Mortal Kombat II

Mortal Kombat II for the Sega Master System is Probe Software’s 1994 color 8-bit conversion, published by Acclaim Entertainment. It brings the tournament to Outworld after Shang Tsung persuades Shao Kahn to lure Earthrealm’s fighters into his domain.

Matches are one-on-one and decided by the first combatant to take two rounds. Health bars drain with each hit, the timer can determine a round, and a fifth inconclusive round disqualifies both fighters. The single-player tournament culminates in bouts against Shang Tsung, Kintaro, and Shao Kahn.

The Master System roster contains Liu Kang, Sub-Zero, Kitana, Reptile, Shang Tsung, Mileena, Scorpion, and Jax. It omits Baraka, Johnny Cage, Kung Lao, and Raiden from the arcade lineup, while Kintaro remains a boss rather than a selectable fighter. Hidden encounters with Jade and Smoke are also possible.

The two-button controller condenses combat to Button 1 for punches and Button 2 for kicks; pressing both blocks. The directional pad handles movement, crouching, jumping, and forward or backward flips, while directional inputs paired with attacks trigger each warrior’s special techniques.

Easy, Medium, and Hard difficulty settings precede character selection, and a second player can join for versus play. Compared with larger versions, this port keeps only the Kombat Tomb and Pit II as its regular stages, scales down the presentation, reduces the blood, and gives each fighter a single simplified finishing move.