Mortal Kombat: 10 Craziest Features We STILL Can't Believe

Introduced first in Mortal Kombat: Deadly Alliance, Konquest Mode was a sort of living tutorial, with a threadbare text-based story that primarily served to introduce the basic mechanics of each character within the game. Gamers may have assumed the same would be true with the introduction of its sequel, Mortal Kombat: Deception.

Instead, the mode received a massive overhaul. Now, players took control of the precocious Shujinko. An aspiring Shaolin champion chosen by the enigmatic Damashi to assemble the Kamidogu, six legendary artifacts of power.

This story mode was unlike anything Mortal Kombat had ever attempted, with sprawling worlds spanning the various realms in the universe, from Earth to the Netherrealm, to Edenia. Ambitious, packed to the brim with a wide variety of characters and secrets, it simultaneously offered the same tutorial mechanics while shaping the return of Onaga, the primary antagonist of the game.

At the end, players were granted access to Shujinko as a playable character. A weird amalgamation of all the styles he learned, Shujinko's lack of a distinct personality and unique moveset made him a polarizing character.

Flawed but compelling, Konquest mode was a precursor for the narrative-driven style that was to come two games later.