The first fully 3D polygonal Mortal Kombat. Fatalities remain the headline draw, weapons add an interesting twist, but stiff animation and a slightly thin roster explain the lukewarm reception. A historical curiosity rather than a must-have, sitting in the shadow of Tekken.
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Category
Fighting2 players16+
Description
Fourth chapter of the Mortal Kombat fighting saga and the first fully 3D polygonal entry. Published by Midway, released in 1998 in Europe and North America. Fifteen fighters including Scorpion, Sub-Zero, and Shinnok, signature bloody fatalities, 3D arenas, and arcade, versus, and tournament modes.
European PAL pressing from 1998, distributed in territories where censorship of the series' bloody finishers stayed under the scrutiny of rating boards. The continental version keeps the essentials of the content but its circulation was modest, the European public then favoring rival disc ports. Its desirability rests on the relative scarcity of the PAL cartridge run of a fighting title whose brand identity leaned on arguments frowned upon by local distributors.
A questionable morality
The tournament is won on skill, but its trademark remains the finishing blow: once your opponent is beaten, the game politely invites you to dispatch them in the most spectacular and bloody way possible. You perform these finishers with the care of a craftsman, turning the kill into a compulsory figure you drill to land like any other combo.
Is Mortal Kombat 4 still worth playing in 2026?
The first fully polygonal 3D Mortal Kombat, Mortal Kombat 4 brings the gory fighting saga into the new generation, with pickable weapons, three dimensional arenas and the over the top fatalities that built its reputation. The era's stiff 3D has aged and the depth stays behind the versus heavyweights, but the raw pleasure of the bouts and the Midway identity remain. For a licence fan, a retro versus fan or someone curious about the series' 3D transition, the title keeps a violent energy and a period character.
