Mortal Kombat II finally keeps the blood on SNES, with a wider roster. Smooth, brutal, mythical for 90s versus fans.
Your verdict
Category
Fighting1 player16+
Description
Japanese version of Mortal Kombat II featuring the full Midway fighter roster. Published by Acclaim Japan, released in Japan in 1994. Sixteen fighters and fatalities with localized Japanese text. Japanese version of the second Mortal Kombat on Super Famicom.
Mortal Kombat II - Kyuukyoku Shinken review
4/5
Art direction
★★★★★
"Striking"
4/5
Music
★★★★★
"Excellent"
2/5
Story
★★★★★
"Classic"
Gameplay
"Excellent"
Fun
"From the very first seconds"
Digitised and bloody, the fights bet on punchy hits, spectacular fatalities and a gallery of characters turned cult. The satisfaction of landing a combo and finishing with a memorable finisher is instant. The dark mood and the stiff challenge grab versus fans. Brutal, stylish and as gleeful as ever, a fighting classic to savour in a duel.
Addictiveness
"Captivating"
Difficulty
"Balanced"
Lifespan
"Long"
Technical info
💾2,5 MB📅09/12/1994
Published by Acclaim
Mortal Kombat II - Kyuukyoku Shinken (SNES) price, value & rarity
The Japanese Super Famicom version of Mortal Kombat II, Japan-exclusive under this 'Ultimate Divine Fist' subtitle. The Japanese cart is culturally interesting because it preserves the Western branding while adding an unprecedented Japanese subtitle. Intact boxed CIB with cardboard sleeve and illustrated manual is rarer than the European PAL version, and the cote climbs hard, sustained by physical scarcity and by the identifiable localisation-variant status.
A questionable morality
Billed as the most serious of martial-arts tournaments, the game saves its real reward for the moment the opponent wavers: a spectacular execution, triggered by a precise input. You drill the move like a dance step, proud to nail it cleanly, happily forgetting that this fine choreography celebrates nothing other than finishing off a beaten foe.
Is Mortal Kombat II - Kyuukyoku Shinken still worth playing in 2026?
Mortal Kombat II brings blood back to the SNES after the sanitized first episode. The Midway port preserves the essentials of the arcade board, namely the expanded roster, the iconic fatalities and the direct handling. The tech keeps the signature digitized sprites with a very 1990s aesthetic. The competition with Street Fighter II and Killer Instinct is fierce, but MKII keeps a unique identity. Recommended to 16 bit versus fans, especially for its cultural history.
