Midway originally planned Mortal Kombat Mythologies: Sub-Zero to be the first entry in a larger “Mythologies” spin-off series focused on different Mortal Kombat characters, but the concept was dropped after the game performed poorly commercially and received weak reviews.

The game was released in 1997 for both PlayStation and Nintendo 64, expanding the Mortal Kombat universe with a prequel story centered on Sub-Zero.

Unlike previous Mortal Kombat entries, this title shifted away from fighting game structure and instead used an action adventure format with platforming elements.

It follows Bi-Han, the original and more evil Sub-Zero, giving players a look at the character’s earlier missions before the events of the main series.

The story begins with Sub-Zero being hired by the sorcerer Quan Chi to retrieve a mysterious map from a Shaolin temple. During this mission, Sub-Zero battles Shaolin monks guarding the artifact while carrying out Quan Chi’s orders.

A key moment occurs when Sub-Zero confronts and kills his rival Scorpion, deepening the rivalry’s lore.

Quan Chi then continues to manipulate Sub-Zero into searching for an amulet hidden in the Temple of Elements in Nepal.

The game features three assassins working for Quan Chi: Kia, Jataaka, and Sareena. Each assassin serves as a sub boss with distinct fighting styles and weapons.

Instead of save files, the game uses a password system to record progress between sessions.

Development of the game took roughly 14 months from start to finish.

The project was handled by a small Midway team based in Chicago.

The graphics combine digitized actors with real time 3D environments.

The PlayStation version included full FMV sequences. The Nintendo 64 version removed FMV content due to hardware limitations.