10 Secret Video Game Easter Eggs Left By Developers
5. Mortal Kombat’s Secret Menus
It’s one thing for a video game to have a secret that goes undiscovered for years but it’s another altogether when it's something tucked under the hood of multiple games. In 2016, 20 years after the release of Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3, keen eyed fan of the series YourMKArcadeSource managed to unearth a secret menu known as the EJB Menu (named for creator Ed J Boon) in the first three Mortal Kombat titles.
It’s no wonder that the menus were never found considering they all require extremely fast inputs of codes up to twenty characters long, although the exact length and input differs between games.
At first it seems apparent that this menu was more designed for those working on the project. Each one has various options that can be keyed on and off such as unlocking or locking characters, turning off fatalities, difficulty adjusters and simple diagnostic tests.
However, a final option at least in the original Mortal Kombat marked as “Hello” includes a list of names, presumably Boon’s family and friends - proving that it was designed to be shown to at least a lucky few.
And now, 20 years later we all get to see it. Here's to you Ed and whoever all these people in your list are.