News / Cheats – Secret Mortal Kombat Menus Discovered After 20 Years

Mortal Kombat is one of the most talked about series of all time.  It’s also a series enveloped in secrets and insider jokes, arguably more so than any other retro series. If it wasn’t working out how to perform a Fatality, it was having heated school ground debates on whether Reptile and Smoke actually existed. Nevertheless, if you thought after all these years we’d finally discovered all of the secrets hidden within, then you’re in for one more surprise.

That surprise is the discovery of secret menus, menus that have now lay hidden within the Arcade releases of Mortal Kombat 1, 2, 3 and even Ultimate 3, for over two decades. Fittingly named the “EJB Menus’ after Mortal Kombat co-creator Ed Boon, these were discovered by the website The Cutting Room Floor. A site committed to discovering removed and secret content within video games. What’s more, in the past week the YouTube channel YourMKArcadeSource has tested and documented these EJB menus.

So what do you get for unlocking each game’s EJB menu? Well quite a lot given that these menus were originally used as a diagnostic tool by Ed Boon himself. As such, in all four of the 16-bit Arcade Mortal Kombat titles, accessing this menu will gain players access to the following features:

• Diagnostic Tests
• Coin Bookkeeping
• The ability to edit the high score screen
• The ability to activate frame errors, system lockups, and even the cabinet’s audit check.
• A sub-menu which where you can view each character’s story ending
• Finally, there is “Hello”, which delivers 10 seconds worth of shout outs.

On top this though, Mortal Kombat 3 and Ultimate MK3’s EJB menus hold a few additional surprises. Firstly, both allow players easy access to the game’s hidden character Cyber Smoke. Moreover, Ultimate MK3’s menu lets you play the extended demonstration of the game’s Fatalities, Animalities, Friendshipalities and Babalities.

Nevertheless, the most interesting of all the secrets that Ed Boon hid within the EJB menus, is Mortal Kombat 3 and Ultimate MK3’s hidden Galaga clone. This mini game is entitled the “Penacho/Miller Game”, and is definitely far more difficult than your average Schmup. All in all though, finding a game within a game is certainly more than anyone in the school ground could have imagined was lying hidden in Mortal Kombat 3.

However, despite all of these hidden secrets what’s most surprising, is the fact that in true retro style anyone can unlock them through the use of a simple code. So how exactly do you access these menus? Well it’s different depending on the game, but don’t worry we’ve got you covered here at Rings & Coins. Just remember, they’re only for the Arcade release.

• Mortal Kombat: P1 (5 times), P2 (10 times), P1 (2 times), P2 (1 time), P1 (2 times), P2 (3 times), P1 (4 times).
• Mortal Kombat II: P1 (5 times), P2 (10 times), P1 (2 times), P2 (8 times), P1 (2 times).
• Mortal Kombat III/Ultimate Mortal Kombat III: P1 (5 times), P2 (10 times), P1 (3 times), P2 (1 time), P1 (2 times), P2 (2 times), P1 (3 times), P2 (4 times).

So there you go. The 16-bit Mortal Kombat games are certainly well known for their secrets and mysteries, and we’re still discovering them today. In fact, who’s to argue with the notion that there may be even more lying hidden in Nevertherealm’s iconic fighting series? We’ll certainly be paying even more attention than usual when indulging in a bit of Mortal Kombat in the future.