Mortal Kombat Mythologies: Sub-Zero – Путь Ледяного Ниндзя

1997 video game

Mortal Kombat Mythologies: Sub Zero is a 1997 action adventure game developed and published by Midway for the PlayStation and Nintendo 64. A spin off of the Mortal Kombat franchise, it is the first installment to not be a fighting game. Set before the original 1992 game, players control Bi Han, the elder Sub Zero, during his quest to find Shinnok's amulet. It also serves as a prequel to Mortal Kombat 4, which was released the same year, introducing characters and story elements that would be used by the fourth main installment. Mythologies is the final game in the series to use digitized actors. The game drew a divisive response from critics, with PlayStation version considered the superior of the two releases. Praise was directed at the transition from the fighting game genre to action adventure and the PlayStation version's live action cutscenes, but the controls and punishing level design received criticism. Retrospective reviews have been more negative and some consider the game as one of the worst in the Mortal Kombat franchise.

Although Mortal Kombat Mythologies: Sub Zero is classified as an action adventure game, its play controls are very similar to the 2D Mortal Kombat fighting games. The player has four attack buttons, along with a block button and a run button like in Mortal Kombat 3. The player controls Sub Zero as they would in a fighting game, including the use of command based special moves, to fight enemies and venture through levels. A "turn" button is used to change the direction Sub Zero is facing, while an "action" button is used to pick up or use items. The player also has access to a status screen that keeps track of the players inventory, experience points, and special moves they gain during the game. The player begins the game with a small health gauge and a limited number of extra lives. Over the course of the game's progression the player can gain experience points by performing combos against enemies, which are then used to increase their characters strength and gain access to special moves. An "ice meter" will appear after the player begins to acquire special moves. Special moves require ice power in order to be performed. Health and ice power can be replenished by picking up items (although the ice meter will gradually replenish itself over time as well). The player also needs to retrieve key items. Passwords are used to keep track of the players progress.

The story is set before the events that took place in the original Mortal Kombat and follows the Lin Kuei assassin and thief Sub Zero hired by the sorcerer Quan Chi to steal a map of elements from a Shaolin temple. Battling through the Shaolin monks who guarded the map, Sub Zero faces his rival, Scorpion from the Shirai Ryu clan who was also hired by Quan Chi. Sub Zero kills Scorpion and retrieves the map. Back at the headquarters of the Lin Kuei, Sub Zero delivers the map to Quan Chi, who repays the Lin Kuei by eliminating all the members of the Shirai Ryu, the Lin Kuei's rival clan. Retaining the Lin Kuei's services, Quan Chi has Sub Zero follow the map to the Temple of Elements, where an amulet of "sentimental value" was resting. Sub Zero reaches the temple and went through its many challenges and obstacles, defeating the gods of Wind, Earth, Water, and Fire that protected the amulet. Just as Sub Zero reaches out for it, Quan Chi takes the amulet, saying that it was actually the source of power for a fallen Elder God named Shinnok. Quan Chi disappears through a portal, and the thunder god Raiden accuses Sub Zero, ordering him to go to the Netherealm to retrieve the amulet. Sub Zero is sent to the Netherealm but is trapped in the Prison of Souls by Quan Chi's guards. There, he is met by the undead spectre of his nemesis, Scorpion, who blames Sub Zero for the destruction of his clan and family. Sub Zero once again defeats Scorpion and escapes. He then fights Quan Chi's underlings: Kia, Sareena, and Jataaka. Retrieving their transportation crystals, he is able to get to Quan Chi's fortress. Sub Zero defeats the three of them but canonically spares Sareena's life and goes to Quan Chi's room. The fight against Quan Chi ends with Sub Zero's victory and Sareena finishing Quan Chi and him falling to his apparent death. As Sareena pleads to escape from the Netherealm, she is temporarily incapacitated by Shinnok. Sub Zero steals the amulet from Shinnok and either defeats the Elder God in demonic form or escapes through a portal created by Raiden and delivers the amulet to the god. Returning to the Lin Kuei headquarters, Sub Zero is invited by another sorcerer named Shang Tsung to compete in a tournament called Mortal Kombat.