Mortal Kombat 4

Mortal Kombat 4 is a one-on-one fighting game for Game Boy Color, developed by Digital Eclipse and published by Midway. This 1998 handheld adaptation follows the conflict with the fallen Elder God Shinnok after his escape from the Netherealm.

Fights are contested over rounds, with the first combatant to win two taking the match. A health bar and round timer frame each bout; if time expires, the fighter with more health wins the round.

The Game Boy Color controls pair the D-pad with two attack buttons: B punches and A kicks. Players can also use directional combinations for attacks such as uppercuts, sweeps, roundhouses, jumps, throws, running, and character-specific special moves, while Start blocks.

Eight fighters are available from the start: Raiden, Quan Chi, Fujin, Liu Kang, Sub-Zero, Reiko, Tanya, and Scorpion. Reptile is the hidden fighter, and Shinnok is the tower boss. In the single-player game, players choose Novice, Warrior, or Master towers and battle through a progressively longer set of opponents.

This version has five stages and a much smaller roster and move set than the arcade, Nintendo 64, and PlayStation releases. It presents battles in 2D rather than using the 3D character models and movement of those versions. Each character has two special moves and one Fatality; successful finishers trigger a short black-and-white video sequence.

Before a match, a six-symbol Kombat Kode can be entered to activate special conditions or access secrets. The cartridge also includes in-game speech, a notable feature for the Game Boy Color release.