PS Vita Mortal Kombat Has Touchscreen Fatalities

The PlayStation Vita version of Mortal Kombat is said to have all of the content from the console version plus some additional features. For example, the Vita MK will allow you to use the touchscreen to perform fatalities on your opponent.

"In terms of gameplay, we’ve always wanted MK to be as accessible as possible," said Netherrealm Studios creative director Ed Boon on PlayStation.Blog. "For example, you can touch your X-ray meter to execute an X-ray attack. For fatalities, you can “slash” the screen with the appropriate inputs — say, away, away, up — to execute the fatality. It makes some of the more difficult fatalities easier and it’s fun to slash at your screen to fire off a fatality. I was surprised by how engaging it is."

The rear touchscreen will not be utilized, however. Also, unlike the Vita version of Ultimate Marvel Vs. Capcom 3, the handheld port of MK won't have a touchscreen-only mode.

"We goofed around with ideas like that. It was an interesting novelty at first, but literally everybody who tried it said 'oh, that’s cute' and then went right back to the normal control scheme. There’s a lot of precision with the “slicing” mechanic, though, so it works well for fatalities."

The Vita MK runs at 60 frames per second, like the PS3 edition. Boon admits that they had to reduce the polygon count for some of the backgrounds and characters. He says it's still a "surprisingly similar experience," though.

The Challenge Tower mode has been expanded greatly for the handheld edition of MK. There are two towers to work your way through, one of which is exclusive to the Vita. The new Challenge Tower has 150 challenges, some of which utilize the Vita's accelerometer and touchscreen.

"Imagine tilting your PS Vita and affecting gravity in the game, things like that," teased Boon.

Mortal Kombat will hit the Vita this Spring.