Mortal Kombat 4

| Platform | Pros | Cons | | :--- | :--- | :--- | | | Fastest gameplay, original graphics, no loading. | Hard to find. No Goro/Noob. | | PlayStation | Good music. All Fatalities intact. | Long loading times. Pixelated textures. Missing 3D backgrounds (2D pre-rendered). | | Nintendo 64 | Full 3D arenas. Goro is playable via code. Smooth framerate. | Censored Fatalities (No blood pools). Cartridge limits audio. No FMV endings. | | PC (DOS/Windows 98) | Highest resolution (640x480). Fast load times. | Requires Glide or DirectX wrapper. Horrible MIDI music. | | Dreamcast (Gold) | Best roster. Arcade-perfect visuals. CD Quality audio. | Rare. Emulation requires tweaks. |

Instead of generic interactables, each stage has a specific curse from Shinnok: Mortal Kombat 4

| | Allegiance/Faction | Bio | | :--- | :--- | :--- | | Liu Kang | Heroes | The immortal Champion of Mortal Kombat, Liu Kang ventures to Edenia to rescue Princess Kitana and assist his mentor, Raiden. | | Raiden | Heroes | The God of Thunder, Raiden is the last god of Earth, fighting to stop his ancient enemy, Shinnok, and save the Heavens. | | Sonya Blade | Heroes | A Lieutenant in the United States Army. | | Johnny Cage | Heroes | The action movie star returns to fight alongside his fellow Earthrealm warriors. | | Jax Briggs | Heroes | The Special Forces Major. | | Sub-Zero | Heroes | The Lin Kuei ninja wields his ice scepter, now masked but missing his scar. | | Scorpion | Villains (Recruited) | The undead ninja is resurrected by Quan Chi in exchange for his service, though he harbors ulterior motives. | | Reptile | Villains | A General in Shinnok's army of darkness, Reptile is a dangerous and genocidal warrior. | | Fujin | Heroes | Raiden's ally and the God of Wind, Fujin makes his playable debut after appearing in Mortal Kombat Mythologies: Sub-Zero . | | Shinnok | Villains (Main) | A fallen Elder God freed by Quan Chi, Shinnok seeks revenge against Raiden and conquest of all realms. | | Quan Chi | Villains (Co-Main) | A powerful sorcerer who frees Shinnok, becoming his arch-sorcerer and a major antagonist in his own right. | | Jarek | Villains | The last remaining member of the Black Dragon clan, this ruthless mercenary fights for Shinnok. | | Kai | Heroes | A Shaolin monk and close friend of Liu Kang, Kai is a promising new fighter joining the fight against evil. | | Reiko | Villains | A former general in Shinnok's armies, this fierce warrior was once thought dead but has returned to lead the forces of darkness. | | Tanya | Villains | The daughter of Edenia's ambassador, Tanya betrays her realm by inviting Shinnok's forces through a portal, allowing him to conquer it. | | Goro | Sub-Boss | The Shokan prince returns seeking revenge against Liu Kang, who defeated him in the very first Mortal Kombat tournament. | | Noob Saibot | Secret Character | The original Sub-Zero, now a wraith, appears as a hidden fighter in the roster. | | Meat | Secret Character | A skinless, glitch-like abomination from Shang Tsung's Flesh Pits, Meat appears as a secret character in later revisions, serving as an alternate skin. | | Platform | Pros | Cons | |