Mortal Kombat 5: SubZero

MK5 - Mortal Combat - Sub Zero" is an intriguing piece of video game history, particularly for fans of the Mortal Kombat series and retro gaming enthusiasts. While it does not offer the polished experience of official Mortal Kombat titles, its quirky features, unorthodox design choices, and the novelty of being an unlicensed adaptation make it an interesting curiosity. This game represents a facet of gaming culture where enthusiasts sought to bring popular titles to platforms and regions where they might not have been officially available.

Key Features and Differences:

1. Hybrid Gameplay: The game combines elements of fighting and side-scrolling, similar to the system used in "Mortal Kombat Mythologies."

2. Awkward Controls: One notable aspect is the awkward control scheme. For example, Sub-Zero doesn't automatically turn around when an opponent is behind, requiring players to manually turn using the A button.

3. Unique Fighting Engine: Instead of using the fighting engine from the official Mortal Kombat games, this port employs an engine similar to those found in other pirated Mega Drive fighting games.

4. Character Clones: All opponents in the game are clones of major Mortal Kombat characters, adding a layer of familiarity but also a sense of repetition.

5. Graphics and Sprites: The graphical assets are taken from various Mortal Kombat games, with Sub-Zero’s sprites from "Mortal Kombat 2" and other characters from "Mortal Kombat 3."

6. Music and Sound Effects: The Mega Drive version features rearranged music from "Shui Hu Feng Yun Zhuan," while the SNES version uses a soundtrack based on the PSX game "Soul Blade." Sound effects are borrowed from official Mortal Kombat games, though with some inconsistencies, like Sonya and Sindel using male character sound effects.

7. Levels and Glitches: There are four levels, each with different sets of character clones. The game is known for a specific glitch in Level 4 where Sub-Zero can skip the level by using a ground freeze attack.

8. Ending: The game concludes with a simple "The End" screen accompanied by some "Engrish".

Trivia:

• The second level is humorously misspelled as "The Wlement of Water."
• The first level theme in the Mega Drive version shares music with "Pocket Monster" (Mega Drive version), but with different arrangements.