Mortal Kombat is the runaway success fighting game from the ’90s whose addictive gameplay, inventive graphics, and stunning characters propelled it into being one of the most successful videogame franchises of all time and still receiving numerous releases on modern platforms to this day.
Though it was released in 1992, 2021 actually marks the 30 years anniversary of when the game began to be developed. In celebration of that milestone, we’re now getting an insight into the creation of arguably the series’ most famous move.
One of the ways the game was considered so innovative at the time was its use of using real-life video footage of costumed actors as the sprites in the game. While it wasn’t the first game to incorporate this style, it was arguably the one that popularized it into the mainstream and blew the minds of Sega Genesis and Super Nintendo Entertainment System consoles owners who reveled at watching the photo-real characters engage in graphic combat.
Mortal Kombat Co-Creator Ed Boon recently took to Twitter to share the very moment Scorpion’s famous rope grab where he exclaims “get over here!” was created in the game. The original actor for the yellow-clad ninja, Daniel Pesina, is seen in a behind-the-scenes clip Boon shared of the creators capturing the footage for the first time.
You can hear the Eureka moment clearly by Boon in a moment that sounds like a kid playing make-believe on a playground, saying, ‘”You know what would be a cool ass move?” and “Do ninjas ever have this sort of rope?” This is followed by Boon instructing the actor to perform the movements that would later prove to be one of Mortal Kombat‘s most iconic. Check the Tweet out yourself below.
Are there any other classic Mortal Kombat moment origins you’d like to see revealed?