reputation of one of the worst games ever made.
“ClayFighter” (1993)
We don’t often see games that lean into goofy, cartoon aesthetics, which is a real shame considering the neat concepts in game design we see today. But for a cartoon-y fighter like “ClayFighter”? Look, credit where credit is due, the character designs are solid, and the animation and attacks are kind of funny. Problem is that the game is just so slow and clunky. When your game isn’t hitting the same rush of adrenaline as something like “Mortal Kombat”, folks are going to walk away from your game. Sure, “ClayFighter” has seen a small following over the years through mods and fan games, but it never took off.
“Ultra Vortek” (1995)
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It’s a title that just doesn’t roll off the tongue well let alone give you an idea of what the game is about. All you need to know is an evil guardian is going to destroy the world unless a champion worthy of his attention can defeat him. And so, you got an assortment of people fighting to be the hero. Yeah, uninspiring premise, and it gets worse. The animations are really rough to look at, the sound is unbearable, and the visuals…they couldn’t strive for anything better than “serviceable”? It simply isn’t impressive under any lens. There are plans to finish a canceled Atari Jaguar version, but nothing of significance has been said since 2019.
“Kasumi Ninja” (1994)
Speaking of unimpressive MK clones, “Kasumi Ninja” almost didn’t make the list because we totally forgot it existed! Can you blame us, though? The visuals in both character design and environments are grossly generic. And the worst part is that this was a result of corporate meddling! According to producer Jim Gregory, publisher Atari forced the developers to cut its roster down from twenty to eight. As to whether the twelve on the chopping block were interesting designs or not is anyone’s guess. What we do know is that the eight that were chosen basically sealed “Kasumi Ninja’s” fate. It was bad enough the game was borderline unplayable with its abysmal sound and controls.
“Primal Rage” (1994)
Yeah, we’re not quite sure what was up with all the MK clones trying to go the monster-kaiju route. Also published by Atari a few months prior to “Kasumi Ninja”, “Primal Rage” fared better among players, particularly in the arcades. Many liked the premise and visuals even if the controls were a bit too complex for some. It managed to accrue enough commercial success to warrant home console ports. Unfortunately, this was where “Primal Rage” fell as quickly as it rose. There were too many other ports of arcade fighters worth playing on home consoles like the SNES.
“Killer Instinct” (1994)
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The funny thing about “Killer Instinct” is that it was developed initially as a means to challenge “Mortal Kombat”. It was pitched to Namco; they said “No”, and went to make their own failure of an MK clone, “Weaponlord”. Meanwhile, “Killer Instinct” went on to garner mainstream success in both arcades and home console spaces. The menacing monsters, the insanely fast gameplay, and the tasty music was absolutely infectious, and it still is today! It was also just as ridiculously difficult as Midway’s runaway franchise. Sure, it wasn’t as gory, but overall, it had the adrenaline in every best possible way, and it’s why many are still playing the 2013 reboot to this day.
