Mortal Kombat: Shaolin Monks

You’ll want to finish it.

Tags: Categories: Reviews, Xbox Reviews

Posted by Mark "MadMup" Zwolanek on Oct 21st, 2005

Title Players
Mortal Kombat: Shaolin Monks (title page) 1 - 2
Developer Publisher Genre Online
Fighting No


The Mortal Kombat series has come a long way. The first game introduced the word “FATALITY!” to the culture as something other than a word mentioned on the evening news. With match-ending kills like ripping an opponent’s heart out or tearing off an opponent’s head and spine the game captured not only the attention of teenaged boys around the world but also of parents and congressmen. The second entry in the series added to the formula, giving characters multiple fatalities to perform, along with “Friendships,” “Animalities,” and “Babalities.” From the pinnacle of the second game, the series has struggled to stay in the spotlight, adding more characters and eventually a third dimension to fight in, but it never seemed to capture the spot it held in its beginning years. A couple of forays into other genres were lackluster, and the two feature films and the TV show were met with mixed reviews. Recent games have added an RPG-like training system to help players learn the moves and fighting strategies, but have remained at their core a fighting game.

Mortal Kombat Shaolin Monks is a long-needed evolution of the series. Though the capability to take your friends on in a familiar Mortal Kombat fight is still there, the main (and best) part is now a Double Dragon-ish adventure beat-‘em-up with RPG elements.


It seems a logical progression: Mortal Kombat Shaolin Monks takes the richest part of the series – its mythology – and builds a fun, playable game around it. Liu Kang has just won the Mortal Kombat tournament for Earthrealm, thereby protecting it until the next one…except, of course, that Shang Tsung isn’t one for playing fair. His escape to Outworld causes the island to crumble, and Liu Kang and Kung Lao barely escape with their lives. When they return to the Wu Shi Academy, they find it in ruins, under attack by Baraka and his Tarkatan pals. Raiden senses deeper trouble and sends Liu Kang and Kung Lao on a mission to uncover those behind this attack. Trickery, deception, and lots and lots of fighting ensue.

If you read that last paragraph and nodded along to the familiar story lines, you will enjoy this game. If you were left scratching your head, chances are still pretty good that you’ll have a good time with this game.


You start the game choosing to play as either Liu Kang or Kung Lao. Add a second controller and you and a friend can play through the game “kooperatively.” Some areas and secrets can only be reached when playing with a buddy, so if you’re intent on finding 100% of the secrets of the game, be prepared to share. Along the way, you will see familiar stages updated and brought into 3D: Goro’s Lair, Outworld, the Living Forest, The Portal, The Pit, and several others. There are many other in-jokes and references to previous games in the series as well. Keep an eye on the moon in The Pit, is all I’ll say. And have you missed Kintaro, Baraka, Jade, Goro, and Scorpion? They’re all here.

Fighting is a good mix of familiar character moves with necessary new moves for the new gameplay style. The multidirectional fighting can lead to huge numbers in the combo counter, and since getting combos is the way to build the fatality, brutality, and multality meters, players will welcome the system.



Each kill gives the player some XP which can then be spent on learning new moves to make the fighting more intense and the combos even more impressive. Environmental deaths will not add XP, but are too fun to pass up – not only are they quick kills, but seeing enemies being flung by a catapult or eaten by a tree is worth the XP sacrifice.

Icons scattered throughout the game, once collected, will give the player new moves that then allow access to new areas or new fatalities, or new concept art, or new characters to use in the fighting game. Obsessive fans will be able to beat the game over a weekend, but it will take a bit longer to unlock every single secret in the game. Death screens drop hints about possible hidden characters and areas, and it seems like one of those games where no one will ever find every last possible thing to find.



Puzzles are of the fairly standard “throw the switch” variety, but the game creators also added a few twists. Some switches can only be activated by punching or throwing an enemy into a specific environmental hazard. Still others utilize the “Test Your Might” button-tapping from the original fighting game.

The biggest problem with the game is that is sometimes difficult to know where to go next. A cut-scene might mention a place to go, and it might have you backtracking to the beginning of the game or it might have you searching out an obscure new portal to reach a new area. I did more wandering in The Portal than I would have liked.



Some advanced players might find the game too simple, and I’m fairly certain that’s why so much extra content was included

All in all, this is a great step for the series. Building on established storylines and changing the gameplay were great ideas. The game is enjoyable enough for the new-to-the-series player, the casual fan, and the die-hard Mortal Kombat fan.

What Works Score
+ Builds on the MK mythology
+ Familiar MK character moves in brawling situations
+ Tons of secrets
+ Fun! 		8.7
What Doesn't
- Sometimes confusing where to go next
- Might be too easy for advanced players
Under the Shrink-wrap
Pick this one up.
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