Watch how the creators of 'Mortal Kombat' use fruits, nutcrackers, and lots of imagination to make the game's audio as gruesome and gory as the visuals

Kevin Webb

Aug 23, 2019, 01:23 IST

Watch how the creators of 'Mortal Kombat' use fruits, nutcrackers, and lots of imagination to make the game's audio as gruesome and gory as the visuals

"Mortal Kombat 11"/NetherRealm Studios

"Mortal Kombat 11" was released in April and its the best-selling video game of the year so far.
The violence of the original "Mortal Kombat" was enough to attract Congressional interest in the '90s, but it didn't stop the series from getting gorier over the years.
Vice News visited the Chicago-based NetherRealm studio to learn how the "Mortal Kombat" sound designers give each brutal attack the proper aural impact.
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Since the series launched in 1992, "Mortal Kombat" has been synonymous with video game gore, earning legions of fans with over-the-top violence, edgy character designs, and an attitude that never seems to take itself too seriously.

The violence of the original "Mortal Kombat" famously caught Congress' attention in the '90s, but it didn't stop the series from exploding in popularity - spawning feature films and more than a dozen sequels and spin-offs. Despite its reputation for gratuitous violence - or maybe because of it - the franchise has become an iconic part of pop culture.

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"Mortal Kombat" has only gotten more gruesome in recent years thanks to some major upgrades in technology. The game uses some impressive x-ray and bloody splatter effects to depict its signature "Fatality" finishing moves in high-definition.

Vice News visited the Chicago-based NetherRealm studio to learn about how the game's sound designers give each brutal attack the proper effect. Senior Sound Designer Stephen Schappler showed Vice reporter Dexter Thomas how the studio uses every day objects like peppers, bananas and nutcrackers to simulate the sounds of bones cracking and blood spilling.

See it for yourself:

"Mortal Kombat 11" was released in April for PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch and PC, and it's the best-selling game of the year so far.