Mortal Kombat II - Gameplay

Gameplay

The gameplay of Mortal Kombat II is an based on the previous game. There are several changes in the standard moves' system: a crouching punch was added, low and high kicks became differentiated (be it crouching or standing up) and the roundhouse kick was made more powerful and knocks an opponent across the screen. Returning characters also gained new special moves and the game plays slightly faster and more smoothly than the original Mortal Kombat game. However, all characters in the game still share generic attributes (speed, power, jump height and airtime) and although having different hitboxes, all normal moves are the same between each character.

Mortal Kombat II drops the point system from the first game, in favor of a consecutive win tally. As with its predecessor, matches are divided into rounds, and the first player to win two rounds by fully depleting their opponent's life bar is the winner; at this point the losing character will become dazed and the winner is given the opportunity of using a finishing move. The game marked introduction of multiple Fatalities (post-match animations of the victorious characters executing their defeated foes) as well as additional, non-lethal finishing moves to the franchise: Babalities (turning the opponent into a crying baby), Friendships (a non-malicious interaction, such as dancing or giving a gift to the defeated opponent) and stage-specific Fatalities (the winner uppercutting his or her opponent into an abyss below, spikes in the ceiling, or a pool of acid in the background). Finishing moves, however, can not be performed against the defeated bosses and secret characters who also have no finishers themselves.