Dmitriy Lazarev
For much of gaming history, players who are blind or have low vision were left out of the conversation. Complex visuals, silent menus, and text-heavy story sequences created barriers that few mainstream developers considered addressing. Yet even within this environment, certain franchises developed features that, whether by accident or intention, offered blind players a foothold.
Mortal Kombat is one of the clearest examples of this evolution. Known primarily for its intense combat and over-the-top finishing moves, the series also introduced sound cues, character announcements, and simplified inputs that made it comparatively more approachable for blind players than many of its peers. This first part of our two-part series explores how accessibility in Mortal Kombat emerged, often incidentally, from its early arcade and console roots through to the landmark 2011 reboot.
Early Stereo Sound and Audio Cues
Even in its earliest home console releases on the Super Nintendo, Mortal Kombat contained an element that proved invaluable to blind players: stereo sound. While rudimentary, the separation of left and right audio channels allowed players to determine which side of the screen their character occupied. This basic but effective feedback gave blind players critical spatial awareness, making it possible to track movement during a fight in ways that text or visuals could not.
Alongside this, the series established a tradition of strong audio cues very early on. From the first Mortal Kombat arcade game, the announcer voiced character names during selection, giving blind players confirmation of their choice, though this was not always included on every platform due to cartridge size limitations. By Mortal Kombat 3, distinctive catchphrases and special move sounds had become standard. These auditory identifiers—Scorpion’s “Get over here!” or Jax’s “Gotcha!”—were not intended as accessibility features, but they provided valuable orientation and recognition that helped blind players track who they were controlling and what was happening in the match.
By the time of Mortal Kombat Trilogy (1996), which combined content from the first three games, these elements were firmly established. Trilogy consolidated them into a single package, showing how important audio already was to the series, even if the developers had not designed it with accessibility in mind.
Experimentation and Barriers
The transition to 3D with Mortal Kombat 4 (1997) and the subsequent releases of Deadly Alliance (2002) and Deception (2004) brought both opportunities and new barriers. These games started the practice of voiced introductions and endings, helping players follow the narrative through audio rather than silent text. However, the introduction of features such as the “Krypt,” which hid unlockable characters and stages behind visual menus, and the “Konquest” role-playing modes, which required exploring complex environments, created obstacles that blind players could not easily overcome.
The sound design, established early in the series, remained one of the most consistently accessible elements. Character announcements, distinct move sounds, and stereo positioning carried forward, while other aspects of gameplay grew more visually complex and less navigable without sight.
Armageddon and Crossovers
With Mortal Kombat: Armageddon (2006), the series attempted to consolidate its long-running story and roster into a single game. Every character, even previously problematic ones like Chameleon, was now consistently announced during selection and matches. This was a step forward in ensuring reliable audio identification, but much of the new content—such as customizable fighters and create-a-Fatality systems—depended heavily on visual input.
The crossover title Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe (2008) revealed both the strengths and limits of the series’ approach. While controversial among fans for toning down violence to accommodate DC superheroes, it introduced some of the most accessible mechanics to date. Character selection was no longer timed, and players could deselect fighters if they made a mistake. The story mode, presented as fully voiced cinematic sequences, was far easier to follow than static text. Though still lacking formal accessibility options, the game showed that thoughtful interface design and strong audio presentation could have a major impact.
The Turning Point: Mortal Kombat (2011)
The 2011 reboot, commonly known as Mortal Kombat 9, marked a watershed moment. Developed under the newly rebranded NetherRealm Studios, it combined modern graphics and gameplay refinements with accessibility-conscious design choices that set a new baseline for the series.
The most important of these was its deliberate and consistent sound design. Fighters now entered each battle with distinct “battle cries,” helping players identify combatants immediately. Special moves carried unique, recognizable audio cues, while new “X-ray” attacks introduced visceral sound effects that were easy to distinguish. For blind players, these sounds provided a reliable map of the action, turning what had once been incidental into a deliberate design tool.
Equally significant was the introduction of a story mode that unfolded as a continuous cinematic narrative. While not audio described, the voiced cutscenes gave blind players far more context than the silent text cards of earlier games.
Conclusion
From the earliest days of stereo sound on the Super Nintendo to the carefully structured audio cues and cinematic storytelling of Mortal Kombat (2011), Mortal Kombat illustrates how accessibility can emerge gradually within a franchise. For blind players, the reboot in 2011 represented the first time that accessibility was not just incidental but intentional, a core part of how the game was designed and experienced.
In Part 2, we examine how NetherRealm carried this foundation forward through the Injustice series, Mortal Kombat X, and Mortal Kombat 11, while situating these developments in the broader context of a gaming industry increasingly committed to accessibility.
